concussion. He was on the ground, motionless, with only his brother and Eagles
coach Andy Reid allowed near him.
Westbrook walked off the field, but he would not return.
He may not be back as the Eagles enter the grueling part
of their schedule.
The Eagles played only one team (New Orleans) with a
winning record in the first six games and blew a major shot at sharing the NFC
East lead with an embarrassing loss to struggling Oakland (2-5). Now the
schedule gets tougher.
Up next, Sunday's game against the New York Giants only
hours before the Phillies play the Yankees across the street in Game 4 of the
World Series. Then another home game against Dallas. The outcomes could shake up
the NFC playoff picture.
"We obviously know in this division, it can be a
half-game, a game away from you being in first or you being in second,"
quarterback Donovan McNabb said.
Having a healthy Westbrook would be a boost. He left with
a concussion in the first quarter of Monday night's 27-17 victory over the
Washington Redskins. He will go through medical tests before his status for next
week is determined.
Reid said on Tuesday that Westbrook has not been ruled
out for Sunday. An update texted to reporters said that Reid was "counting on
that he'll be there but we'll see how tests go."
LeSean McCoy would carry the bulk of the rushing load if
Westbrook misses significant time.
"He went down so fast," McCoy said. "I was preparing to
go in there eventually, but not that early. It was a little different for me, to
go out and get started earlier than usual, and to get the ball more than usual
too."
Reid says he won't risk Westbrook's health at the
expense of a game. Plus, the Eagles are used to playing without the injury-prone
running back.
Westbrook and the Eagles were off on Tuesday. He was
scheduled to meet with the media at his usual time on Wednesday depending on his
practice availability. Hard to imagine he'll practice two days after he was
knocked into a daze when his helmet collided with linebacker London Fletcher's
right knee.
The Eagles have won this year without McNabb (ribs) and
can do it without Westbrook. But they need something — more Michael Vick? Less
wildcat? — to fix an offense that can strike with big plays, but is otherwise
inconsistent.
The final point total looks good, and sometimes that's
all that matters. But the Eagles can't always count on DeSean Jackson scoring on
67-yard runs and a 57-yard reception to offset a meager 156 yards passing game
out of McNabb.
Jackson, named NFC offensive player of the week, was the
second player in team history to have a rushing and receiving touchdown of
50-plus yards in the same game.
"DeSean had some nice plays," Reid said. "It was
hit-and-miss on offense."
Jackson strained his right foot, but should be ready to
play Sunday.
The Eagles (4-2) had only 11 first downs and converted
only four of 15 third downs. Vick and the wildcat did almost nothing, and that
experiment continues to confound Eagles fans more than opponents.
Woeful Redskins or not, the Eagles needed the win.
Taking a page from the Phillies playbook with their successful in-season pickups
of Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez, the Eagles looked they got a steal in
linebacker Will Witherspoon.
Witherspoon, acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Rams
last week, started at middle linebacker, ran back an interception for a
touchdown and created another turnover.
"For the first game with a new team, for me, it put the
stamp on it, saying, 'Hey, this is exactly what I want to bring to this team.
This is exactly who I want to be,'" Witherspoon said.
The Eagles aren't where they want to be yet. There are
few pushovers the rest of the way — Atlanta, San Francisco, Denver all loom on
the schedule — so the Eagles understand the importance of those home division
games.
"We're in a great position right now with what we've
been able to accomplish on offense," McNabb said.