Eagles soar past Bucs

McNabb threw two touchdowns for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles secured their passage into the second round of the NFL play-offs with a 31-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Donovan McNabb was the star of the Eagles show, throwing two touchdowns as his side set up a visit to the Chicago Bears.

I'm not going to speculate, we don't need a funeral here

Tampa coach
Tony Dungy

The defeat is likely to act as a catalyst for the departure of Buccaneers coach Tony Dungy, who has come under increasing criticism for his club's play-off failures.

Reports suggest Bucs owner Malcolm Glazer has agreed a five-year deal with Bill Parcells, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories, as Dungy's successor.

"I'm not going to speculate, we don't need a funeral here," Dungy said after the game. "But I don't make the decisions."

The Bucs opened up a 17-9 lead in the first half thanks to two touchdowns and a field goal from David Akers.

And they extended their lead further when safety Damon Moore intercepted a Brad Johnson pass for a 59-yard touchdown.

Rickie Correll Bucklater then scored the fourth - and final - score for the NFC East champions with a 25-yard run in the third quarter.

All nine of Tampa's points came from the boot of Martin Gramatica.

Jerry Rice was in top form for Oakland

In Saturday's other match, Jerry Rice inspired the Oakland Raiders to a pulsating 38-24 victory over the New York Jets.

The Raiders ended a three-match losing run as Rice produced yet another outstanding play-off performance.

The 39-year-old scored one touchdown and gained 183 yards, with quarterback Mitch Gannon throwing two touchdowns and no interceptions.

Rice scored his 21-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter to give Oakland a 31-17 lead.

And Charlie Garner sealed the victory for the AFC West champions thanks to an 80-yard touchdown run with 87 seconds remaining.

The Raiders will now meet the AFC East champions, the New England Patriots, in the divisional round next Saturday night.

Vinny Testaverde nailed three touchdowns for the Jets.