Head coach Andy Reid said on Monday that quarterback Donovan McNabb is expected to make his return to the practice field for the first time in over two weeks on Wednesday as the Eagles prepare for Sunday's game against the New York Giants.

"He should be back for Wednesday's practice," said Reid. "I would say that last week, he worked as hard as you could possibly work having an injury to make sure he kept his timing up. I thought he moved around well last week. As the week went on, he got a little bit better. I think the couple days of rest here have helped him.

"I've seen him come off of injuries before and play pretty well. I expect him to do that."

Donovan McNabb left the Miami game with an ankle and a thumb injury

Reid said that McNabb may wear a wrap to protect his thumb, but he expects McNabb to have the same mobility that he began to display prior to his ankle injury. McNabb began the 2007 season working his way back into top form after tearing the ACL in his knee last season. In his last two games, McNabb had 65 rushing yards and began to scramble when needed without any hesitation. He will need all of that mobility and more against the Giants this Sunday. The Giants own the most sacks in the NFL with 44. Over a quarter of those came when the Eagles traveled to the Meadowlands to face the Giants earlier this season. Without three starters on offense, including left tackle William Thomas, the Giants sacked McNabb 12 times to tie a league record in a 16-3 loss.

"They got after us last time,"" said Reid. ""In a big way, they got after us. We'll do whatever we need to do to protect the quarterback."

The return of McNabb may provide a jolt to the Eagles who have lost their past two games after they reached .500 for the first time all season. With a 5-7 record, the Eagles are not out of the playoff picture - they are one game behind three teams for the second wild card spot. The Eagles have lost some close games this year as four of their seven defeats were by four points or less.

"We still have an opportunity here to win some football games with four games left and put us in a nice position for postseason play," said Reid. "It's important, however, that we focus in on the Giants. I know a lot will be said about the wild card position and all of that, but it's important for our football team and coaches to focus in on the one-game-at-a-time approach."

The team's postseason hopes may hinge on the ability to capitalize on opportunities. The Eagles' struggles in the red zone emerged again as they scored no touchdowns in three trips to the red zone. On two occasions, the Eagles came away with no points at all. The Eagles were unable to convert on a first-and-goal at the Seattle 1-yard line at the end of the first half as Brian Westbrook was stuffed for no gain on fourth-and-1. Feeley's fourth interception was the second time.

"Our efficiency is the red zone, we weren't good enough," said Reid. "We were unable to sustain drives in the second half. On our last eight possessions, we were not able to score on (any). We have to do a better job there."

Sheldon Brown helped the Eagles snap their two-game streak without a turnover as he forced a fumble that was recovered by Trent Cole and intercepted a Matt Hasselbeck pass, both turnovers coming in the third quarter. But Takeo Spikes dropped what could have been an interception return for a touchdown on Seattle's opening drive. The Seahawks later scored on a 2-yard touchdown run by Shaun Alexander.

"We had a couple of turnovers, but we should have had a couple more," said Reid. "After our first turnover offensively, we should have had one for us defensively. We didn't catch the football ... opportunities."

The Eagles certainly have missed the impact of cornerback Lito Sheppard. Last season, Sheppard had six interceptions, two of which helped secure victories. This year, Sheppard has been slowed down by a knee injury and only has one interception. He re-injured the knee Sunday and came out of the game early with inflammation. Sheppard's status is day-to-day.

Defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley missed Sunday's game with a knee injury that he suffered in the loss at New England on Nov. 25. He underwent a precautionary MRI on Monday and although Reid did not have all of the details, he did say that Bunkley is "going to be OK." Strong safety Quintin Mikell is "getting better" according to Reid. He, like McNabb, has missed the last two games with a sprained MCL. Wide receiver Jason Avant has a groin strain that Reid described as "pretty sore."