Dawkins Hits for Cycle

PHILADELPHIA —  Brian Dawkins gave teams another reason to fear him.

Dawkins, an All-Pro safety, caught his first career touchdown pass and had an interception, a sack and a fumble recovery, leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 35-17 victory over the expansion Houston Texans on Sunday.

He became the first player in NFL history to get all four in the same game.

“I never thought I’d get it all the way,” Dawkins said of the touchdown catch. “I just wanted to get the first down.”

Donovan McNabb completed 24 of 42 passes for 259 yards and one touchdown, and Duce Staley had two one-yard touchdown runs as Philadelphia cruised to its third consecutive double-digit victory.

Since wasting a 14-point halftime lead in a season-opening loss at Tennessee, the Eagles (3-1) have beaten Washington, Dallas and Houston by a combined 79 points.

A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Dawkins has earned a reputation for being a fierce hitter who has a knack for making big plays in the secondary. Sunday he proved he has some offensive skills too.

“Dawkins has some goods hands,” McNabb said. “When you have a guy who can roam the backfield like that and is a good blitzer, you have to keep your eyes on him.”

David Carr, the No. 1 overall pick in April’s draft, completed 16 of 29 passes for 188 yards with two touchdowns to Corey Bradford. The Texans (1-3) have lost three in a row since beating the Cowboys in their opener.