PHILADELPHIA -- Donovan McNabb probably will miss the rest of the regular season and could be out of the playoffs, too, because of a broken right ankle.

	McNabb

"I'm looking at it like we don't have Donovan this season and we move on," Philadelphia Eagles coach Andy Reid said Monday.

McNabb was injured on the third play of Sunday's game against Arizona, but he stayed in and threw a career-best four touchdown passes to lead the Eagles past the Cardinals 38-14.

The Eagles (7-3) have six games left, and hold a one-game lead over the New York Giants in the NFC East. The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback could possibly return for the playoffs, but Reid said it's too early to set a definite timetable.

"It's somewhere in the six-to-eight week area, but that has to be determined," Reid said.

McNabb, his family and the Eagles' medical staff are considering options that include surgery or having his ankle placed in a cast. Reid expects a decision to be made in the next day or so.

McNabb, who has never had a serious injury, had insisted he'd try to play against San Francisco next Monday night. He has made 53 straight starts, including playoff games.

"In my mind, I'll be out there," McNabb said.

But Reid ruled that out Monday. Koy Detmer will start in McNabb's place. A.J. Feeley takes Detmer's spot as the backup.

McNabb went down after he was sacked by Adrian Wilson and LeVar Woods on third-and-4 on the opening possession. He clutched his right leg and stayed on the turf after losing the ball, but returned on Philadelphia's next series.

X-rays after the game showed the break in his fibula.

Unable to scramble because of his injury -- which was originally thought to be a sprain -- McNabb stayed in the pocket and threw TD passes of 2 yards to James Thrash, 3 to Dorsey Levens, 27 to Todd Pinkston and 9 to Duce Staley in the first half.

Though he limped noticeably the entire game, McNabb didn't miss a play until coming out with 4:49 left. He finished 20-of-25 for 255 yards and one interception, but he had no rushing attempts for the first time in his career.

"He wasn't coming out," Reid said. "I tried that. I know he was hurting, (but) we obviously didn't know this."

Jake Plummer threw two TD passes for Arizona (4-6), which has lost four straight. Strangely, the Cardinals rarely blitzed McNabb, even though he was hobbled.

"I tried not to think about it," McNabb said of the injury. "When the game was going on, I just focused on what I needed to do to get the win."

"I've seen guys play with broken hands, broken fingers, but never a broken ankle," Eagles linebacker Ike Reese said. "It's amazing."