Eagles bounce Redskins 27-17
LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — DeSean Jackson scored on a 67-yard reverse and a 57-yard catch Monday night to help the Eagles to a 27-17 victory over the Washington Redskins.
The game was filled with injuries, including Philadelphia running back Brian Westbrook’s concussion.
Jackson was among several players hurt, leaving the field shortly before halftime to have his right foot X-rayed. But he returned in the third quarter.
Westbrook, the Eagles’ leading rusher, did not. He departed after his helmet collided with linebacker London Fletcher’s knee at the end of a run in the first quarter.
Jackson reached the end zone the only two times he touched the ball on plays from scrimmage in the first half.
The Eagles, coming off a surprising loss to Oakland, took the lead on the fourth play from scrimmage on Jackson’s reverse, the team’s longest running play this season.
Then, Donovan McNabb’s long toss to Jackson with 1:50 left in the second quarter was the quarterback’s 200th NFL TD pass and pushed him past 30,000 yards passing for his career.
In between, three turnovers led to 13 points for the Eagles, including Will Witherspoon’s 9-yard interception return for a touchdown. Making his Eagles debut after a midweek trade from the Rams, the linebacker grabbed the ball after Jason Campbell’s pass was batted by safety Quintin Mikell.
On the first play of the second quarter, Witherspoon stripped Campbell of the ball, and Mikell recovered the fumble in Washington territory. That led to David Akers’ 47-yard field goal, which made it 17-0 about 11‚Ñ2 minutes into the second quarter.
Later, Antwaan Randle El’s muffed punt return — the football went off his facemask — was recovered by Sean Jones, setting up a 44-yard kick by Akers.
Washington’s lone first-half TD came when Campbell connected with Devin Thomas on a 2-yard pass, the second-year receiver’s first NFL touchdown catch. Shaun Suisham added a 47-yard field goal with a second left in the first half for Washington.
Putting a damper on the Eagles’ start was the injury to Westbrook, who stayed down on the ground for several minutes.