The only real drama taking place in an NFL stadium last night was unfolding in Denver, which was why the Eagles' preseason finale started at 6:30, so Channel 6 would have the decks cleared in time for Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

As for the game, the Eagles' second-team offense and defense looked pretty good in the early going of a 27-20 loss to the Jets. The next time you see the Eagles, against the Rams, back at the Linc on Sept. 7, there will be 22 fewer of them and the result will count.

Making those cuts was largely the focus of this exhibition exercise. Who's the fullback? Which of the seven defensive-end contenders ends up somewhere else? Can the Birds carry five safeties? Matt Schobel or Kris Wilson for the third tight-end spot?

"Now we'll go back and evaluate the film and make the cuts," coach Andy Reid said, acknowledging that he had some tough decisions to make. "And that's a good thing," he said, meaning the team has depth.

Nothing happened last night that provided any obvious, well-that's-settled answers.

Reid noted that he and general manager Tom Heckert would meet in the morning when they are fresher and hammer out the roster trims. Reid said his mind is "70 to 80 percent" made up on his roster selections.

If you were wondering why starters don't play in these things, you got your answer with 3 minutes, 37 seconds left in the fourth. The Birds' top offensive line reserve, Max Jean-Gilles, left the field held up by Todd Herremans and Tra Thomas, Jean-Gilles' left leg dangling ominously after he suffered a knee injury. Reid said he had a knee sprain and would have an MRI exam today.

Earlier, Eagles second-year quarterback Kevin Kolb unfurled his most impressive outing of the preseason, driving for points on his first three possessions. First time out, eight plays, 40 yards, 40-yard David Akers field goal for a 3-0 lead. It was Akers' longest field goal of the preseason.

Second time around, Kolb led the second-team offense 63 yards in nine plays, capped by a 3-yard touchdown run by Lorenzo Booker, who suffered a hip pointer on the play but returned for the next series. A 25-yard completion to Hank Baskett set up the touchdown.

The Eagles' third possession benefited from a 51-yard Quintin Demps kickoff return, following a Jets field goal. Kolb took the Birds from the Jets' 48 to the 3, but Jean-Gilles came rumbling into the pile way late after a first-down completion to Booker at the 3 and the Eagles were pushed back to the 18. They wound up getting a 28-yard Akers field goal for a 13-3 lead.

Kolb donned the visor at halftime having completed 13 of 21 passes for 138 yards, in what could be his last game action of 2008.

"It was huge," Kolb said. "It was my first start. Although it's just the preseason and the starters weren't out there with me, it's still big for me. It breaks me in slowly, to hopefully what I am going to be one day."

The other most notable first-half development was when defensive tackle Dan Klecko, whom defensive coordinator Jim Johnson indicated this week was clearly part of the team's rotation, left the game with a wrist contusion, but Klecko returned late and recorded a sack.

Other highlights and lowlights:

* Michael Gasperson made a nice catch of a 19-yard Kolb pass to the end zone on the Eagles' first drive, but he couldn't get both feet down in bounds. Gasperson later caught a 54-yarder from A.J. Feeley, keying a TD drive.

* Jerome McDougle blocked a Kellen Clemens pass on the Jets' second play of the evening. McDougle played another strong, active game, making the decision on the final cuts today and tomorrow even tougher. McDougle has played more preseason snaps and gotten better pass-rush pressure than any other Birds d-lineman.

"McDougle has done a heck of a job, he's played good football," Reid said, noting that McDougle was one of the few Eagles to play the entire game.

McDougle said he feels he has done all he could this preseason and that he would put his faith in the coaches and God.

* A Winston Justice holding penalty ended up forcing the Eagles' first punt of the game with just 1:12 left in the first half. Would the Eagles cut a 2006 second-round pick? Probably not yet. Probably.

* Eagles sixth-round rookie middle linebacker Joe Mays was credited with four unassisted tackles in the first quarter, three more in the second.

* Third-round rookie defensive end Bryan Smith made five unassisted first-half tackles, five more in the second half. Guess they aren't going to sneak him onto the practice squad.

* Defensive tackle Mike Marquardt made the most of the extra snaps he got after Klecko's wrist injury, Marquardt sacking Erik Ainge late in the first half.

* Feeley's old bugaboo, the ball he shouldn't have thrown, made a third-quarter appearance. Feeley, fleeing pressure, tried to dump a pass to Jamal Jones and was picked off by safety Abram Elam. He later threw a 3-yard TD pass to Bam Childress. A fourth-quarter pick off a deflected pass wasn't Feeley's fault.

* It looked as if the Jets' coaching staff might be trying to kill veteran running back Jesse Chatman, who recorded 35 touches - 29 carries for 93 yards, and six catches for another 87. Chatman was the Jets' offense.

* Demps looked great on the kickoffs but seriously muffed a punt, which was recovered by the Jets' Ahmad Carroll at the Birds' 17 with 7:54 left in a 20-20 game, leading to a 2-yard Chatman touchdown run. Might be a good idea to stick with DeSean Jackson on those punts.

* Reid wasn't sure, but he thinks Jackson was the first rookie he'd ever held out of a final preseason game because he'd already secured a solid role with the team. *