Eagles Proving Themselves

Donovan McNabb, in his 16th start, earned his first fourth-quarter comeback, and the Eagles proved they`re good enough to beat lesser teams with Sunday`s 16-13 victory over the Cowboys.

"It was a tremendous learning experience for a young football team to come from behind 10 points," coach Andy Reid said Monday. "For a young team, that has to sink in, and build a lot of confidence there." The Eagles (6-4) dominated the Cowboys in a 41-14 victory at Dallas on Week 1, but that might have made it more difficult on Sunday. Dallas (3-6) controlled the ball for 19:56 of the first half, and led 7-0 at halftime. "It`s tough to beat a team twice, then you add a blowout," Reid said. "You have to have yourself mentally prepared. We let them into the game, we gave them momentum, and now we had to overcome that. It`s a tough thing to do. You learn from that." McNabb rallied the Eagles for 13 points in the fourth quarter, including a 54-yard drive in 96 seconds that set up a game-tying 34-yard field goal by David Akers with 11 seconds left. After throwing an interception on the first possession of overtime, McNabb led the Eagles on a game-winning drive by completing 3-of-3 passes for 29 yards.

It was the first time McNabb had brought the Eagles back from a deficit in the fourth quarter since his first start _ a 35-28 victory over Washington last November. But the Eagles led the Redskins 24-21 entering the fourth quarter of that game, and blew a 27-21 before winning. "It provides confidence," McNabb said. "Going into every game now, we feel confident that if it is overtime or in a tight situation, we will be able to pull it out. I think all throughout the course of a season, you have to play a game like that. "We knew it was going to be a battle and a grind, but we came out on top. We kept fighting and kept pulling together every time we were out there. There was some adversity that we had to go through, but we came out on top." McNabb improved to 8-8 as a starter. In the process, he demonstrated his leadership skills, and earned the respect of his teammates. "He showed us a lot," fullback Cecil Martin said. "When he threw that interception, at no time did he hang his head." McNabb outplayed his childhood idol, Randall Cunningham, and finished 23-of-41 for 228 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He added 58 yards rushing. "Donovan maintained his poise throughout the game," Reid said. "He had opportunities where he could`ve backed off, become passive, but he didn`t do that. He kept that glow in his eye, he wanted the football, he wanted to compete, he wanted the ball in his hand when it came down to crunch time. "It was obvious to his teammates that`s the way he was feeling. At that position, all eyes are on you in the huddle, and it`s very easy to see if you`re not right. He kept himself where he was able to radiate some confidence in the players around him." (Copyright 2000 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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Author: AP