Preseason (Week two): Philadelphia Eagles 24, Carolina Panthers 13

After a 58-minute delay early in the game, the Eagles defeated the Panthers despite seeing it's first-team offense sputter. Quarterback Donovan McNabb was 11 of 24 passes for 98 yards. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, "If there was a bright spot for the Eagles' starters, it had to be the defense and rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who caught seven passes for 71 yards. The Panthers' offense went three-and-out on its first two possessions and managed just three points on six first-half possessions."

Philadelphia Daily News columnist John Smallwood writes that the Philly defense is improving. He writes, "Still, for the 9 minutes, 59 seconds the Birds played before the bad weather altered the game plan, Eagles fans had to feel good about some of the improvements they saw over the preseason opener against Pittsburgh. A week ago, the Eagles' new and improved defense raised a few eyebrows of concern when the Steelers took the opening possession and methodically marched downfield for a touchdown."

The Eagles' reserves were the stars of the game. "Linebacker Justin Roland intercepted a pass by Carolina backup quarterback Matt Mooreand took it 76 yards for a touchdown, as Philadelphia stunned visiting Carolina, 24-13, in its second preseason game. The Eagles scored all of their points in the fourth quarter. Tony Hunt's 51-yard touchdown run capped a furious, late-night comeback in front of a soaked gathering at Lincoln Financial Field, which was about one-tenth full at game's end."

Rookie wide receiver DeSean Jackson stars for Eagles. With starting wideout Reggie Brown out with a bad hamstring, Jackson got to play with the starters. He had seven catches for 71 yards against the Panthers. According to the Philadelphia Daily News columnist Paul Domowitch
, "Reid's West Coast offense isn't easy for rookies to learn. But Jackson, who played in a pro-style offense at Cal, has done an excellent job picking it up. 'He's a smart kid,' Reid said the other day. 'The volume got to him a little bit as we got toward the end of our installs [in the spring minicamps]. That's understandable. I wasn't shocked by it. He's an intelligent kid and he wants to be good. He has that drive. We'll see how he continues here.' "

Eagles guard Shawn Andrews, who is battling depression, may return to practice today after missing the first two weeks at Lehigh. Andy Reid said "there's a good chance" Andrews will return today when the team resumes workouts at the NovaCare Complex.