High Five for McNabb Feels Fine

There are NFL quarterbacks with more touchdowns, loftier passer ratings and fewer interceptions. But discounting what Donovan McNabb means to the Philadelphia Eagles -- by, say, giving too much credit to his star receiver -- would be a T.O.

Tremendous oversight, that is.

That much was glaringly obvious Sunday as McNabb threw five first-half touchdown passes in a 47-17 rout of Green Bay at Lincoln Financial Field, ending the Packers’ six-game winning streak and establishing the Eagles as the team to beat in the NFC.

McNabb set a franchise record by completing his first 14 passes -- his 15th was a catchable toss that glanced off the fingertips of his fullback -- and seemed to morph that No. 5 on his chest into a Superman “S.”

“It felt statistically like [I was] playing a video game,” said McNabb, who completed 32 of 43 passes for a team-record 464 yards. “When you’re in a game like that, you just don’t want it to stop.”

Unless, of course, you play for Green Bay. The Packers gave up four touchdown passes in the second quarter, three of them to running back Brian Westbrook, and by halftime were simply playing for pride. Of the six teams Green Bay (7-5) knocked off during its winning streak, only Minnesota had a winning record. So the Eagles (11-1) were a very different beast.

“We just kept pouring down on them,” said receiver Terrell Owens, who scored the first touchdown and finished with eight catches for 161 yards. “That was our main focus, to come in here and be aggressive, and that’s what we did.”

Keeping their accelerator pinned to the floor will be a challenge for the Eagles, who clinched the NFC East a week earlier and now, in the quest for home-field advantage in the conference, have a two-game lead on Atlanta with four to play.

The Eagles, losers of the last three conference title games, have taken a Jacksonville-or-bust approach to this season. Anything short of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy on Super Bowl Sunday will be a bitter disappointment. No one in the Philadelphia locker room prattles on about the team’s four consecutive division titles or its forays deep into the NFC playoffs.

“Our goal is already as high as it can be,” McNabb said. “Winning the Super Bowl.”

Green Bay, meanwhile, is left to pick up the pieces after a troubling loss. Gone is quarterback Brett Favre’s streak of touchdown passes in 36 consecutive games. He fell 11 games shy of the league record held by the late Johnny Unitas, among the most remarkable feats in sports.

Favre was typically gracious in defeat. When he was pulled out of the game after three quarters and replaced by backup Craig Nall, something that guaranteed the touchdown streak was over, Favre simply gave an exhausted smile and accepted a hug from running back Ahman Green.

“If I’d thrown a touchdown and we’d lost by 40, I don’t know that I would have been quietly high-fiving anybody,” Favre said.

The Eagle defense had gone 12 consecutive quarters without giving up a touchdown, a streak that ended in the fourth quarter when William Henderson caught a one-yard scoring pass from Nall.

The Philadelphia story was a very different one. Near the end of the first half, after McNabb threw his fifth touchdown pass, sideline cameras zoomed in on Favre, who uttered not a four-letter word, but, “Wow!”

Said Favre: “I told Donovan after the game, I said, ‘The only bad thing about having a half like that is you don’t have a whole lot to look forward to in the second half.’ ”

About the only second-half intrigue concerned whether Owens would make his 15th touchdown catch of the season. Santa-shaped Coach Andy Reid has promised to wear T.O.-type tights when the All-Pro receiver reaches that milestone. So Reid and Owens shared a laugh when T.O. was stopped four yards short of the end zone on a reception in the fourth quarter.

“Yeah, I was kind of thinking about [the tights wager] a little bit,” Reid said. “Now, you guys [reporters] know you’re never going to see that.”

While the Owens show remains a center-stage event -- whether it’s back-and-forth barking with Ray Lewis, the “Desperate Housewives” brouhaha, or the mounting touchdown numbers -- McNabb is quietly, methodically ripping defenses limb from limb. With the possible exception of Daunte Culpepper, McNabb might be the only elite quarterback who is overshadowed by his best receiver.

“My sense from seeing him is he’s OK with that,” team President Joe Banner said of McNabb. “It’s not like he’s not getting any recognition, but it’s kind of amazing to watch him play, especially on a day like today. His ability to make things happen, to make plays and create problems for a defense, there are very few guys you can find who can do that.”