Philadelphia soars in victory

Written off last month, the resurgent Philadelphia Eagles are making a strong playoff push.

Donovan McNabb threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns, Asante Samuel scored on an interception return and the Eagles beat the struggling Cleveland Browns, 30-10, on Monday night for their third straight victory.

Philadelphia (8-5-1) remained half a game behind three teams in the race for the two NFC wild-card spots. The Eagles have to win their final two games -- at Washington and home against Dallas -- and need Atlanta or Tampa Bay to lose once to secure a playoff berth.

“We put everything together and we’re playing some pretty good ball right now,” said safety Brian Dawkins, who set a team record by playing his 181st game with the Eagles. “We are a very, very confident group and we’re looking forward to this next game.”

The Browns (4-10) have lost four games in a row. At least they finally scored a touchdown, on Brandon McDonald’s 24-yard interception return in the fourth quarter. The Browns, who didn’t reach the end zone in the previous three games, could be looking for a new coach to replace Romeo Crennel after the season.

“Our guys tried, but I don’t think we have enough ammunition to match up with them,” Crennel said. “We fought in there defensively. We gave up some yards and got some turnovers. We were ineffective running the ball.”

Jason Avant had five receptions for 101 yards -- the first 100-yard game of his career. McNabb finished 26 for 35 before he was replaced by Kevin Kolb with more than 10 minutes remaining.

Just three weeks ago, the Eagles were in disarray. People were calling for Coach Andy Reid to be fired and McNabb’s days in Philadelphia seemed numbered after he was benched for the first time in his career at halftime of a 36-7 loss at Baltimore.

But the Eagles answered with impressive wins over the playoff-bound Arizona Cardinals and New York Giants. They easily handled the Browns, despite squandering several opportunities.

“I don’t go back to the benching because I personally don’t agree with the benching,” McNabb said. “I tried not to let it affect me. I don’t feel I have to prove anything. In my 10-year career, my body of work speaks for itself.”

Since his benching, McNabb has completed 72 of 104 passes for 741 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in the last three games.