Witherspoon runs wild as Eagles top Redskins 27-17

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — The new guy for the Philadelphia Eagles fit right in, scoring a touchdown, stripping the quarterback of the ball and leading the team in tackles.

There are plenty of other reasons the Eagles beat the Redskins 27-17 Monday night. Philadelphia (4-2) has more talent, more stability and more big-play capability. Washington (2-5) is sinking into a morass of disenchantment with a limited talent supply drained by another injury, this time a broken ankle suffered by Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley.

But how about Will Witherspoon?

On just his sixth day with the Eagles, having been acquired in a trade with the St. Louis Rams, the eight-year veteran started at middle linebacker and had a stunning stat line: eight tackles, one sack, one quarterback hurry, a deflected pass, one forced fumble and an interception returned 9 yards for a touchdown.

"What? Who in their right mind would think that in their first game?" Witherspoon said. "But when it comes down to it, it happened. ... 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.'"

DeSean Jackson scored on a 67-yard run and on a 57-yard reception, both in the first half, for the Eagles. Donovan McNabb completed 15 of 25 passes for 156 yards, getting his 200th touchdown pass and surpassing 30,000 yards passing for his career. Trent Cole got two of Philadelphia's six sacks.

Three turnovers were converted into points as the Eagles raced to a 27-7 lead late in the second quarter. No one was going to accuse Philadelphia of taking another weak opponent lightly after last week's loss at Oakland.

"A lot rode on this game," Jackson said, "so we did what we needed to do."

The Eagles lost Brian Westbrook in the first quarter with a concussion after his helmet rammed into linebacker London Fletcher's knee at the end of a 5-yard run. Coach Andy Reid said he expects Westbrook to recover fully but will play it safe with his star running back.

"We'll see how he is," Reid said. "I'm not going to put him out there when he's at risk."

The Redskins also had a significant injury, and it's one that doesn't heal quickly. Cooley, who has never missed a game and is the team's most consistent receiving threat, went down on the first play of the second quarter.

Zorn said it's too early to know if the injury is season-ending. Regardless, the news is another blow to a Redskins offense that is already without starting linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas.

"When it rains, it pours," center Casey Rabach said. "We just keep taking hits on the offensive side of the football."

As for Lewis, the consultant hired three weeks ago by owner Dan Snyder was almost inconsequential. Taking over the play-calling from Zorn — a mandate from the front office after last week's loss to Kansas City — he found himself trying to shepherd an offense that has trouble blocking and holding on to the ball.

The Redskins fumbled four times, losing three. Jason Campbell was sacked a half-dozen times, and the offensive line created little room for Clinton Portis, who rushed for only 43 yards.

"Well, the result was the same. We got 17 points," Zorn said. "It was difficult for me. It was difficult to stand and watch. The hard part is to keep your mouth shut."

The fans sure aren't staying quiet. When former Redskins kick returner Brian Mitchell was inducted into the stadium's ring of fame before the game, the crowd booed when he mentioned Snyder's name.

"No, don't do that," Mitchell said.

Also finding it hard to hold his tongue is defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who questioned his teammates' desire after the game.

"Urgency, heart, 'want-to,' whatever. I don't know. We're lacking a lot of stuff right now," he said.