And yet . . .

There were more glimmers of what the Eagles offense can be if the young skill players are able to mature quickly enough. Those glimpses were embedded among enough errors and blunders to make you tear your hair out.

Turning a game full of miscues into a come-from-behind win can only help players like LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin understand what it takes to win, especially late in the season. That has been a theme of Donovan McNabb's for a few weeks now - helping the kids grow up faster.

McCoy, who is a recovering serial fumbler, put one on the ground at a terrible time in the game. Fourth quarter, team trailing by 20-17. McCoy gave the Bears the ball in Eagles territory with a chance to widen their lead.

"You know it's going to happen," McNabb said of youthful mistakes. "When you have young guys who are 20, 22, 23 years old, who haven't been through a full season before, they're going to hit a wall. You expect that to happen. You just have to make sure, before it does, that you get them on the same page with everyone."

In an odd twist, McCoy's fumble actually helped the Eagles more than it hurt. Courtesy of Cutler and the Bears, that is. They couldn't move the ball, tried a long field and had it blocked. The Eagles got the ball on their own 38-yard line - right about where they'd given it up.

It was telling that McCoy got the ball on the very first play of the drive and fitting that he got it on the very last play. Coach Andy Reid showed confidence in the rookie back he has to lean on in the absence of Brian Westbrook and McCoy responded. He played a lead role on both the game-winning drive and the clock-eating possession that followed.

A week after wallowing in red-zone quicksand in San Diego, the Eagles moved to the Chicago 10 with less than six minutes left in the game. A week after McNabb was seen shouting "Just run it" at his coaches, the Eagles just ran it.

McCoy found a hole between Brent Celek, who cleared linebacker Nick Roach away, and left tackle Jason Peters, who sealed off defensive end Alex Brown, and chugged for a touchdown.

"We were waiting to see who would make the big play," McNabb said. "DeSean made a big play on third down. Maclin made big plays. McCoy was big on that drive."

The touchdown represented instant redemption for more than just McCoy. There was a little for Peters, who simply couldn't handle Brown most of the game. On a third-quarter pass play that went for 20 yards and a first down, Peters was called for a tripping penalty. The replay showed that Celek, helping out, had blocked Brown. All Peters had to do was stand his ground and let McNabb finish his throw.

Instead, Peters dove at Brown's feet, missed, and leg-whipped him to take him to the ground. It was a drive-killing play by the guy the Eagles paid big money to replace Tra Thomas.

It was one of a long series of mistakes - Jackson's fumble, blown coverages, Sav Rocca's shank, McNabb's interception - that would have, even should have, earned the Eagles a loss. At some point, you'd imagine, the chronic penalties and ineffective kick coverage would be enough to lose a game.

But this is the NFL in 2009. A team like the Bears can out-mistake anyone. So can a team like Washington, which visits Lincoln Financial Field next week. So can Atlanta, the team the Eagles face the week after that.

At 6-4, with two more eminently winnable games coming their way, the Eagles are in decent shape as the NFC playoff race shapes up. Get to 8-4 and the division title will be well within reach.

Of course, that would mean winning three games in a row, a feat that would require a little consistency.

The key to that remains the ability of McCoy and Maclin and Jackson to become seasoned veterans by December. The offensive line, a mess much of the year, wasn't great last night, but at least Reid seems to have settled on five guys to play the rest of the way. McNabb was good enough, especially in contrast with Cutler.

The X-factor is the kids. They took some steps last night - some backward and some forward.

Contact columnist Phil Sheridan at 215-854-2844 or psheridan@phillynews.com. Read his recent work at http://go.philly.com/philsheridan.