Elaine Thompson / AP

Quarterback Donovan McNabb leaves the field after the Eagles' 24-21 loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. "This could’ve been a blowout,’’ said McNabb, who threw three interceptions. "We could’ve been up 14-0, won by three touchdowns, if not for some of those early throws when we were down close."

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The stat might have been lost in the confetti of adjectives about New England’s brilliance or the aftermath of a season-well-done for Philadelphia. But it wasn’t lost on Donovan McNabb.

"Three interceptions,’’ the Eagles quarterback said after the 24-21 Super Bowl loss to New England. "I don’t look at the touchdowns. I look at the three interceptions. That killed us."

All Super Bowl week long, as the media machine pumped out possibilities, the X factor of this game was to be Terrell Owens (great game) or Michael Westbrook (up and down game) or the young New England cornerbacks (who played beyond their years).

The X-factor, however, was more fundamental.

X-perience.

The Patriots had it. The Eagles didn’t. And no where did it show up more than at quarterback.

You don’t just judge quarterbacks by their best plays, as Donovan McNabb had three touchdown passes to Tom Brady’s two.

You judge them as well by what McNabb introduced:

That was this Super Bowl in a sentence: Three interceptions to none.

Point. Period. Championship.

"This could’ve been a blowout,’’ McNabb said. "We could’ve been up 14-0, won by three touchdowns, if not for some of those early throws when we were down close."

He shook his head, maybe thinking of what he just said.

"Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve."

A lot was asked of McNabb, because of an anemic Philadelphia running game that gained 45 yards on 17 carries. Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick anticipated it would be a passing game, and so had all his best pass rushers and defenders in most of the way.

This wasn’t the first time the Patriots defense has whipped up on a hot quarterback. Ask Peyton Manning.

Ask Ben Roethlisberger.

Owens, the target of the Super Bowl buildup, played for the first time since mid-December on a bad leg and ankle and caught nine passes for 122 yards. That paced a passing attack in which McNabb threw 51 times, completing 30 for 357 yards and three touchdowns.

Heady stats, right there.

But late in the first quarter, after the Eagles had driven from their 26, McNabb went back on a second-and-goal from the Patriots 19. He had just had one interception taken back by a New England holding penalty. Now Patriots safety Rodney Harrison grabbed another, taking away at least a good field-goal attempt.

You have to match the moment, too. The Eagles didn’t do that when down 10 points in the fourth quarter. It wasn’t just McNabb throwing two fourth-quarter interceptions. They were too deliberate. They made waste, not haste.

They kept huddling up, kept walking to the line, kept watching precious seconds tick away in the manner that a more experienced team wouldn’t have.

If there’s such a thing as being too rushed, there’s another of being not rushed enough. And so when the Eagles got a late touchdown on McNabb’s 30-yard pass, they ended up getting the back at their 4-yard line with 46 seconds left.

It was a case of too far and not enough. Thirty more seconds wouldn’t just have been possible if they had managed the clock smarter. It would have been gold.

"Maybe that’s something we’ll look at,’’ McNabb said.

As he will the interceptions, wondering what happened, maybe figuring why they never seemed to for Brady.

"As a quarterback in the NFL, you want what Tom Brady has,’’ McNabb said. "He’s got greatness. I wasn’t around for the Montana era or the Bradshaw era. I’m around for this era. And right now this is his era."

It was a great year for the Eagles, a great run right to the end.

"We had people on the edge of their seats,’’ McNabb said.

Maybe he now has the necessary experience to get the view again.