PHILADELPHIA (AP) -Asante Samuel returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown, Donovan McNabb threw a TD pass and the Philadelphia Eagles led the Cleveland Browns 17-3 at halftime on Monday night.
The Browns picked off two passes in the end zone in the second quarter, but scored no points off the turnovers.
Samuel made the most of his interception for the streaking Eagles.
r the score, making it 17-3.
It appeared Samuel tossed the ball aside at the 1 just like Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson did against the Dallas Cowboys in a Monday night game in Week 2. But Samuel quickly picked the ball up in the end zone, and the Browns didn’t challenge.
Jackson ended an Eagles drive early in the second quarter when his pass was intercepted in the end zone by linebacker Sean Jones. The Eagles tried a trick play at Cleveland’s 7-yard line with a direct snap to Jackson, whose soft pass over the middle was easily snagged by Jones.
Samuel, though, made up for the pick with a nice one of his own.
McNabb went 15-for-21 for 190 yards, but had a pass intercepted in the end zone by Brandon McDonald and returned 98 yards to the 7 in the final seconds of the half. He was slowed by running back Brian Westbrook and tackled by wide receiver Hank Baskett to prevent a Cleveland TD entering halftime.
The Eagles have to win their final three games to have a shot at the playoffs and McNabb wasted little time getting them into the end zone. He connected with Jason Avant for a 20-yard gain on third-and-5 and Westbrook moved them closer with a pair of solid runs.
McNabb finished off a perfect drive (4-for-4) with a 14-yard TD to Kevin Curtis for a 7-0 lead. David Akers added a 24-yard field goal with 52 seconds left in the quarter.
ontinued his solid play since he was benched for the first time in his career in a lopsided loss at Baltimore. He’s rallied the Eagles to consecutive wins against playoff-bound teams and needs a win against the slumping Browns to keep alive their shot at the postseason.
Making his second straight start for the injured Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn, Dorsey had a 28-yard pass to Braylon Edwards on Cleveland’s first drive. Phil Dawson kicked a 27-yarder to make it 7-3 and set a Browns’ single-season record with 30 field goals.
Dorsey is third Cleveland quarterback to start in three Monday night games this season.
The Browns haven’t scored a touchdown in the last three games – and now the first half. It’s that kind of effort that just might cost coach Romeo Crennel his job. A loss would clinch Cleveland’s seventh season of at least 10 losses since 1999.
Eagles safety Brian Dawkins set a team record by playing in his 181st game. He was tied with Harold Carmichael for most games played with Philadelphia.
Add A Comment