BOSTON (AP) – Despite a strong 24-12 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday, Patriots coach Bill Belichick said a preseason victory is no cause for celebration.

“It’s where you finish, not where you are at this point in the year,” Belichick said in a conference call on Saturday.

Wins against three NFC East teams have given the Patriots a 3-0 preseason record.

Belichick said the team still has room for improvement before it faces Chicago in its preseason finale on Wednesday.

He was impressed with the team’s third-down defense, but he said four turnovers and careless plays hurt them.

“Overall it was a solid effort – not great, but solid,” he said.

In a game where four Philadelphia players were lost to injuries, Belichick had no injuries to report.

But he was pleased with the effort of nose tackle Ted Washington, who made his first game appearance with the Patriots after arriving from Chicago last week.

In the first quarter, Washington sacked Eagles quarterback, Donovan McNabb, causing a fumble which the Patriots recovered. That led to a Patriots touchdown and a 17-3 halftime lead.

“I thought Ted, for no practice, played the position pretty well,” Belichick said, adding that it seemed like the position came naturally to Washington.

Tom Brady threw three touchdown passes for the Patriots, but Belichick said he would have liked to see more out of the back-ups.

As the preseason nears its end, Belichick said some starter positions are still in the air, namely running back, a spot coveted by both Antowain Smith and Kevin Faulk.

“I’m not sure how that’s going to go,” Belichick said. “Both players have had good camps.”

He said the starter could be determined on a game-by-bame basis.

In Friday’s game, Smith had 26 yards rushing on 14 carries.

Faulk ran 10 times for 39 yards, but fumbled at Philadelphia’s 27 on the Patriots’ first drive.

After punter David Pope was dropped from the team this week, Belichick had hoped to give Ken Walter a chance to become more consistent in his kicking game.

Belichick said Walter performed well, but overall, the special teams performance “wasn’t anything sensational.”

The Patriots did not announce any other player moves on Saturday, but Belichick said he anticipates more player movement before the teams trim their rosters before the season opener.

Belichick said he plans to have starters play against Chicago.

The Patriots also face Philadelphia again in the second week of the regular season.

AP-ES-08-23-03 1818EDT