"We all thought it would be in the best interests of Brian and the team that he should be deactivated" for last night's game, Eagles trainer Rick Burkholder said in a statement. "We will continue to evaluate Brian this week."

Eagles coach Andy Reid said Friday afternoon that Westbrook was "good to go," as he first declared his running back on Wednesday. But Westbrook didn't participate in the morning practice Friday and was listed as questionable on the team's injury report.

"He has had two hard days of work," and LeSean McCoy hasn't gotten a lot of repetitions, Reid said then. "So like I've done on other Fridays I kept Brian out and limited."

Westbrook was dressed for practice that day but did not take any reps as McCoy stepped in with the first team. The rookie earned his third start of the season last night. He started against Kansas City in Week 3 when Westbrook sat with a sprained ankle and again last week against the Giants.

In his first two starts, McCoy ran for 166 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries. He and fullback Leonard Weaver accounted for 157 of the Eagles' 180 yards on the ground against New York.

Westbrook, 30, has run for 197 yards and a score on 41 carries this season but has lacked his trademark explosiveness. He appeared to be rounding into form the week before the concussion when he totaled 141 yards rushing and receiving against Oakland.

Westbrook acknowledged Wednesday that he was concerned about the long-term effects of a concussion, this one the first of his career.

"It's almost like a sense of uncertainty there," he said. "You're not quite sure what's going to happen and how things work. I didn't have a great understanding of concussions before."

Peters injured

Eagles left tackle Jason Peters left the game late in the first quarter after he sprained his left ankle.

Dallas noseguard Jay Ratliff fell on Peters' ankle after he sacked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb. Peters writhed in pain on the field for several moments.

He was replaced by Todd Herremans, who moved from left guard. Nick Cole shifted to left guard from the right, and Stacy Andrews took Cole's spot.

Peters went to the sideline after the injury and got retaped by Eagles trainers, but after walking around on the leg, he went inside to get an X-ray.

Later in the first half, Peters returned to the game.

Eagles safety Quintin Demps also injured his ankle in the first quarter.

Vick off to Buffalo?

The Associated Press reported that Tony Dungy said Michael Vick could wind up with the Bills, who Dungy said had previously discussed signing the quarterback.

Dungy has served as an adviser to Vick since the Super Bowl-winning coach retired from the Colts after last season. Now a commentator for NBC, Dungy confirmed during the pregame show last night that the Bills and Vick talked originally when Vick was searching for a team after serving 18 months in federal prison for running a dogfighting ring.

The Eagles signed Vick to a $1.6 million contract for 2009, with a team option for the second year at $5.2 million. He has played sparingly.

"I told Michael to just worry about this year," Dungy said. "It's technically up to Philadelphia. If they want him back, he has to stay there. If they don't, there are some teams looking for quarterbacks: Cleveland, St. Louis, and Washington.

"But I think a dark horse is Buffalo. They talked originally. There was some communication there. I think that could be a good spot."

Bills starter Trent Edwards struggled this season before sustaining a concussion. Ryan Fitzpatrick, a career backup, has been the starter with Edwards out of the lineup.

Fokou replaced Gocong

While Westbrook's missing the game was a surprise, it wasn't a shock that Chris Gocong could not play last night.

The Eagles linebacker, who suffered quadriceps and hamstring injuries in his right leg against the Giants, did not practice all week and was listed as doubtful. It's the first game the 6-foot-2, 263-pound Gocong has missed since his 2006 rookie season. He spent that entire year on injured reserve.

Rookie Moise Fokou, meanwhile, filled in for Gocong at strong-side linebacker for his first NFL career start. The 6-1, 233-pound Fokou had played primarily on special teams. He did see about a dozen plays with the first team when Gocong was injured last week.

Aside from Westbrook, Gocong, and Max Jean-Gilles (shoulder), these injured players were deactivated: defensive end Victor Abiamiri (knee), wide receiver Kevin Curtis (knee), and cornerback Dimitri Patterson (quadriceps, hand).

Brodrick Bunkley (knee) started at defensive tackle, and Macho Harris (ankle) chipped in at free safety. For the second straight game, Sean Jones started at free safety, where Harris had started the first six games.

Guard Mike McGlynn and running back P.J. Hill were healthy scratches.

Extra points

After three games of having Kevin Kolb as the emergency third quarterback, the Eagles decided to activate all three of their quarterbacks - McNabb, Vick, and Kolb - last night. They had all three active in Weeks 1 and 4. McNabb was out with a rib injury in Weeks 2 and 3. . . . McNabb threw his second interception of the season in the first quarter. It was the first pick he had thrown in 119 passes dating to the opener at Carolina. The pass went through the hands of wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and into the hands of Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh.

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Contact staff writer Jeff McLane

at 215-854-4745 or jmclane@phillynews.com.