Eagles Attempt to Complete Return to Respectability Against Bears on MNF

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Despite defeating division opponents in back-to-back games, we still don't get the sense there is a great deal of enthusiasm for the Birds. Sure, some folks are feeling a full-fledged turnaround, complete with a postseason berth. The rest would have you know they are below .500, and waging an uphill battle just to make the playoffs.

Fair enough. Fans have their reasons for remaining detached, and another win tonight against the 4-3 Chicago Bears might not convert many people. It would be an important milestone for the Eagles in their quest to fulfill Vince Young's prophecy though, evening the team's record for the first time since Week 2 -- which was nearly two months ago.

The Eagles are becoming harder and harder to dismiss with each passing week, and should they reach 4-4 tonight, they become almost impossible to ignore. That would be three consecutive victories, which would tie them for the fourth-longest streak in the NFL, and three in a row versus conference opponents. They are also the only team in the East sitting on two division wins right now.

In the Bears, they would also be disposing of a quality opponent that has given Andy Reid and Michael Vick problems in the past. Reid is 1-3 against Chicago over the past four seasons, with none of the contests decided by more than five points. Vick, meanwhile, has never beaten the Bears in three tries. No doubt it would feel good to get that monkey off his back.

But if the Eagles intend to generate some energy from a wounded fan base, how they win might carry them the farthest. The last two weeks have been something entirely different from the previous five, which leaves us wondering which side is for real, and how many games must pass before we can declare which is which. Has the offense really cleaned up the turnovers? Is the defense really settling into Juan Castillo's scheme?

In a league with few truly elite teams, knocking off Chicago in impressive fashion to get back to .500 should go a long way toward injecting the excitement back into this season. Maybe it won't, because people have seen this act from the local football club before -- fall behind early, then come storming back, only to come up short in the end.

We're all tired...

In case you haven't been paying attention though, things are finally clicking. The Eagles might be on the verge of becoming the great team we all thought and desperately hoped they would be this season. With a big win tonight, they are right back in the thick of the race, and in great position to continue their rise from the ashes of a 1-4 start.

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