Donovan McNabb erased plenty of demons as he led his team to a rare fourth-quarter comeback as the Eagles beat the Bears 24-20 in Chicago on Sunday night.
The Birds used a balanced attack (33 passes, 30 rushes) to open up spots for McNabb. He responded by throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns against his hometown team and the Eagles won the ugly back-and-forth battle.
When it counted most, though, the veteran McNabb handed off to a rookie to put the Birds up for good as LeSean McCoy (who filled in for injured star Brian Westbrook) scored on a 10-yard run.
The turning point for the Birds was Antonio Dixon's blocked field goal that set up the game-winning drive. The Bears (4-6) were leading 20-17 when Dixon blocked a 48-yard field goal by Robbie Gould with 11 minutes left. McNabb then led the Eagles (6-4) on the 62-yard winning drive.
The Eagles overcame Cutler’s one touchdown pass and four Gould field goals by countering with a field goal from David Akers and scores from McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant.
"Action" Jackson hauled in eight balls for 107 yards including his 48-yard score. And, "Shady" McCoy rushed for 99 yards on 20 rushes.
But, McCoy was unable to pick up a first down late in the game as the Birds gave Bears’ QB Jay Cutler a chance to lead his team to victory. Cutler, in traditional prime-time form, failed again as he tossed an interception to Sean Jones in the final minute that sealed the win for Philly.
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The win finally broke the streak of seven-straight Sunday Night football losses.
But, not everything was great for Philly in Chicago.
The Eagles were sloppy again as they were penalized eight times for 46 yards.
The special teams weren’t very special. Punter Sav Rocca averaged only 33.8 yards per punt. They also allowed 41-yard and 29-yard kickoff returns that helped Chicago’s field position.
The Birds also lost the turnover battle as they turned the ball over three times including fumbles by Jackson and McCoy. McNabb was also sacked three times.
Eagles head coach Andy Reid credited his team perseverance.
"The last couple years we haven't had a lot of luck in close ones," Reid said. "The guys battled, and they didn't worry about that. They just kept banging."
The win kept the Birds right in the hunt for both the Wild Card and NFC East title. Next up is the Redskins at the Linc next week.
