McNabb Can’t Stomach Defeat

Nobody had to ask Donovan McNabb how he felt after this one.

Led by rookie John Henderson’s three sacks, the Jacksonville Jaguars chased McNabb until he was literally sick to his stomach Sunday and continued their surprising start with a 28-25 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

McNabb threw for 230 yards and ran for 100, but he paid an extreme price. He was sacked five times, and toward the end of Philadelphia’s late rally from a 28-10 deficit, he was so exhausted that he had to pull away from center while he threw up on the field.

“It was the strangest thing I’ve ever seen,” Jaguar cornerback Fernando Bryant said.

On a steamy day in Jacksonville, the Jaguars (3-1) looked and felt great. They made all the big plays--including Bobby Shaw’s 69-yard punt return for a touchdown--and Coach Tom Coughlin made the right calls.

The first came early in the fourth quarter, when Coughlin went for it on fourth and one from the Eagle two with a 14-10 lead. Stacey Mack broke Barry Gardner’s tackle for the first down and scored from the one on the next play for a 21-10 lead. “It was just a gut feeling,” Coughlin said. “I feel like these people have to understand that we’re here to win.”

McNabb certainly got the picture. Chased repeatedly by the Jaguars, he became ill with 40 seconds left and the Eagles (3-2) trying to reduce a 28-18 deficit.

McNabb, who last month signed an NFL-record $115-million contract, was hooked up to an IV for about 20 minutes after the game.

The loss ended the Eagles’ three-game winning streak in which they outscored Washington, Dallas and Houston by a combined 116-37. But they made too many mistakes against the Jaguars, including keeping Jacksonville’s second-quarter touchdown drive alive by having too many players on the field on a punt return.