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What they're saying about the Eagles

Here's a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles as the Birds prepare for their Monday night matchup against the Bears:

SI.com's Don Banks says the Eagles being labeled the Dream Team was the most-hyped storyline of the first half of the season:

Hey, don't blame us. Vince Young said it. We just took the label and used it to bash Philly over the head for the next 10 weeks or so. It's what we do. If it rhymes, we're going to belabor it (see: Suck for Luck).

Banks moves the Eagles up to No. 12 in his power rankings:

Though they're still under .500, the Eagles are moving way up this week, because Andy Reid's guys are finally who we thought they were. And they're just starting to get on a roll that I expect will eventually earn them the NFC East title. The next step comes Monday night at home against the Bears, and I wouldn't be surprised in the least if Michael Vick turns it into one of his personal showcase games.

Peter Schrager of FoxSports.com goes with the Eagles, 27-20:

Too early to toss LeSean McCoy's name in the MVP conversation? "Shady" McCoy is second in the league in rushing to Adrian Peterson with 754 yards on 135 carries. He had a career-high 30 carries for a career-high 185 yards in Sunday's 34-7 win over the Cowboys. The press always will be about Michael Vick, but McCoy is who makes this offense click. He'll do it again on a national stage Monday.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Birds, 27-17:

The Eagles are coming off an impressive victory over Dallas, while the Bears are coming off the bye. Both teams seemed to fix some early-season troubles in their last couple of games. The Eagles will get after Jay Cutler here and LeSean McCoy outdoes Matt Forte. Eagles handily.

Albert Breer of the NFL Network has the Bears, 24-23:

Call this one a hunch. Lovie Smith's style of defense has always caused problems for Mike Vick, and the Eagles' leaky run defense will be challenged by Matt Forte.

Michael Lombardi of NFL Network liked what he saw from the Eagles last week:

I loved watching the Eagles' offense destroy the Cowboys. It reminded me of those great Lakers teams of the 1980s when they had their fast break going. With Michael Vick as the point guard and LeSean McCoy as the best loose play runner in the league right now, the Eagles finally look like a "Dream Team." When they protect the football, and don't make the stupid mistakes, the offense is the fastest in the league. Vick makes it all go, in part because he can take a bad play and turn it into a 10-yard gain. That's especially true when teams blitz like the Cowboys did Sunday. Vick was accurate and made great decisions of when to run and when to pass. With three teams in the NFC East at 3-4 -- Washington, Dallas and Philadelphia -- the Eagles look like the best of the bunch.

All seven ESPN.com experts are picking the Eagles.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the Eagles, 28-17. Gregg Rosenthal predicts a 28-27 Birds victory:

The Eagles aren't the only team coming into this game playing well. Chicago tightened up its pass protection and defense before the bye. Jay Cutler is playing well. This is a huge game in the NFC playoff picture and won't be the cakewalk for Philly everyone expects.

Devin Hester tells the Chicago Tribune he will try to play mind games with Chas Henry:

"Just hoping that he miss-hits a couple," Hester said of Henry. "Put pressure on him a little bit. I'll try to get in his head."

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