The Eagles' exciting 38-10 blowout over the Panthers was incredible to watch, but it was not without some casualties. Most notable among the banged-up Birds was quarterback Donovan McNabb, who received a nasty hit on a 5-yard TD scramble late in the game. Chest x-rays later revealed that McNabb had suffered a cracked rib and could miss 2-4 weeks. However, Andy Reid is not ruling out the possibility of the starting QB playing in next week's home opener against the Saints. McNabb has been known to play through injuries before, and could certainly play through a cracked rib if given enough rest over the coming week. When asked if he thought he couldn't play, McNabb had this to say:
"Not necessarily, anything can happen. It's just Monday right now, but if Friday and Saturday come along and I'm feeling a lot better, you just never know."
He is, however, currently listed as "doubtful" and it is very unlikely that he will practice this week. Should he not be ready for week two, Kevin Kolb will start.
Free safety Quintin Demps suffered a hamstring strain during the game and Reid said that the young safety will "struggle to play against the Saints." It has certainly been an unfortunate couple of weeks for Demps, who has already lost both his starting free safety job and his kickoff return job to Macho Harris and Ellis Hobbs, respectively. Hopefully he can rehab quickly and get back on the field, or he risks becoming lost in a very talented secondary.
Offensive linemen Shawn Andrews and Todd Herremans are still sidelined with back and foot problems. No updates have been given on their conditions yet. However, reserve linemen Nick Cole and Winston Justice performed respectably in their stead, so there is no cause for panic yet. Backup linebacker Joe Mays has been progressing nicely and, according to Coach Reid, "making quite a little bit of progress with his shoulder sprain."