Patriots escape with 31-28 win

Asante Samuel's first interception put the Eagles in an early hole. His second interception buried them.

Samuel's picks spoiled what was otherwise a remarkable performance by backup quarterback A.J. Feeley and helped the New England Patriots kept their drive for perfection alive by the skin of their teeth, edging the visiting Eagles 31-28 tonight at Gillete Stadium.

Feeley, starting in place of the injured Donovan McNabb, was 27-of-42 for 345 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in his first start since 2004. He almost was the hero.

Almost.

Tom Brady was 34-of-54 for 380 yards and a touchdown. Wesley Welker caught a careeer-high 13 passes for 149 yards as the Patriots (11-0) kept their chase of the 1972 Miami Dolphins 17-0 record alive.

The Eagles fell to 5-6 and play host to the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday.

Laurence Maroney's four-yard touchdown run gave the Patriots a 31-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Brady drove the Patriots 69 yards in 10 plays -- eight of them passes -- as New England deperately worked to preserve its run at perfection against a fired up Eagles team led by Feeley.

But Samuel's second interception, with 3:52 to play, helped the Patriots escape when Feeley overthrew Kevin Curtis in the end zone down the right sideline.

The Eagles were inside the Patriots 30-yard line as the time, with a four-point lead, and the throw was ill-advised. The Eagles didn't get the ball back until there were just 18 seconds left, when Feeley again was intercepted, this time by James Sanders, to seal it.

Asante returned his first interception for a touchdown on Feeley's second pass of the game, in the first quarter.

Maroney capped the go-ahead drive by scoring on a run up the middle with 7:20 remaining, but receiver Welker caught three passes for 39 yards on the drive and Brady was 6-of-8 passing.

Feeley's third touchdown pass, from eight yards out to Reggie Brown, gave the Eagles a shocking, 28-24 lead in the third quarter.

Feeley threw nine straight times as the Eagles marched 78 yards in just three minutes, 26 seconds to regain the lead after the Patriots came up empty on a long drive of their own.

With 1:34 left in the third quarter, the Eagles -- 23-point underdogs -- were on the verge of the most stunning upset in the NFL this season.

Tom Brady threw for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, but the Eagles (5-5) and Feeley matched the Patriots (10-0) blow for blow and trailed just 24-21 at the intermission.

The Patriots again drove into Eagles territory early in the fourth quarter, but a blitzing Takeo Spikes forced Brady to rush his throw on a fourth-and-four play with 13:36 remaining. Brady's pass to Moss was underthrown and fell incomplete, giving the Eagles the ball at their own 33-yard line.

Brady hit former Eagle Jabar Gaffney for a 19-yard touchdown with just eight seconds left in the first half to give the Patriots the lead at intermission, but this game was not the cakewalk for New England that most expected.

Greg Lewis' second touchdown, from 18 yards out, gave the Eagles a 21-17 lead late in the second quarter.

Lewis, who earlier scored on a 28-yard strike from Feeley, gave the Eagles their first lead when he scored on a slant route with 3:01 remaining in the first half.

Feeley, starting in place of the injured Donovan McNabb, was 14-of-20 for 193 yards and two scores in the first half, despite giving up an interception for a touchdown on his second pass of the game. Lewis had four catches in the first half, as many as he had all season coming into the game. 

The Eagles entered the contest as huge underdogs, but they were aggressive on offense, defense and special teams as they went toe-to-toe with the Patriots (10-0) for the game's first 30 minutes of the game, a rematch of Super Bowl XXIX that New England won, 24-21.

Brady was 19-of-25 for 204 yards in the first half for New England, which ran just two running plays on their first 27 snaps. Did Bill Belichick swap brains with pass-happy Eagles coach Andy Reid?

The Patriots drove 14 plays to the Eagles' 4-yard line midway through the third quarter, but New England receiver Randy Moss was called for offensive pass interference against Eagles cornerback Lito Sheppard to wipe out an apparent touchdown with 5:19 left in the period. Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski  then missed a 32-yard field goal attempt after Brady threw two incomplete passes into the end zone. Safety Brian Dawkins nearly made a clutch interception on the first.

Feeley led the Eagles back into the lead on their next possession.

Gostkowski kicked a 23-yard field goal to give the Patriots a 17-14 lead with 6:42 left in the second quarter.

Feeley threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Lewis for a 14-14 tie early in the second quarter.

Feeley found Lewis deep in the end zone between three defenders on a third-and-8 play with 12:50 left in the second period.

The Eagles, 23-point underdogs going into the game, drove 76 yards in eight plays to forge the second tie of the contest. They then recovered the ensuing onside kick, but could not move the ball and were forced to punt.

Still, it made it clear that Reid was going to stay aggressive and try to keep the ball out of  Brady's hands as much as possible.

The Patriots took their first offensive possession and marched 78 yards in 10 plays to take a 14-7 lead late in the first quarter.

Brady was 6-of-7 for 72 yards, and fullback Heath Evans completed the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge with 1:35 to play in the first quarter.

That gave New England 58 points on their opening drives in 11 games this season, tops in the NFL. The Patriots defense has not allowed an opening possession score all season, also an NFL best.

Brian Westbrook hurdled into the end zone from a yard out to cap an impressive second drive for the Eagles, giving them a 7-7 tie. It was the 50th touchdown of Westbrook's career.

Westbrook's short run with 6:38 remaining in the first quarter came after Feeley directed a 14-play drive that covered 77 yards in seven minutes for the Eagles (5-5).

Feeley, intercepted for a touchdown by Asante Samuel on the Eagles' first possession, hit four different receivers on their second and was 5-of-6 passing. He also gained two yards and a first down on a fourth-down quarterback sneak that kept the drive alive.

Samuel intercepted Feeley's second pass of the game and retured it for a 40-yard touchdown as Patriots took a quick, 7-0 lead.

Feeley was trying to hit Westbrook coming out of the backfield when Samuel stepped in front to make the interception, then raced untouched down the sideline for the game's first score with 13:38 left in the first quarter.

McNabb was inactive for tonight's with a sprained right ankle and jammed thumb on his throwing hand. The Eagles quarterback was hurt in the first half of their 17-7 win over Miami last week.

McNabb had started every game this season. He was replaced against the Dolphins by Feeley, who hadn't started since playing for Miami in December 2004.

The Patriots clinched the AFC East division title ealier today when the Buffalo Bills lost to Jacksonville, 36-14.

Philadelphia strong safety Quinton Mikell also was inactive after spraining his right knee against the Dolphins. He started seven of the first 10 games. J.R. Reed, who also had not started a game since 2004, replaced Mikell in the lineup.

For the Patriots, safety Eugene Wilson was inactive for the fourth consecutive game with an ankle injury.