Final

Jets 17

(3-2, 2-1 away)

Eagles 9

(2-2, 0-2 home)

7:00 PM ET, August 28, 2003

 

1 2 3 4 T
NYJ 7 10 0 017
PHI 0 9 0 09

First-round pick to have MRI today

ESPN.com news services

PHILADELPHIA -- Donovan McNabb spent the night leading cheers, and Vinny Testaverde stood quietly on the sidelines wearing a baseball cap.

It wasn't a night for starters. It was a game for backups to showcase their talents. Marquel Blackwell threw two touchdown passes, leading the New York Jets' backups to a 17-9 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles' second- and third-stringers in the final preseason game for both teams Thursday night.

Despite resting their starters, the Eagles (2-2) lost a key player when first-round pick Jerome McDougle went down with a left hip and ankle injury in the third quarter.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said McDougle is suffering from a sore left hip and a sore left ankle. X-rays were negative. McDougle had MRI on the hip and ankle Friday, but the results have not been announced yet.

His status for the opener is unknown, ESPN's John Clayton reported.

McDougle, the 15th overall pick from Miami, was expected to help fill the void left by the departure of three-time Pro Bowl defensive end Hugh Douglas.

Last week, the Eagles lost rookie defensive end Jamaal Green, McDougle's teammate at Miami, for the season with a knee injury.

Blackwell, the Jets' No. 4 quarterback, was 7-of-12 for 111 yards. He tossed touchdowns of 8 yards to B.J. Askew and 39 yards to Jonathan Carter.

"I just prepared to play early," Blackwell said."I didn't know it would come as early as it did."

David Akers, a second-team All-Pro last season, kicked field goals of 37, 40 and 46 yards for Philadelphia. Greg Lewis, a rookie free agent from Illinois, had six catches for 113 yards.

``I had nothing to lose," Lewis said."They gave me an opportunity. Hopefully they saw it."

Koy Detmer started and threw two interceptions, and he was followed by A.J. Feeley and Tim Hasselbeck.

The Jets (3-2) didn't play any of their top three quarterbacks, one week after starter Chad Pennington went down with a wrist injury.

Testaverde was supposed to start and stay in for about 10 plays, but Jets coach Herman Edwards chose not to risk an injury to the 39-year-old, going with Blackwell and Todd Husak.

``I'm disappointed I didn't get to get out there, but I understand the circumstances and understand the decision," Testaverde said."We'll make sure that we get the proper amount of work that we need to be sharp next week at this time."

Pennington, who was 8-4 as a starter last season and led the NFL with a 104.2 passer rating and 68.9 completion percentage, is expected to be out 12 weeks. Jamie Martin was signed Tuesday and eventually will be Testaverde's backup. Rookie Brooks Bollinger will be the No. 3 quarterback. He didn't play because of a knee injury.

Detmer was 9-of-18 for 46 yards and two interceptions. He had six of his passes dropped, including one by Billy McMullen that would have been a touchdown.

Feeley was 6-of-8 for 84 yards and one interception. Hasselbeck was 14-of-21 for 128 yards, but he lost a fumble after driving the Eagles to the Jets' 10 with less than 3 minutes left.

Husak was 5-of-6 for 25 yards.

Eagles running back Duce Staley, playing his first game since ending his holdout this past Saturday, carried three times for 4 yards. He also dropped a pass and heard plenty of boos instead of the familiar chant of "Duuuuuce."

``I wanted to get in and get a few carries and knock the rust off," Staley said."I have to get in and get the bumps and bruises. The main thing that I have to get used to is getting hit."

After Tyrone Carter intercepted Detmer to give the Jets the ball at midfield, Blackwell perfectly executed a play-action fake on fourth-and-1 and connected with Askew for a 7-0 lead.

Detmer's second interception led to Blackwell's TD pass to Carter for a 17-3 lead with 4:47 left in the first half.

The two-time NFC East champion Eagles will open their season at home Monday, Sept. 8 against the Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a rematch of last year's conference title game.

The AFC East champion Jets open next Thursday night against the Washington Redskins.

The Eagles and Jets play in Philadelphia on Oct. 26.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Copyright by STATS LLC and The Associated Press

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