PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- Bill Belichick made Donovan McNabb look lost.
Led by a defense that harassed McNabb into four turnovers and a big game from Tom Brady, the New England Patriots rolled to a 31-10 rout of the Philadelphia Eagles.
Considered one of the best defensive minds in the game, Belichick - the Patriots coach - devised a game plan that featured numerous blitzes to control, frustrate and shut down one of the NFL's most mobile quarterbacks.
"What I love about this Belichick defense is that you never know what to expect," Patriots cornerback Tyrone Poole said. "We do one thing this week and come out and do something totally different next week. We always keep you guessing. It's real good. We can play like that because we constantly keep offensive players and coaches on their toes."
McNabb lost two fumbles, threw a pair of interceptions - one of which was returned for a touchdown - and was sacked seven times. He completed just 18-of-46 passes for 186 yards and was roundly booed throughout much of the contest.
McNabb shouldered the blame for his performance.
"I point the finger at myself," he said. "You know being the quarterback of this team, if the offense is out there I'm the one who has to get everything going. I'm the one who has to be accurate with the ball. I have to be the one making the right checks and right reads."
McNabb also said he was not surprised by the blitz.
"They didn't do anything we didn't prepare for," he said. "I just have to make the plays."
"We just did a good job of containing him and not letting him get out of the pocket," Patriots defensive end Richard Seymour said. "We gave the offense of the Eagles a lot of different looks with lining up in th 3-4 and 4-2. We tried to do this to confuse them and a lot of guys stepped up and made plays."
Eagles coach Andy Reid defended his quarterback.
"There's nothing wrong with Donovan," Reid said. "I think if you ask him, there are some throws he would like to have back. It's a team effort. It's not about Donovan. It's about the team. It's not just about Donovan. Please don't point the finger at him. It goes around to everybody."
Brady had no such problems while working against an injury-depleted secondary that was missing Pro Bowlers Brian Dawkins and Bobby Taylor.
Brady completed 30-of-44 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns, bouncing back from last week's season-opening 31-0 loss at Buffalo in which he threw four interceptions.
"I think we certainly executed a bit better (than last week) as a team," Brady said. "And certainly playing with the lead, I think that was a major difference."
Tight end Christian Fauria had two touchdown catches for the Patriots (1-1).
Duce Staley scored on a two-yard run and David Akers kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal for the Eagles (0-2), who committed six turnovers and have lost consecutive games for the first time since September 2000.
"We're stunned. We never thought we'd be 0-2 going into the bye week, but we're still thinking of a championship season," Eagles defensive end N.D. Kalu said. "It's not like it's over."
The Eagles have opened Lincoln Finaincial Field by getting outscored, 48-10 in their first two games.
Staley scored the Eagles' first touchdown of the season early in the second quarter, capping an eight-play, 67-yard drive with his short run for a 7-3 lead
But it was all downhill from there as the Eagles did not look anything like the team that has lost in the NFC championship game in the last two seasons.
After botched snap cost New England's Adam Vinatieri a chance at a 39-yard field goal, McNabb was sacked by defensive tackle Ted Washington on the next play and linebacker Roman Phifer recovered for the Patriots at the Philadelphia 35.
Brady went right to work, finding running back Kevin Faulk for 27 yards on first down. Two plays later, Brady rolled to his right and found Fauria wide open in the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown, giving the Patriots a 10-7 lead with 7:59 left in the half.
The Patriots took advantage of another miscue, setting up their second touchdown.
Brian Westbrook fumbled a punt and Bethel Johnson recovered at the Eagles 14. Brady needed just two plays before finding Fauria over the middle for a five-yard TD, extending the lead to 17-7 with 2:09 left before intermission.
Brady talked about the turnovers being a key.
"Those are always critical," he said. "The defense forcing those turnovers, those were huge for us. And for us to really get out there and turn those into points and get a lead, that was real important."
The Patriots also employed a strong offensive game plan, opting often to spread the field. Brady executed perfectly as he completed passes to 10 different receivers.
"Philadelphia is a real good defensive team," Belichick said. "We tried to spread them out and pick our spots. It wasn't designed to go after anyone in particular as much as it was to try to move the ball."
In the opening half, Brady was especially effective as he completed 20-of-29 passes for 177 yards. McNabb was 6-of-18 for 74 yards.
On the Eagles' initial possession of the second half, Staley fumbled and defensive end Willie McGinest recovered at the New England 47.
Staley, who held out during training camp, carried five time for 17 yards. He has rushed for 31 yards through two games.
Brady put the game out of reach later in the third quarter, directing a four-play, 52-yard drive. He capped the march with a 26-yard TD to Deion Branch, giving the Pats a 24-7 lead with 7:02 remaining in the period.
Branch led the Patriots with four catches for 89 yards. Troy Brown had seven receptions for 43 yards.
Akers provided the Eagles with one of their few highlights of the game with his 57-yard field goal with 10:48 remaining.
But any hopes of a comeback ended when McNabb was intercepted on his next two possessions. First, free safety Aric Morris stepped in front of a pass, then linebacker Tedy Bruschi returned an interception 18 yards for a score with 5:02 to play.
