PHILADELPHIA (Oct. 2, 2006) -- Donovan McNabb juked and jived the way he did early in his career. Brett Favre had a throwback night, too -- to his days of erratic interceptions.
McNabb ran for two touchdowns and threw for a pair, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 31-9 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Favre, who has enjoyed many memorable moments on the national stage throughout his 16-year career, would like to forget this one. Favre misfired badly on several passes, including two interceptions that led to Philadelphia scores.
He left with a slight head injury late in the fourth quarter, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy said he didn't think the injury was serious.
McNabb finished 16-of-30 for 288 yards and had 47 yards rushing. He scored on runs of 6 and 15 yards, and connected with Greg Lewis on TD passes of 45 and 30 yards.
"I decided to go back to my style of play," McNabb said, "and if the opportunity is there, take full advantage."
Once a feared runner, McNabb had just 55 yards rushing last season when he was limited by injuries and missed the final seven games because of a sports hernia.
"He kept running on us," Packers defensive end Aaron Kampman said. "We were all trying to bring him down. He eluded a number of sacks. Just give him some credit. He's a good player."
Favre was 22-of-40 for 205 yards and had a passer rating of 44.2. He didn't speak to reporters after the game, and a team spokesman said he was complaining of headaches.
"It's in his head, a stinger," McCarthy said. "I think he will be fine."
Playing without injured running back Brian Westbrook, the Eagles started slow and trailed 9-7 at halftime following three field goals from Green Bay's Dave Rayner, including a 54-yarder that was right down the middle with plenty of distance. Correll Buckhalter, starting for Brian Westbrook, lost two fumbles inside the Packers 5 in the first half.
But McNabb used his legs in the third quarter to ignite the offense and lead the Eagles (3-1) to their third victory by a double-digit margin.
"A sign of a good football team is you can buckle down and change the wrongs to rights," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "There were good things we did in the second half. It wasn't flawless."
On the opening possession of the third quarter, McNabb twice kept the drive going by running for first downs on third-and-10. He got 14 yards on his first dash and juked for 12 more to the Packers 42 on the second one.
David Akers then kicked a 40-yard field goal to give the Eagles a 10-9 lead, and they never looked back.
On Philly's next drive, Lewis blew past cornerback Ahmad Carroll, caught McNabb's pass in stride inside the 5 and fought his way into the end zone to give the Eagles a 17-9 lead.
After rookie defensive tackle LaJuan Ramsey intercepted a tipped pass and lost 12 yards on the return, McNabb and Lewis hooked up again to put Philadelphia ahead 24-9. Lewis was wide open after running a short out route, made the catch and easily streaked into the end zone.
On the next series, Michael Lewis intercepted Favre's overthrown pass at the Eagles 13 and returned it to the 34.
McNabb scored from 15 yards to put the Eagles ahead 31-9. It was the first time in his career he had two rushing TDs in a game.
"I saw that Peyton Manning scored, so I had to outdo him," McNabb joked.
Green Bay played without running back Ahman Green (hamstring) while cornerbacks Lito Sheppard (ankle) and Rod Hood (heel) joined Westbrook (knee) on the sideline for the Eagles.
The Packers (1-3) have lost nine straight to the Eagles in Philly since a 49-0 victory in 1962, when Vince Lombardi was coaching Green Bay.
Both teams squandered opportunities early.
The Eagles drove to the Packers 2 on their second possession, but Buckhalter mishandled the handoff from McNabb and Nick Barnett fell on the ball.
After consecutive passes to L.J. Smith totaling 38 yards put the Eagles at Green Bay's 4, Buckhalter fumbled again. Charles Woodson recovered at the 3.
But Vernand Morency, who started in Green's place, gave it back when he muffed the handoff two plays later and Darren Howard recovered it at the Packers 6.
Buckhalter didn't get a chance to give it up this time. McNabb threw an incomplete pass on first down and ran it in from the 6 on the next play to give the Eagles a 7-3 lead.
"Big plays equal points and I thought that was a big factor in the way the game got away from us," McCarthy said.
Rayner's 54-yarder in the second quarter got the Packers within 7-6. It tied Chris Jacke (1994) and Ryan Longwell (2001) for longest field goal in team history. He put the Packers ahead 9-7 with a 46-yarder late in the first half.
Notes: Eagles starting wideouts Donte' Stallworth (hamstring) and Reggie Brown (shoulder) both left the game in the fourth quarter. They'll be evaluated Tuesday. ... Favre extended his NFL-record streak for consecutive starts to 225. He's 17-14 on Monday nights. ... Eagles FS Brian Dawkins passed Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik for most wins (86) with the team. ... Morency faced the Eagles for the second time in four weeks, finishing with 99 yards on 26 carries. He had 13 yards on five carries in the season opener, before he was traded from Houston to Green Bay.
