Welcome back, Brian! Westbrook carries Eagles to win

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

What a difference a healthy Brian Westbrook makes. Westbrook, who hadn't played since Week 5, returned to the field for the Eagles and gave the offense the weapon it desperately needed. Too often the Eagles rely on Donovan McNabb's arm to carry the team, but when Westbrook is healthy they can have a much more balanced run/pass attack, like they did in Sunday's 27-14 win over the Falcons.

Westbrook ran for a career-high 167 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a late 39 yard scamper to put the game away. He also added 42 yards receiving to give him 209 total yards on the day. Westbrook's effort helped the Eagles come close to a 50/50 offensive attack as the team attempted 32 rushes and 34 passes.

With the threat of the running game, the offense opened up for McNabb, who completed passes to 7 different receivers, including the returning Kevin Curtis, who caught 3 passes. McNabb finished with 253 yards through the air and also scrambled for 25 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown.

The Falcons hung tough all game, and even got on the board first. After a scoreless first quarter, rookie quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Roddy White for a 55 yard touchdown pass to give Atlanta a lead. The Eagles offense started slow but eventually found their rhythm near the end of the first half, where they added on 10 points, and it carried over into the 3rd quarter aas the Eagles added a touchdown on the first drive of the second half. The Eagles then weren't able to put the Falcons away until late in them game when they recovered a muffed punt return attempt and Westbrook took it to the house two plays later.

The win was the 100th (including playoffs) for Andy Reid in his 10 years with the Philadelphia Eagles. Reid gets a ton of crap from the fans and the media, but he has to be credited for consistently putting a quality team on the field week after week, year after year.

On the injury front, L.J. Smith was knocked out of the game with a concussion after Lawyor Milloy nailed him well after a play was over. I would expect the NFL to fine Milloy for the hit, but that is little consolation to Smith, who may miss a week or two recovering.

The Eagles are now back above .500 at 4-3 on the season. Unfortunately, being in the best division in football, everyone else is still above .500 and the Eagles are still in last place. Both the Redskins and Cowboys won today, so all the Eagles could do was keep pace. The Birds will need to start winning some divisional games if they want to catch up and contend for the playoffs.

In all, it was a good win for the Birds. It was nice to see Westbrook come back and have such a huge impact. The Eagles now have a two game winning streak that they will look to extend against the Seahawks next week.