(My Sportsbook) - Kevin Kolb's first real opportunity of leading the Philadelphia Eagles' offense didn't turn out to be the disaster some had envisioned. However, the young quarterback's NFL starting debut could hardly be labeled as a success either.

Kolb was productive yet wildly inconsistent in taking over for the injured Donovan McNabb in Sunday's clash with New Orleans, a description that could also apply to the third-year pro's team through the first two games of this season. Just one week after forcing the wayward Carolina Panthers into a flurry of mistakes on the way to a resounding 38-10 road victory, the Eagles were undone by their own errors in a forgettable 48-22 defeat to the high- powered Saints.

A four-point halftime deficit quickly became a 31-14 hole because of a pair critical Philadelphia turnovers within a span of just over two minutes. Return man Ellis Hobbs' coughing up of the football on the opening kickoff of the second half was promptly turned into a touchdown by deadly Saints signal- caller Drew Brees, and Kolb had a bad interception deep in his own territory on the ensuing possession which was also converted into seven points.

"It just slid downhill from there," a frustrated Eagles head coach Andy Reid remarked afterward.

Kolb was picked off twice more in the game's final minute, one of which was taken back 97 yards for a touchdown by Saints safety Darren Sharper to account for the final margin. He also threw for 391 yards on 31-of-51 passing (although much of that total came with the outcome already decided) and a pair of scores, including a 71-yard connection with big-play receiver DeSean Jackson on Philadelphia's first drive.

With McNabb questionable at best to return from his cracked rib for this Sunday's contest with Kansas City, Kolb could get another shot to prove himself as a worthy heir apparent to the 11th-year veteran's throne. It's more than likely, though, that the 25-year-old will be sharing duties as the Eagles' temporary quarterback of the present if McNabb indeed can't play.

Philadelphia ran nine plays in the Wildcat formation, with both Jackson and running back Brian Westbrook being used under center, during Sunday's loss and may very well have gone to the offense even more had the game not got out of hand. That could be a strong indicator that the Eagles plan on giving Michael Vick a significant role against the Chiefs in the dynamic former Falcons star's first eligible action since being reinstated from suspension.

QUICK HITS: The Eagles fell to 14-11 in games McNabb has missed due to injury since he became the team's starting quarterback in 1999...After limiting Carolina to a mere 169 total yards in the season opener, Philadelphia allowed 421 to the Saints, with Brees finishing with 311 passing yards and three touchdowns...Westbrook ended with 52 yards rushing on 13 attempts before suffering a mild sprain of his surgically-repaired right ankle in the second half...Tight end Brent Celek had 104 receiving yards on eight catches, his most receptions in a regular-season game, while Jackson compiled 101 yards on four grabs...Offensive lineman Stacy Andrews, one of the Eagles' major offseason free-agent signings who's still not fully recovered from knee surgery performed over the winter, was replaced by Max-Jean Gilles as the starter at right guard for Sunday's tilt.

NEXT UP: The Eagles will try to get back on track against the 0-2 Chiefs, who will be making their first visit to Philadelphia since 1998 this coming Sunday. The teams last met at Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium on October 2, 2005, a 37-31 Eagles' win.

DALLAS: The Dallas Cowboys officially christened their breathtaking new stadium this past Sunday night with a ceremony that had all the flair and pageantry one would except from the NFL's standard-bearers for glitz and glamour. A few members of the home team, however, didn't exactly deliver performances befitting the occasion in the team's Week 2 game against the New York Giants.

Both quarterback Tony Romo and the Dallas defense played as if awestruck by the moment in the last-second, 33-31 loss to the defending champion Giants that almost surely left most of the league-record crowd of 105,121 feeling deflated.

The Cowboys turned the ball over four times in Sunday's jaw-dropping defeat, with an off-target Romo tossing three interceptions and completing a substandard 13-of-29 throws for a mere 127 yards. Twenty-four of New York's 33 points on the night came on the heels of Dallas miscues.

"It's frustrating," said Romo, who was darn-near flawless in a 353-yard, three-touchdown, zero-interception effort in the Cowboys' 34-21 Week 1 victory at Tampa Bay. "I'm really disappointed in myself right now," said Romo. "I'm really not okay with [my play] right now."

The defense did its part as well to spoil the long-awaited first regular- season game at the palatial Cowboys Stadium. The unit proved powerless in its attempts to stop Eli Manning and the Giants' new-look passing attack, with New York's Pro Bowl quarterback shredding Dallas' shaky secondary for 330 yards and two scores.

The Cowboys also failed to produce any takeaways or sacks for a second consecutive week, a startling showing by a group that took down enemy passers an NFL-best 59 times a year ago.

Romo and the defense's poor play also overshadowed a superlative effort by running backs Marion Barber and Felix Jones and Dallas' stout offensive line, which pushed around New York's accomplished front seven to enable the Cowboys to rush for a whopping 251 yards on only 29 attempts. Barber racked up 124 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while the game-breaking Jones had 96 and a score on just seven totes.

QUICK HITS: Dallas' 251 rushing yards was the franchise's most since amassing 271 in a 23-10 victory at Philadelphia on October 31, 1993...Wide receivers Roy Williams, Patrick Crayton and Miles Austin combined for only three receptions for 42 yards in Sunday's loss, one week after the trio teamed up for 263 yards and three touchdowns on eight catches in the Tampa Bay game...Sunday's contest shattered the NFL attendance record for a regular- season game set by an Arizona-San Francisco matchup held in Mexico City in 2005 that drew 103,467 fans.

NEXT UP: Dallas gets another shot at earning a win in its lavish new digs when the team hosts a slumping Carolina club visits Cowboys Stadium for a Monday night showdown in Week 3. The reigning NFC South champion Panthers fell to 0-2 on the young season with last Sunday's 28-20 road loss to division-rival Atlanta and have committed nine turnovers in their two losses. The Cowboys have won three straight times against Carolina, all of which have been held in Charlotte.

N.Y. GIANTS: While Romo appeared to wilt on the big stage, Manning was brilliant under the bright lights of Sunday's primetime bout with the Cowboys. The even-keeled quarterback hit on 25-of-38 throws, did not have a single turnover, and led the Giants on a pair of go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter, the last of which culminated in Lawrence Tynes' game-winning 37-yard field goal as time expired.

Manning was 7-of-9 for 64 yards on the final series and came through with a couple of clutch connections on third down to keep the possession alive. The former Super Bowl MVP also delivered a 22-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Steve Smith early in the fourth quarter of a see-saw battle that saw the lead change hands three times in the final 13 1/2 minutes.

Both Smith and emerging sophomore Mario Manningham came through with huge performances as well in Sunday's triumph, New York's 16th in 20 games (including playoffs) on the road since the start of the 2007 season. Smith established career highs of 10 catches and 134 yards for the game, while Manningham also hauled in 10 Manning passes for a personal-best total of 150 yards as well as a touchdown.

The former University Michigan star caught only four balls for 26 yards as a seldom-used rookie a year ago.

"He is a quick, really quick, elusive guy," said Smith of Manningham. "I think Eli is developing a good rapport with him and he is just confident in him."

Prior to Sunday's outing, the Giants had gone 13 straight regular-season games without having an 100-yard receiver. Only Oakland (23 straight) and Chicago (14) had longer droughts.

Manning also had notable help from an offensive line that failed to yield a sack against the Cowboys, a stark upgrade from the eight the front wall allowed in a 20-8 loss to Dallas at the old Texas Stadium last December.

QUICK HITS: Manning has now recorded eight 300-yard games over his six-year career. All have come on the road, and the Giants have gone 5-3 in those games...Cornerback Bruce Johnson, an undrafted rookie, had his first career interception and touchdown when he picked off Romo in the first quarter and raced 32 yards to the end zone...Second-year safety Kenny Phillips had the Giants' two other interceptions and tied for the team lead with seven tackles in the win...All-Pro defensive end Justin Tuck left Sunday's game in the second quarter after injuring his left shoulder and did not return, while tackle and ex-Cowboy Chris Canty was inactive due to a calf strain...The 251 rushing yards the Giants gave up to the Cowboys were the team's most since San Diego ran for 268 yards on September 25, 2005.

NEXT UP: The Giants will put their undefeated record on the line when they take the field against the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. The squads have one common opponent on the season, with the Bucs having been dealt a 34-21 home loss by Dallas in Week 1. New York will be visiting Tampa for the first time since a 24-14 win in the 2007 NFC Wild Card Playoffs.

WASHINGTON: The Washington Redskins are well aware that an ugly win counts the same as the impressive ones. The embattled team is just as cognizant of the fact that there may not be many more victories in its immediate feature with displays such as the one it put forth in Sunday's 9-7 snoozer against the lowly St. Louis Rams.

The Redskins had their share of chances to put away a St. Louis team that entered FedEx Field having lost 11 straight times, but trailed by a point midway through the third quarter and needed to force a game-saving fumble deep in their own end early in the fourth to avoid a potentially devastating defeat.

Moving the football wasn't a problem, as Washington had 362 total yards and put together four drives consisting of over 60 yards that landed inside the Rams' 10-yard line. Three of them ended in short Shaun Suisham field goals, however, and the other was stopped on downs at the St. Louis two. Both wide receiver Devin Thomas and fullback Mike Sellers couldn't hang on to would-be touchdown passes from quarterback Jason Campbell on two of those possessions.

That level of inefficiency was also commonplace during the second half of last season, when Washington scored 13 points or less in six of its final eight games and went 2-6 during that tough stretch.

"You've got to look at it like this -- we won the game," said wide receiver Santana Moss. "We did something to win the game, therefore that's all we can hang our hat on for right now. And we'll work to do our best in the future."

The offense will get a chance to correct some of those flaws when the Redskins face the winless Detroit Lions, a team that's surrendered a league-high 72 points through the first two weeks, this Sunday in the Motor City.

QUICK HITS: Strong safety Chris Horton caused the fumble on Rams wideout Donnie Avery that killed the Rams' late scoring threat and added a team-high eight tackles...Right guard Randy Thomas suffered a torn right triceps during the first half of Sunday's test and will undergo season-ending surgery. The veteran lineman played in just three games due to a similar injury in 2007...Nickel back Fred Smoot was inactive against the Rams because of sore ribs...Tight end Chris Cooley led all players with seven catches and 83 receiving yards in the win.

NEXT UP: One week after taking on a St. Louis club that went just 2-14 in 2008, the Redskins will square off against a Detroit team that became the first in NFL history to go winless over a 16-game schedule last season and is mired in a 19-game losing skid. Washington handed the Lions one of their many setbacks last year with a 25-17 verdict at Ford Field on October 19, 2008.