Westbrook Has Career Day As Eagles Soar Over Falcons, 27-14

Well it certainly wasn't easy, now was it? But then again, it never is with the Eagles.

Philadelphia overcame a very slow start offensively to defeat the Atlanta Falcons at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday, 27-14.

Brian Westbrook led the charge for the Eagles as he dismantled the Falcons' defense for 167 rushing yards, including a touchdown run of 16 yards and a 39-yard dagger to put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter.

Westbrook's performance today was a very positive thing for the Eagles, as he showed no signs that he was still bothered by injuries that kept him ineffective through the first six games.

The Philadelphia offense struggled to get on track in the first quarter due to sketchy pass coverage and several inaccurate passes by Donovan McNabb. But McNabb rebounded solidly late in the half as he led the Eagles on a nine play, 60-yard drive that ended in a three-yard touchdown scramble by McNabb to tie the game at seven.

When McNabb extended the ball across the goal line, Eagles fans across the nation let out a prophetic sigh of relief. On Philly's next possession, they took over from their own 12-yard line. McNabb would lead his troops on a 70-yard romp to the Falcons' 18-yard line with four seconds left in the half. David Akers ended the half with a 36-yard field goal to give the Eagles the lead; a lead they would be hard pressed to relinquish.

The Eagles' defense stepped up when it needed to on Sunday, as it kept Atlanta's biggest gun, running back Michael Turner, in check. Turner struggled to get any type of momentum going, rushing 17 times for a dismal 58 yards. The Eagles had struggled stopping the run in their previous two games, but stepped up in a big way today.

It was a Jekyll and Hyde day for the Eagles' secondary; sometimes it was suffocating against the Atlanta receivers, and at other times it looked awful. But it stepped up when called upon.

Twice, the Eagles halted promising Atlanta drives, as Asante Samuel and Lito Sheppard came up with key interceptions. Samuel's pick came during a Falcons drive where they had converted on two third downs. Sheppard's came on the goal line in the third quarter. He had been flagged just two plays earlier for defensive pass interference in the end zone.

The win puts the Eagles at 4-3 on the season but doesn't pull them out of the cellar in the NFC East because of wins by the Redskins and Cowboys on Sunday. Also, this win brings Andy Reid's record to 10-0 following the bye week. Next week, the Eagles will battle the Seattle Seahawks (2-5) and the 12th man in Seattle.

For the Falcons, this loss is very disappointing. Matt Ryan had a great opportunity to cut the Eagles' lead to three when he threw the interception to Sheppard on the goal line.

Then, with just under 2:30 remaining in the game, Adam Jennings appeared to muff a punt with his team trailing by only six. The replay clearly showed that Jennings didn't touch the ball, but Falcons coach Mike Smith had already used all three of his timeouts and was unable to challenge the call. Two plays later, Westbrook put the proverbial nail in the coffin with his 39-yard touchdown scamper.

Ryan showed terrific poise in his return to Philadelphia. The Exton, Penn. native completed 23 of his 44 passes for 277 yards, including two touchdowns to his go-to receiver, Roddy White.

White had a career game, as he recorded his first two-touchdown game and caught eight passes for 113 yards to go along with his TDs.

The loss drops the Falcons to 4-3. They are now in third place in the NFC South. Next week, the Falcons travel to the Black Hole in Oakland to battle the Raiders (2-5).