LANDOVER, Md. — With or without Terrell Owens, the Philadelphia Eagles are losing and in danger of slipping out of the playoff race.
The Eagles fell to sole possession of last place in the NFC East on Sunday night because of their anemic running game and an offense that produced only one touchdown. The Washington Redskins, rebounding from the worst loss of coach Joe Gibbs' career, rode a more balanced attack and touchdown runs by Mike Sellers and Clinton Portis to a 17-10 victory.
"I'm really proud of our players to bounce back after what happened last week," Gibbs said.
The day was filled with off-field Eagles news: Owens, suspended indefinitely for comments he made about the organization and Donovan McNabb, was involved in a locker-room fight with former teammate Hugh Douglas last week; and running back Brian Westbrook, pining for a new contract since training camp, was given a five-year extension.
The Eagles didn't really miss Owens — unless he could have transformed into a running back. McNabb completed passes to seven receivers, and Owens' replacement in the starting lineup, rookie Reggie Brown, caught a 56-yard pass for his first career touchdown. He finished with five receptions for 94 yards.
But Westbrook gained only 24 yards in 17 carries, more evidence why Philadelphia entered the game with an unseemly imbalance of passing the ball a league-high 72 percent of the time.
Washington's passing was precise as Mark Brunell completed 21 of 29 passes for 224 yards. H-back Chris Cooley caught seven passes for a career-high 85 yards. Portis ran 21 times for 67 yards. While those numbers aren't spectacular, they sure were a change of pace after last week's 36-0 blowout against the New York Giants.
"It seemed like it was a guy here, guy there that made plays," said Gibbs, who gave game balls to the whole team.
The victory ended Washington's seven-game losing streak against Philadelphia and moved the Redskins (5-3) into a tie with Dallas for second place in the division, one game behind the Giants. The Eagles (4-4) have lost three of four, including a rout at Denver last week with Owens on the field.
Philadelphia made it close, taking the ball from its 15-yard line to Washington's 7 in the final minutes. The drive ended when Ryan Clark intercepted McNabb's pass on fourth-and-4 with 1:25 remaining.
The Redskins' defense was led by linebacker LaVar Arrington, who completed his return from exile by starting the game and also serving as a team captain. Arrington played sparingly in the first two months of the season, creating tension between player and coaches, but his six tackles tied for the team lead with Phillip Daniels, who played on a sore ankle.
McNabb played with several injuries, including a sports hernia and bruised rib, but he was as agile as ever when he escaped two would-be sackers to complete a pass to tight end L.J. Smith in the second quarter. Still, McNabb often found it hard to locate receivers against a defense that didn't have to worry about the run. McNabb finished 22-for-35 for 304 yards.
Brown's touchdown gave the Eagles an early lead, but the Redskins answered with a field goal and a touchdown in the second quarter. Cooley's 18-yard reception and a 39-yard pass interference penalty on Lito Sheppard set up Sellers' 1-yard TD run, only the second time he's carried the ball in his six-year career.
The Eagles tied the game with a field goal in the third quarter, but Ladell Betts led the Redskins on the winning drive in the third quarter. He returned the kickoff to Philadelphia's 48, then caught a pass out of the backfield for a 26-yard gain, setting the stage for Portis' 6-yard TD run.