No, the rookie isn't taking over as some were suggesting this week. McNabb earned a rest after one of the most prolific days of his career following one of the more difficult weeks he's had off the field.

McNabb threw for 381 yards and four touchdown passes, Kevin Curtis had 221 yards receiving and three scores and the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Detroit Lions 56-21 toay for their first win. Curtis tied an NFL record for yards receiving in a first half, with 205 on nine catches.

In a stunning offensive display, the Eagles (1-2) scored touchdowns on their first five possessions and had a franchise-record 42 points in the first half. It was their most points scored since a 56-17 victory at the Chicago Cardinals in 1953.

Brian Westbrook had 110 yards rushing, 111 more receiving and scored three TDs before leaving in the third quarter with injured ribs.

Jon Kitna threw for 446 yards and two TDs and Roy Williams had nine catches for 204 and a 91-yard TD for Detroit (2-1).

Just six days ago, the Eagles were booed off the field after losing 20-12 to Washington on Monday night. A day later, it got uglier when McNabb said on HBO that black quarterbacks face greater scrutiny than their white counterparts.

McNabb spent a lot of time this week answering questions about his comment that he made in August and aired Tuesday. He came under heavy criticism for his statement and heard a mixture of boos in pregame introductions.

It didn't help that the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback played poorly in his first two games since tearing a knee ligament in Week 11 last year, and some were calling for Kolb or backup A.J. Feeley to replace him.

McNabb responded with an outstanding performance. He completed 18 consecutive passes at one point, and finished 21-for-26.

The Lions came in looking for their first 3-0 start in 27 years, but they played like the hapless bunch that hasn't had a winning record since 2000.

Desperate to avoid their first 0-3 start in nine years, the Eagles were fired up from the outset.

Despite missing All-Pro safety Brian Dawkins (neck) and Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard, the defense forced the Lions to go three-and out on four of their first five possessions.

Meanwhile, McNabb, Westbrook and Curtis were unstoppable. The Eagles scored every time and led 35-7 less than 19 minutes in.

They were driving for a sixth consecutive score, but McNabb fumbled at Detroit's 4 after getting sacked.

Wearing powder blue and yellow uniforms to commemorate their 75-year anniversary, the Eagles looked more like the St. Louis Rams and played like "The Greatest Show on Turf."

Westbrook scampered 25 yards off left end, breaking one arm tackle to give Philly a 7-0 lead. Kevin Jones scored from the 2 on his first carry since injuring his foot last December to tie it at 7.

Then, McNabb and company took over.

Westbrook ran in from the 5 to make it 14-7, and Philly needed just one play to find the end zone again after a punt.

McNabb hit Curtis perfectly in stride on a deep pass down the middle for a 68-yard TD that made it 21-7.

The Eagles hadn't scored three touchdowns in the first quarter since Andy Reid's first game as coach in 1999 against Arizona. The Cardinals rallied to win 25-24.

On the next drive, McNabb found a wide-open Curtis alone in the corner of the end zone for a 12-yard TD pass to make it 28-7. McNabb briefly went down, clutching his back after taking a shot from Dewayne White after the pass.

On his next play, McNabb connected with a wide open Curtis for a 43-yard TD pass.

The Lions finally got going on the next series. Kitna's 11-yard TD pass to Shaun McDonald made it 35-14. After Corey Smith forced McNabb's fumble, Williams split the defense on a slant route, caught Kitna's pass and outraced the secondary for a 91-yard TD to cut it to 35-21.

Westbrook turned a short screen pass into a 43-yard TD by breaking a couple tackles to put the Eagles ahead 42-21 late in the second quarter.

Correll Buckhalter and Tony Hunt each had 1-yard TD runs in the second half.

Curtis surpassed his career-best of 105 yards receiving in just the first quarter, getting 132.

The teams had 63 points and 763 total yards in the first half. The 473 yards by the Eagles were the most in any half since the stat became official in 1991.