Eagles vs. Rams - Road to Tampa Begins with a Season Open Win

Donovan McNabb of the glory years seems to be back, minus the scrambling and the barrage of passes at the knees of course.  McNabb threw for an astounding 361 yards and three touchdowns leading the Eagles to a decisive 38-3 win over the St. Louis Rams.

As expected, Brian Westbrook did his part and ran for 91 yards and had two TDs.  DeSean Jackson, the first Eagles rookie wide receiver to start the season opener in nearly two decades, played like a veteran and caught six passes for 106 yards and returned a punt 60 yards which led to an David Aker's field goal. 

Maybe this will signal to Andy Reid that rookies don't necessarily have to sit on the bench for 3 years to be "ready to play". 

A surprising showing by the supporting cast is what really made today's performance reminiscent of the 2004 Eagles Team.  Greg Lewis and Hank Basket collectively had receptions totaling 206 yards. 

This performance by the Eagles receivers seems all the more impressive when you consider that the Eagles were missing their fastest receiver Kevin Curtis (sports hernia) and their supposed No.1 receiver Reggie Brown (hamstring). 

Imagine when they are healthy enough to return.  Tampa does not seem to far fetched now does it?  Could it be that Sports Illustrated is actually onto something? 

Let's not get crazy. 

The St. Louis Rams are coming off of a 3-13 season last year and it seems like they're off to a repeat performance this year.  Steven Jackson had 40 yards rushing on 14 carries and none of the Rams receivers broke a 100 yards receiving.  Mark Bulger threw for only 158 yards and was harassed by an almost perfect Eagles defense.

Speaking of the Eagles defense, Asante Samuel played like the pro-bowler he his, Sheldon Brown keeps adding to his monster hits highlight reels and overall, the defense never gave Bulger time or targets to make this game competitive.  The Eagles sacked Bulger four times and nearly intercepted the ball on at least 2 occasions.

If that was not enough, the Eagles special teams, led by DeSean Jackson were spectacular.  Not only did Jackson almost score on a punt return but Sav Rocca (punter) had two of his four punts pinning the Rams very close to their own end-zone.

Last but not least, the forgotten player also was instrumental in helping the Eagles get off to a great start this season, and that's the fans.  The Rams were caught offsides several times and really seemed like they could not hear themselves think.

This is a great start to the season for the Eagles, but a real test will be next week as the Eagles face off against America’s Team, the Dallas Cowboys in a prime time Monday night game.

Something of concern:  Even though L.J. Smith caught a pass for a TD, he dropped key passes during the game, one of which would have resulted in another TD.