Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Philadelphia 19 at Chicago 13 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles: QB Donovan McNabb once again returned to his hometown of Chicago. While he did not have one of his most spectacular fantasy outings, he did enough to get the job done. There's a little worry that he still isn't looking like the same quarterback that we saw at the beginning of the season. But he is still winning games. He completed 18 passes to 8 different receivers for 209 yards, but his passes couldn't find the end zone once. He over threw several receivers. The Bears had Brian Urlacher spying on McNabb, in an effort to make the quarterback beat them with his arm. For the most part he was kept in check, only rushing for 46 yards. The Eagles only touchdown of the day came on a 5-yard McNabb draw play in the 2nd quarter. McNabb threw one interception to Mike Brown. WR Antonio Freeman led all Eagle receivers with 4 catches for 67 yards. McNabb showed no favoritism on the day, hitting 8 different pass catchers during the game. Just when it looked like Duce Staley was unstoppable, he got shut down. He ran the ball 19 times for 39 yards. The Bears had an answer for Staley every time he touched the ball. He was even stuffed on an ill-advised 4th and 1 at the Bears 24 yard line. There is still no running back controversy in Philadelphia. Just don't expect Staley to run loose every game. PK David Akers proved again why he is the most reliable kicker in the NFL. He booted 4 field goals (23, 36, 27, 22) on 4 attempts, accounting for 12 of Philadelphia's 19 points. He would have had a fifth if the Eagles had not gone on 4th and 1 in Bear territory. The Eagles defense came up huge in the 2nd half. After allowing 207 yards and 13 points in the 1st half, they hunkered down and only allowed 53 yards in the 2nd half. Chicago Bears: QB Jim Miller returned to the lineup after a two week hiatus, and seemed to bring back the fire in the Chicago Bears. He is their team leader and the overall attitude seems to improve with him in the game. He looked sharp in the first half, but was rattled in the 2nd. He completed 19 passes to 7 different receivers for 205 yards. He didn't throw any interceptions or touchdowns all game. The Bears used a no-huddle offense for most of the game, and had the Eagles defense confused and on their heals. After some defensive half time adjustments, Miller only completed 7 passes in the second half, 5 of them on the final drive of the game. He fumbled the ball in his own 18-yard line, in the beginning of the 4th quarter, which led to David Acker's 3rd field goal, and put the Eagles ahead for good. RB Anthony Thomas looked back on track in the 2nd quarter. He didn't get a single carry in the 1st quarter. Leon Johnson got all the 1st quarter carries. Before halftime, Thomas gained over 40 yards on the ground and hit pay dirt on a 6-yard touchdown run towards the left end. He hit the holes hard and looked unstoppable. Just like the back we all expected to see this year. The 2nd half was another story. He gained about 5 yards on the ground. He added 52 yards in the air throughout the game, to make it look like a respectable day. His performance wasn't as good as his numbers so be careful. LB Brian Urlacher is a monster. I know this isn't news to anyone, but I'm amazed every time I watch this guy play. He recorded 8 tackles, 2 assists, and a sack. If it wasn't for him, McNabb may have had another 100-yard rushing day. The Bears committed 12 penalties for 121 yards. Both teams played a sloppy game. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Philadelphia Eagles QB: Donovan McNabb was pressured all day, but still managed to combine for over 250 total yards. He also ran a touchdown in from the 5-yard line. He actually threw 2 interceptions, but one was called back due to a roughing the passer penalty. McNabb is the master of creation on the football field, rarely missing any opportunity for the big play or at least yardage. Bear LB Brian Urlacher shadowed his every move. McNabb was still able to show off his amazing abilities by rushing for 46 yards and the TD. It was his 6th rushing touchdown of the season. He completed 18 passes to 8 different receivers for 209 yards, but his passes couldn't find the end zone once. He overthrew receivers all day. His favorite target was Antonio Freeman. He completed 4 passes to him. All for 1st downs. RB: Duce Staley came back down to Earth this week, with a pedestrian 39 yard rushing/19 yard receiving performance. He looked tired today and wasn't running over people like he did the past two weeks. The Eagles offensive line could not open up holes for room, and when they finally did MLB Brian Urlacher was there quickly to tie him down. Staley is still the main back. He just had a down day. Dorsey Levens had one rush for 2 yards and 2 receptions for 12 yards. He caught an 11-yard pass on 2nd and 16 in the 3rd quarter, that helped keep a scoring drive alive. Brian Westbrook rushed 4 times for 12 yards. They were all in the 1st quarter. WR: Today was Antonio Freeman's turn to lead the receiving carousel in Philadelphia. He finished with 4 grabs for 67 yards. He continues to be a threat down the middle of the field, a position where he thrived on in Green Bay. McNabb keyed in on the veteran whenever the Eagles needed to convert a big play. Every one of his catches resulted in a first down. Three of them were on 3rd down. WR James Thrash had a quiet afternoon, with just 3 catches for 19 yards. (8 targets.) Most of the throws that McNabb threw towards him were uncatchable. Todd Pinkston only caught 2 balls, but his nifty catch down the sideline sealed the victory for the Eagles. He was interfered with on the play, but the penalty was declined. Pinkston saw a lot of passes come his way, but most of them were overthrown. He was only targeted 4 times. TE: For the first time in 3 games, Chad Lewis caught a pass. His disappearing act continued, though, with just 3 catches. He is not even being looked to in the red zone, and fantasy owners may actually look at dropping him. Rush Defense: The Eagles front, which at the beginning of the year was considered the team's weakness, continues to flourish. They held RB Anthony Thomas to 52 yards, and stopped the Bears twice on 3rd and 1 situations. Thomas seemed to run all over them in the first half. In the 2nd half he was very limited. This unit has turned into one of the finest in the league. Philadelphia Pass Defense - They started off terribly. They allowed Jim Miller to look like a good quarterback during the 1st half. They buckled down in the 2nd half and only allowed about 40 yards worth of passing. Most of those yards came during the final drive of the game, when the Bears brought the ball to the Eagle's 24-yard line. That was as far as they got. Three incompletions and a 9-yard sack, by Hugh Douglas, ended any hope of a Bear's comeback. Overall, there were 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles. Brian Dawkins intercepted a pass that was called back for unnecessary roughness. Shawn Barber was penalized. Special Teams: On a day in the NFL where fantasy points were not at a premium, those with K David Akers were blessed with a 4 field goal second half, which were actually the only points scored after the 2nd quarter. The Bears held Brian Mitchell in check, and the Eagles did the same to his counterparts, Ahmad Merritt and Leon Johnson. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Chicago Bears QB: Jim Miller looked sharp in the first half, but was rattled in the 2nd. He completed 19 passes to 7 different receivers for 205 yards. He didn't throw any interceptions or touchdowns all game. The Bears used a no-huddle offense for most of the game, and had the Eagles defense confused and on their heals. After some defensive half time adjustments, Miller only completed 7 passes in the second half, 5 of them on the final drive of the game. He fumbled the ball in his own 18-yard line, in the beginning of the 4th quarter, which led to David Acker's 3rd field goal, and put the Eagles ahead for good. Marty Booker was his favorite target. He was sacked 3 times. RB: Anthony Thomas looked back on track in the 2nd quarter. He didn't get a single carry in the 1st quarter. Leon Johnson got all the 1st quarter carries. Before halftime, Thomas gained over 40 yards on the ground and hit pay dirt on a 6-yard touchdown run towards the left end. He hit the holes hard and looked unstoppable. Just like the back we all expected to see this year. The 2nd half was another story. He gained about 5 yards on the ground. He added 52 yards in the air throughout the game, to make it look like a respectable day. His performance wasn't as good as his numbers so be careful. Backup RB Leon Johnson had 7 carries for 22 yards. He was more of a factor on special teams. FB Stanley Pritchett got more looks in the game, with 4 catches for 39 yards. WR: Marty Booker continues to be Jim Miller's favorite target, but only hauled in 5 catches for 37 yards. He was thrown to 8 times, but was blanketed all day by Troy Vincent, a tough matchup for any wide receiver. Dez White was nowhere to be found until late in the game, when he finally caught his only two balls of the day. He was looked to in the red zone twice. Marcus Robinson is still Chicago's deep threat, but has not shown the ability to separate like he did in his sensational year of 1999. He almost hooked up on a pass from WR Marty Booker, bringing back memories of their touchdown pass and catch in last year's Atlanta game. TE: John Davis only caught 1 ball for 8 yards, because the tight ends were used mostly to block. This fact was identified in last week's Chicago/Minnesota game summary. Rush Defense: Not so fast. The Bears rushing defense showed signs of life, containing the ultra-hot Eagles rushing attack to just 117 total yards. QB Donovan McNabb's quarterback sneak should have been called back and MLB Brian Urlacher was clearly held by Jake Welbourne. Nothing was called and the play stood. They stopped Duce Staley, something both Tampa Bay and the New York Giants couldn't do. Pass Defense: The secondary held their own on Sunday. Chicago had 12 penalties for 121 yards, with 9 of them being on defense. Four of those nine were coverage infractions that gave Philadelphia 1st downs. They allowed McNabb to throw for 209 yards, but buckled down when the Eagle's got close to the end zone. They didn't allow a single touchdown, forcing Akers to make 4 field goals. They sacked McNabb 3 times. Mike Brown intercepted a pass. Defensive penalties killed Chicago all day long. Special Teams: K Paul Edinger was solid, and his field goal at the end of the 1st half just hit the bottom of the goal post and fell in. Ahmad Merritt and Leon Johnson gave the Bears fairly decent field position most of the time.