Eagles beat Bears, 24-20

CHICAGO – The Eagles, after another evening of missed opportunities and foolish penalties, finally executed one of those fourth-quarter comebacks that had been so elusive over the last two seasons.

Credit for the big plays in crunch time during the 24-20 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field tonight belonged to a long list of players, starting with a little-known rookie defensive tackle.

Antonio Dixon blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt by Robbie Gould with just over 11 minutes remaining in the final quarter.

Not only did that keep the Bears' lead at 20-17, it also gave the Eagles outstanding field position at their own 38-yard line. Donovan McNabb and the offense made the most of it.

McNabb completed four of five passes on the drive for 31 yards and also picked up a first down with a quarterback sneak on a third-and-one play from the 47-yard line. McNabb's biggest throw on the game-winning drive was a third-and-6 completion from the Chicago 20.

DeSean Jackson, who caught eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, got open over the middle and pulled in a 10-yard catch for a first down.

LeSean McCoy followed with a 10-yard run for a touchdown, redemption for a lost fumble by the rookie running back earlier in the quarter.

The defensive combination of Tracy White and Sean Jones sealed the win on the Bears' final possession. White knocked a Jay Cutler pass into the air and Jones intercepted it.

The Eagles, who ended a two-game losing streak, improved to 6-4 and remained a game behind the first-place Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. (Washington visits Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.) It was the Eagles' first fourth-quarter comeback victory since Oct. 12 of last season at San Francisco. The Bears fell to 4-6.

"Confidence is everything, and at this point, confidence is high," McNabb said after the game during an on-field interview with NBC-TV. "Miscues and penalties definitely cost us, but we fought through."

After the game, McNabb spoke with Cutler on the field. McNabb did most of the talking into Cutler's ear and the exchange ended with a hug.

McNabb declined to be specific, but said of the chat, "It's a fraternity we have with quarterbacks. . . . Keep strong, keep confident and things will work out."

Despite a long stretch of offensive ineptness, the Eagles managed to erase a 12-10 deficit with the quick-strike offense that has been their trademark most of this season.

The two-play, 30-second drive started with a 16-yard pass to Jeremy Maclin and ended one play later with a 48-yard touchdown pass from McNabb to Jackson, who had slipped behind safety Al Afalava.

That moment of success, however, was fleeting.

The Eagles' kickoff coverage unit allowed a 41-yard return by Johnny Knox and the Bears needed just six plays to regain the lead.

Cutler, who misfired most of the evening, completed all four of his throws on the drive, including a 15-yard touchdown to tight end Kellen Davis, who had slipped behind linebacker Chris Gocong. Cutler made the TD throw with a blitzing Quintin Mikell in his face, then connected with running back Matt Forte for a 2-point conversion that gave Chicago a 20-17 lead.

The Eagles scored on each of their first two possessions, then went into hibernation for the remainder of the first half, allowing the offensively challenged Bears to cut a 10-point first-quarter deficit to one by halftime.

In a shocking development, Michael Vick played a leading role on the Eagles' opening drive.

Faced with a third-and-1 situation from their own 34, the Eagles inserted Vick and the seldom-used quarterback faked a handoff before taking off on a 34-yard run to the Chicago 32-yard line.

It was Vick's longest play from scrimmage as an Eagle, but the drive ended in more frustration for a team that has had trouble all season scoring touchdowns inside the red zone.

After McCoy got the Eagles to the Chicago 7 with a couple of runs, McNabb threw consecutive incompletions and David Akers came on to kick a 25-yard field goal.

The Eagles did capitalize on a trip to the red zone on their next possession, thanks to a nicely designed screen to Jason Avant that resulted in a 13-yard touchdown. That was due in large part to Todd Herremans' block on Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs.

Thirteen minutes into the game, the Eagles had a 10-0 lead against an offense that made coach Morris Buttermaker's Bad News Bears look like unstoppable sluggers.

The Bears should have countered with a touchdown of their own after the Eagles' first-quarter score, but Cutler bungled consecutive throws.

Tight end Greg Olsen and wide receiver Devin Hester broke free inside the Eagles' 10 and each time Cutler overthrew the target, forcing Chicago to settle for a 45-yard field goal by Robbie Gould early in the second quarter.

Gould kicked two more field goals before the end of the half and one more in the third quarter to give Chicago its first lead.

But this would be the night that McNabb and the Eagles' offense had a comeback in them, and it all started with a blocked field goal by a mostly anonymous rookie defensive tackle.

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.