Andy Reid termed Lito Sheppard's right ankle injury as "fairly significant" and indicated that the Eagles' starting cornerback will likely miss Sunday's home opener against the NFC East rival Giants. Reid said the injury is not a high ankle sprain and, fortunately for Sheppard, it is not the same ankle he had surgically repaired last season.

"We're going to take it week by week, but this week is not looking good," Reid said. "It's not a high ankle sprain. It's on the inside of his ankle and it is fairly significant."

Roderick Hood figures to start against Eli Manning and Co. on Sunday. Free agent Joselio Hanson, who signed with the team in the spring and earned a roster spot, steps into the role of nickel cornerback. Both Hood and Hanson were solid in relief Sunday as Houston was held without a touchdown after its first series.

Sheppard sprained his right ankle on that first series while attempting to make a play on Texans tight end Jeb Putzier. X-rays taken during the game were negative.

CB Lito Sheppard was injured on the opening drive of Sunday's game

His situation leaves the secondary a little light at cornerback. And considering the team entered the season with four cornerbacks -- not including the Bruce Perry experiment -- a roster move appears imminent.

Reid acknowledged that possibility.

"There's a chance we [bring in a corner], a pretty good chance," Reid said.

No doubt the team would like to add someone familiar with Jim Johnson's scheme. The most notable candidates are Dexter Wynn and Donald Strickland, both of whom were released when the final roster cuts were made and have yet to catch on with another team.

Like former Eagles defensive back Al Harris, Reid and his staff view Hood as a starting cornerback -- albeit a third starting corner. And Hood is accustomed to holding down the fort. Filling in for an injured Sheppard in 2005, he posted career highs with three interceptions and 41 tackles.

"I said this when Al Harris was here: I think we have three starting corners," Reid said. "You can see how we rotate him in during practice. We put him out there and let him play, and he has an opportunity now to get in that starting role and play."

Meanwhile, this marks the second ankle injury in the last 12 months for Sheppard, who suffered a severe high ankle sprain against the Giants last November. But Reid insists he is not concerned about Sheppard's ability to stay healthy.

"This is one of those things that happen," Reid said. "He'll be fine once he gets back."

The Return Game

Reid said "there is a chance" that Reno Mahe returns Sunday as the team's primary punt returner' but also said he has options in Brian Westbrook, Hood and even Bruce Perry.

Westbrook assumed the duties against Houston after Sheppard went down. He finished the game with 157 total yards on 24 touches, including three punt returns for 25 yards.

Reid admitted he would like to reduce Westbrook's workload.

"He had a lot of touches yesterday. I don't know the total yardage he had, but it was a lot," Reid said. "He doesn't need all of those touches."

Westbrook's most memorable punt return came against the Giants when he delivered a career-long, game-winning 84-yard punt return for a touchdown with 1:34 remaining on Oct. 19, 2003.

Neither Hood nor Perry has returned a punt in their NFL career.

More On The Health Front

Reid said starting middle linebacker Jeremiah Trotter suffered a slight ankle sprain Sunday but "should be fine" for Sunday's game.

'Mr. September' Off To A Good Start

Strong starts are part of Donovan McNabb's resume. He has won three of the past four NFC Player of the Month awards for September (2002, 2004, 2005).

"He did a nice job," Reid said of McNabb. "I think the primary thing is that he is healthy and he is confident right now in the things that he can do. You saw him take off and run when he had to. He didn't force it. It was there and he took off and went.

"He knows that he has his whole game back and is very confident in what he is doing. I have seen him be very efficient in this offense, but he was sure sharp yesterday."

QB Donovan McNabb

Prior to Monday night's action, McNabb's 314 passing yards and three touchdown passes ranked atop the NFC.

The Eagles have the following records with McNabb starting at QB:

61-28 in regular season

32-7 when completing 21-or-more passes

13-2 when throwing for more than 300 yards

17-3 when throwing 3 or more TD passes

60-24 when throwing 1 INT or less

19-3 when being sacked 1 or fewer times

53-16 when completing passes to 7-or-more receivers

News & Notes

Free safety Brian Dawkins has now won 84 games (77 regular season and 7 postseason) in an Eagles uniform and needs one to tie Chuck Bednarik for the most in franchise history.

The Eagles were 8-of-13 on third-down conversions (61.5%). They were a remarkable 8-of-9 on 3rd and 9-or-less. Eight different players converted first downs and six converted two-or-more. Defensively, Houston converted just 3 of 11 third-down opportunities.

"I thought third downs were very important in that game," Reid said. "Our defense, they were able to get off the field and the offense was able to stay on the field and keep the drives alive."

Three different players caught TD passes -- Reggie Brown, Donté Stallworth and Brian Westbrook. The last time that happened was Oct. 30, 2005 at Denver.

Prior to Sunday, the last time the Eagles held a two touchdown lead was nearly a year ago on Sept. 18, 2005 when they defeated San Francisco 42-3.

The Eagles outgained the Texans 441 yards to 241 yards. It was the most lopsided total since that San Francisco game a year ago.

Westbrook was the Eagles leading rusher (17-71) and added 4 catches for 61 yards and a TD. The Eagles are now 8-3 when he has 15-or-more carries and 18-4 when he has 100+ yards from scrimmage.

In Stallworth (141) and Westbrook (132), the Eagles are the only team in the NFL with two players in the Top 10 in yards from scrimmage.

The defense had five sacks on Sunday, led by a pair from defensive end Trent Cole. Last year the Eagles notched five sacks in a game just once -- Nov. 20 at New York. The last time the club had more was Dec. 21, 2002.

Defensive line coach Pete Jenkins, in his first year with the Eagles, not only coached his first NFL game Sunday; but it was the first time he attended a regular season NFL game. He spent his previous 34 coaching years on the collegiate level.

The Eagles are now 40-5 under Reid when holding the time of possession advantage.

The Eagles are now 54-9 under Reid when leading at the half.

The Eagles are now 54-11 under Reid when scoring 20-or-more points.

The Eagles are now 28-2 under Reid when allowing 10-or-fewer points.

The following players started their first NFL game: weakside linebacker Matt McCoy and fullback Thomas Tapeh.

The following players made their NFL debuts: Hank Baskett, Brodrick Bunkley, Nick Cole, Omar Gaither and LaJuan Ramsey.

The following players played in their first game as Eagles: Hanson, Stallworth, Darren Howard and Matt Schobel.