(Sports Network) - Any concerns about Donovan McNabb's health were immediately erased when the longtime Philadelphia Eagles quarterback took the field for this past Sunday's game with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

On the team's first offensive play from scrimmage, McNabb -- playing for the first time since fracturing a rib in Philadelphia's season-opening victory over Carolina -- deftly side-stepped an oncoming rush and scrambled 13 yards for a first down. On the second, the five-time Pro Bowl participant fired a perfectly-thrown deep strike down the left sideline that rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin hauled in for a 51-yard touchdown to set the tone for an easy 33-14 win over the bumbling Bucs.

McNabb ended the afternoon a sharp 16-for-21 for 264 yards and three touchdowns, showing no signs of rust from the three-week layoff caused by the injury.

"I knew it would kind of be a slow process, didn't think it would happen as fast as it did with that first touchdown," said McNabb when asked about his ability to quickly get into a groove. "When you step away from the game for a couple weeks, you just want to get into a rhythm and get your feet under you a little bit."

His return was particularly beneficial to Maclin. The gifted first-round draft choice, inserted into the starting lineup for an ailing Kevin Curtis, also burned Tampa Bay's suspect secondary for a 40-yard score late in the first half and finished with an impressive 142 yards on six catches.

Sunday's win also marked a successful comeback for another decorated Eagles player. Veteran linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, a surprising signee during last week's bye, was inserted into the starting lineup and had three tackles while sharing time in the middle with incumbent Omar Gaither. The 32-year-old was playing his first game since the 2007 regular-season finale, when he was a member of the Buccaneers.

Trotter spent seven of his first 10 NFL seasons with the Eagles and made four Pro Bowls during his two previous stints in the organization. He spent all of 2008 out of football.

QUICK HITS: Philadelphia moved to a perfect 11-0 in games following a bye under head coach Andy Reid, who picked up his 100th career victory on Sunday...Running back Brian Westbrook was active against the Bucs after sitting out the Eagles' Week 3 win over Kansas City with an ankle sprain, but had just 18 rushing yards on six carries along with a pair of catches totaling 17 yards...The Eagles have scored at least 33 points in all three of their wins this season and are 41-2 since 2000 when putting up 30 points or more...The Philadelphia defense intercepted young Tampa quarterback Josh Johnson three times, with cornerback Asante Samuel netting two of those picks...Curtis missed a second straight game with lingering knee soreness.

NEXT UP: The Eagles play the first of back-to-back road games with this Sunday's visit to the Oakland Coliseum to battle a badly-struggling Raiders team that is coming off a 44-7 shellacking at the hands of the New York Giants. Philadelphia will be making its first visit to Oakland since a 48-17 loss at the Coliseum on September 24, 1995.

N.Y. GIANTS: The Giants' lopsided win over the wayward Raiders on Sunday provided the perfect scenario for the NFC East's lone remaining unbeaten team.

Despite being a game-time decision due to an injured right heel, quarterback Eli Manning made his 83rd consecutive start under center and had a short and sweet day. The durable signal-caller led New York to touchdowns on each of the team's first four possessions before exiting with the Giants holding a commanding 28-7 lead midway through the second quarter.

Manning completed 8-of-10 passes, including touchdown deliveries to young wide receivers Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks, for 173 yards before giving way to backup David Carr. The 28-year-old ended the day with a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

"We didn't know what kind of game it was going to come down to, but I think at the end it was kind of picture perfect," said Manning, who is dealing with plantar fasciitis in his foot. "Just get in there, score quickly, score a lot, get a big lead, and then be able to rest [the foot] and make sure you don't put more strain on it or make it where it is real sore tomorrow. I think it turned out really well."

Manning had plenty of help from a prolific running game that churned out 220 yards for the game, as well as a disruptive defense that sacked Oakland quarterback JaMarcus Russell six times and induced three fumbles out of the disappointing former No. 1 overall pick.

Ahmad Bradshaw keyed the ground attack with an eye-opening 110 yards and two touchdowns on only 11 attempts, while also taking a short Manning pass 55 yards to set up another of New York's early scores. All-Pro end Justin Tuck fueled the dominating defensive effort with two sacks, one of which forced a Russell fumble.

Sunday's rout gave the Giants their first 5-0 start since 1990, a year in which the team won its first 10 contests en route to a Super Bowl title.

QUICK HITS: Carr threw for 90 yards on 9-of-14 passing and scored on a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter...The Giants have put up points on their opening drive in each of the first five games, having generated three touchdowns and two field goals...Weakside linebacker Michael Boley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and is expected to miss around a month. Special-teams stalwart Chase Blackburn took Boley's place in the starting lineup on Sunday and recorded eight tackles...Tight end Kevin Boss also sat out the Oakland game after spraining his right ankle in the previous week's win over Kansas City.

NEXT UP: Manning will be visiting his hometown of New Orleans when the Giants take on the high-powered Saints this Sunday in a colossal matchup between two of the NFC's three teams still boasting unblemished records. The 4-0 Saints, who lead the NFL with an average of 36 points per game, will come in healthy and rested after having a Week 5 bye.



DALLAS: The Dallas Cowboys may have finally found the man to replace Terrell Owens as the big-play element in their offense, with the answer coming from an unlikely source under unexpected circumstances.

Miles Austin's first career NFL start was not only a breakout experience for the overlooked former undrafted free agent, it turned out to be the most prolific day by a wide receiver for a franchise with a storied history of pass-catchers. The fourth-year pro piled up a whopping 250 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches in last Sunday's matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs, eclipsing a 43-yard team single-game record that had been held by Hall of Famer Bob Hayes.

As it turned out, the Cowboys needed every one of those yards from Austin to put together a harder-than-expected 26-20 overtime victory over the winless Chiefs. And in fitting fashion, the young wideout came up with the deciding play.

On Dallas' second drive of the extra period, Austin snared a short pass from quarterback Tony Romo and shook free from a defender before outracing the Kansas City defense for a game-ending 60-yard touchdown. It was a play remarkably similar to one that occurred late in the fourth quarter, when the 25-year-old came through with a 59-yard catch-and-run that briefly gave the Cowboys a 20-13 lead.

Not a bad day's work for a guy who had initially been slotted for a supporting role if not for a rib injury that expected top receiver Roy Williams incurred during Dallas' tough Week 4 loss at Denver.

"Pretty amazing game he had," head coach Wade Phillips said of Austin afterward. "I was really glad for him, he has worked hard at it. He is very athletic, he's very strong after the catch, he ran through tackles and then he has the speed to break it all away. We saw those things [on Sunday]."

Ironically, Austin's total against the Chiefs surpassed the 214 receiving yards that Williams, whom the Cowboys signed to a lucrative six-year, $54 million contract shortly after being acquired in a midseason trade with Detroit in 2008, had compiled through the first four games.

QUICK HITS: Hayes amassed 246 receiving yards against Washington on November 13, 1966...Romo ended Sunday's win with 351 passing yards, just two shy of his career-high set in Dallas' 34-21 victory over Tampa Bay in Week 1...Running back Tashard Choice had a key 36-yard touchdown run in the third quarter and rushed for 92 yards on only eight attempts against Kansas City...The Cowboys prevailed despite committing 13 penalties for 90 yards and turning the ball over twice.

NEXT UP: The Cowboys will have some extra time to prepare for a challenging home clash with 2008 playoff participant Atlanta on October 25 with an upcoming bye. Dallas hopes to have both Williams and speedy running back Felix Jones, who's missed two straight weeks with a sprained knee, back in action when the 3-1 Falcons visit the new Cowboys Stadium.



WASHINGTON: For a brief moment, there was a rare period of calmness in what's been a seriously stormy season for the Washington Redskins (web | news) during this past Sunday's tussle with the Carolina Panthers. The customary chaos would ensue, however, after the embattled club squandered a 15-point second-half lead that resulted in a startling 20-17 defeat to the previously-winless Panthers.

Washington owned a seemingly-comfortable 17-2 advantage five minutes into the second half but just couldn't come up with the knockout blow, with breakdowns in all three phases all contributing to a painful loss that triggered further speculation about the long-term future of second-year head coach Jim Zorn.

A defense that had stifled the Panthers over the first half surrendered a pair of scoring drives that cut Carolina's deficit to 17-12 early in the fourth quarter, and the go-ahead points came on an unintended miscue by the Redskins' special teams.

With the Panthers punting with just over 10 minutes to play, Washington's Byron Westbrook was blocked into return man Antwaan Randle El as the veteran receiver tried to make a fair catch. The ball bounced off Westbrook's leg and Carolina recovered at the Redskins' 12-yard line, setting up a short touchdown run and two-point conversion that gave the Panthers a three-point lead.

A punchless Washington offense didn't have an answer and mustered a mere 198 total yards on the afternoon, with quarterback Jason Campbell taking five sacks and getting minimal support from a depleted front line that lost six- time Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels to a shoulder stinger in the first quarter.

"It was very difficult to watch [the lead] dwindle," said Zorn. "We tried to be aggressive, we tried to get the ball down the field, but it came down to several plays and as the game went on, we didn't make them."

The absence of Samuels, who's expected to miss this coming Sunday's game against Kansas City, had a profound effect on the offensive game plan. Campbell took few shots downfield due to the line's protection issues, with sure-handed tight end Chris Cooley often forced to help pass-block.

Cooley, Washington's leader in receptions, had a streak of 76 consecutive games with at least one catch come to an end, a streak that began midway through the 2004 season.

QUICK HITS: Defensive end Phillip Daniels suffered a torn right biceps during Sunday's loss, but will elect to delay surgery and play through the injury...Punter Hunter Smith sat out the first game of his 11-year career with a groin strain. Glenn Pakulak, signed a few days prior to the Carolina contest, took Smith's place and averaged 38.4 yards on five kicks...Mike Williams, a former first-round pick of the Bills who spent the past three seasons out of football, made his first NFL start since 2005 against the Panthers at right guard...Defensive end Andre Carter had a career-high 2 1/2 sacks and forced a fumble from Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme.

NEXT UP: The 2-3 Redskins will try to get back to the .500 mark and keep pace in the competitive NFC East when the 0-5 Chiefs make their first visit to FedEx Field since 2001 this weekend. Washington has won both of its first two home games this season, topping St. Louis and Tampa Bay by a combined five points.











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