PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- If this is how Donovan McNabb reads a defense in his first game as an NFL starter, he might be in trouble.

McNabb, selected the new starting quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles this week, looked at the Washington Redskins defense and came up with a curious conclusion.

"I don't believe in what the numbers are saying about their defense," said McNabb, the No. 2 overall draft pick who makes his first start Sunday against the worst defense in the league. "They've got two great defensive tackles, two great cornerbacks, veterans at safety. They've got talent. Teams have fallen behind them and had to throw the ball just to catch up. That's all the numbers mean to me."

The Redskins (5-3) are dead last in the NFL in total defense, allowing 402 yards per game, including 274 passing. They are allowing 53 more yards per game than any team except expansion Cleveland.

Since the 1970 merger, no team ranked last in the league in defense has made the playoffs. The Redskins' explosive offense, averaging 32 points per game, is all that has kept them afloat.

"They light up the skies," Eagles cornerback Troy Vincent said.

Unfortunately for the Redskins, so does the opponent. Washington has surrendered more than 30 points four times this season.

Last week, Washington permitted the Bills, who had been struggling offensively, to pile up 413 yards -- more than 200 each rushing and passing.

If McNabb can't have a productive debut as a starter against this defense, he may be in for a long second half of the season.

With Doug Pederson keeping the starting job warm for McNabb, the Eagles (2-7) had the second-worst offense in the league and averaged one lonely touchdown per Sunday.

On Tuesday, two days after Philadelphia's once promising rebuilding process took a step backward with a 33-7 loss at Carolina, Eagles coach Andy Reid made the long-awaited announcement.

"It's time," Reid said, picking McNabb as his starter for the rest of the season.

McNabb has played sparingly behind Pederson, but he's been taking about 50 percent of the snaps in practice. Reid said he determined a while ago that this would be the week when the McNabb era would begin.

"I know there are going to be times when I suffer through adversity, but I am prepared for that," said McNabb, who signed a seven-year contract that could be worth as much as $54 million with incentives. "It's not like this is the first time I've stepped out and tried to make a mark for myself."

Redskins quarterback Brad Johnson is having a sensational year with 15 touchdowns, and just three interceptions while completing 61 percent of his passes. He remembers his first NFL start, and he sympathizes with McNabb.

"The coaches were a nervous wreck. They were coaching me on every single play," said Johnson, who won his debut against Atlanta in 1996 and was selected NFC Offensive Player of the Week. "... It is something to remember, because it only happens one time."

Every time McNabb has stepped on the field in a relief role, he's been blitzed into oblivion. Reid said he didn't start McNabb earlier because he wasn't ready to handle blitzes, but he is now.

One thing McNabb has going for him is speed. The Redskins couldn't contain Doug Flutie, another mobile quarterback, last week.

"I don't know if there's anyone as elusive as Flutie, but McNabb can really run when he gets outside," Redskins coach Norv Turner said. "He can take off and go. It's not so much the back-and-forth, shifting, make-you-miss, it's take off and run with the ball when you give him a lane. There's no question the work we had last week will prepare us."

In addition to making McNabb the starter, Reid did some personnel purging after the Carolina loss. He waived defensive tackle Bill Johnson, an accomplished run stopper who had apparently become too vocal in the locker room. He also said he will use starting wide receiver Charles Johnson as a punt returner, a warning to Allen Rossum, who has made several costly mistakes.

Special teams coach John Harbaugh denied Johnson was cut because the two had an argument last week. Reid has refused to explain the move. The Eagles must pay Johnson's salary for the rest of the season.

"If somebody is not getting the job done quite to the level of my expectations, then you have to address that issue," Reid said.

Washington's Brad Badger starts at left guard in place of Keith Sims, who is out three weeks with a sprained knee. The Redskins have allowed only 10 sacks in eight games, and Sims is the first offensive starter to miss a game this season.

WASHINGTON Season schedule and results

PHILADELPHIA Season schedule and results

September 12 Dallas L 35-41 September 19 @NY Giants W 50-21 September 26 @NY Jets W 27-20 October 3 Carolina W 38-36 October 17 @Arizona W 24-10 October 24 @Dallas L 20-38 October 31 Chicago W 48-22 November 7 Buffalo L 17-34 November 14 @Philadelphia 1:00pm ET November 21 NY Giants 4:15pm ET November 28 Philadelphia 1:00pm ET December 5 @Detroit 1:00pm ET December 12 Arizona 1:00pm ET December 19 @Indianapolis 1:00pm ET December 26 @San Francisco 8:20pm ET January 2 Miami 4:15pm ET

September 12 Arizona L 24-25 September 19 Tampa Bay L 5-19 September 26 @Buffalo L 0-26 October 3 @NY Giants L 15-16 October 10 Dallas W 13-10 October 17 @Chicago W 20-16 October 24 @Miami L 13-16 October 31 NY Giants L 17-23 November 7 @Carolina L 7-33 November 14 Washington 1:00pm ET November 21 Indianapolis 1:00pm ET November 28 @Washington 1:00pm ET December 5 @Arizona 4:05pm ET December 12 @Dallas 1:00pm ET December 19 New England 1:00pm ET January 2 St. Louis 1:00pm ET

Records source: STATS, Inc.

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