Eagles Lose McNabb and Suffer Biggest Blow on Costly Sunday

The Philadelphia Eagles, Green Bay Packers, and New Orleans Saints all lost yesterday, but they didn't just lose their games. All three teams also lost important players when Donovan McNabb, Brett Favre, and Marques Colston suffered injuries.

McNabb's injury was the most serious. The Eagles' quarterback was carted off the field grimacing and holding his right knee after being hit along the Tennessee Titans' sideline early in the second quarter, and after the game Eagles coach, Andy Reid, confirmed that McNabb will miss the rest of the year with a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

The 31–13 loss to the Titans dropped the Eagles to 5–5, and a team that had Super Bowl aspirations is now a long shot to make the playoffs. Backup Jeff Garcia is many years past his prime, and he struggled after replacing McNabb, completing 26 of 48 passes for just 189 yards. Just as the Eagles' season tanked last year when McNabb was lost nine games into the season, it's hard to imagine Garcia leading Philadelphia to a winning record this year.

But their quarterback wasn't the Eagles' only problem yesterday. The defense allowed rookie Tennessee quarterback Vince Young to lead the Titans to a touchdown on a six-play, 71-yard game-opening drive, and the Titans broke the game open in the third quarter with two long touchdowns, a 70-yard Travis Henry run and a 90-yard Pacman Jones punt return. Philadelphia also fumbled five times.

McNabb, who will turn 30 on Saturday, was having the best season of his career and seemed to be in the prime of his career. Instead, he's in for a long off-season of rehabilitating his knee, and the Eagles are in for a season that will end too soon. (Oakland Raiders running back LaMont Jordan will also spend the off-season rehabilitating a serious knee injury after the former Jet was hurt in the Oakland Raiders' 17–13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.)

Philadelphia's loss and the Dallas Cowboys' 21–14 victory over the previously undefeated Indianapolis Colts drop the Eagles into third place in the NFC East. Dallas played its best game of the season, as its defense intercepted Peyton Manning twice and forced him to fumble twice. Quarterback Tony Romo completed 19 of 23 passes for an 82.6% completion rate that even Manning hasn't achieved in a single game in more than a year. Despite the Cowboys' impressive showing, the Giants will remain in first place even if they lose tonight thanks to their previous victory over the Cowboys.

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McNabb wasn't the only star quarterback to get hurt yesterday. Favre, who was starting his 251st consecutive game, left in the second quarter of the Packers' 35-0 loss to the New England Patriots. New England linebackers Tully Banta-Cain and Tedy Bruschi both hit Favre, causing him to fall on his right arm. He walked off the field holding his elbow and did not return. After the game the Packers said Favre had experienced numbness in the arm, but Favre is expected to be ready to play next week.

Favre completed five of 15 passes for 73 yards and his replacement, Aaron Rodgers, was even worse, going 4-of-12 for 32 yards. The Packers' inability to get anything going through the air was particularly surprising because New England played without three starting defensive backs. Favre is expected to retire after this season, and Rodgers, last year's first-round draft pick, is his presumed successor. Yesterday' s game didn't do anything to give Green Bay much confidence in either the present or the future of its quarterback situation.

The Patriots are just fine at quarterback. Tom Brady completed 20 of 31 passes for 244 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. The Patriots began yesterday on a two-game losing streak, but their victory combined with the Jets' loss gives them a 7–3 record and a two-game lead in the AFC East.

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Colston, the New Orleans rookie who led the league in receiving yards entering yesterday's game, suffered an ankle injury in the first quarter of the Saints' 31–16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. A seventh-round draft pick from Hofstra, Colston has been the NFL' s most pleasant surprise this season, and although it is not clear when Colston will return, he was able to walk off the field without assistance.

Even without his favorite receiver, Saints quarterback Drew Brees put up numbers usually reserved for video games, completing 37 of 52 passes for 510 yards. Those passing yards were the most a quarterback has gained in one game since Boomer Esiason threw for 522 yards for the Arizona Cardinals in 1996. But Brees threw three costly interceptions, the first two on passes into the end zone when the Saints had a good chance to score, and the third returned for a touchdown to seal the game for Cincinnati.

Brees wasn't the only player putting up video game numbers. Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson had six catches for 190 yards and three touchdowns, bringing his total for the last two weeks to 17 catches, 450 yards, and five touchdowns. His yardage total is the highest in NFL history for consecutive games. Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer, who was still hampered by a knee injury early this season, is looking increasingly comfortable in the pocket. He repeatedly evaded the Saints' pass rush and was sacked only once yesterday even though the Bengals were playing without starting left tackle Levi Jones.

The loss knocked New Orleans out of first place in the NFC South. The Saints are 6–4, as are the Carolina Panthers, who beat the St. Louis Rams 15–0. But Carolina leads New Orleans in the standings because the Panthers won their head-to-head match-up. Yesterday five Panthers defenders combined to sack Rams quarterback Marc Bulger seven times. Carolina also got big games from rookie running back DeAngelo Williams, who had 20 carries for 114 yards, and from receiver Steve Smith, who caught a 62-yard pass for the game's only touchdown.

Carolina and New Orleans lead the reeling Atlanta Falcons by one game after the Falcons lost 24–10 to the Baltimore Ravens. Atlanta has now lost three straight, and yesterday's loss was particularly tough to take because it came despite a good performance by quarterback Michael Vick, who completed 11 of 21 passes for 127 yards, with a touchdown and no interceptions against a very good Baltimore defense. Vick also ran six times for 54 yards, but he didn't get much help in the running game. Running backs Warrick Dunn and Jerious Norwood combined for just 18 carries for 54 yards.

The Falcons and Saints now have to look up at the Panthers in the crowded battle for the NFC playoffs. But McNabb's absence makes the battle a little easier.

Mr. Smith is a writer for FootballOutsiders.com.