Catching Breaks

For the first time this season, the Eagles' high-powered offense sputtered a trifle and failed to put the opponent away in impressive fashion.

Donovan McNabb threw his first interception, David Akers missed two fourth-quarter field goals, and the Eagles still won by double digits, beating the injury-ravaged Chicago Bears, 19-9, yesterday at Soldier Field.

"This wasn't the prettiest win, but we'll take it," coach Andy Reid said. "Any win you can get in the National Football League is a good win. We're not going to criticize the W's. We'll take them as they come. "

So far, they've come four in succession, which does make the Eagles' record perfect as they head into their bye week.

"That's huge," strong safety Michael Lewis said. "Since I've been here, I know that's never happened. I don't know if there have been too many times in the Eagles' history where they've gone into a bye week unbeaten. "

It's something they have done only twice before, in 1992 and 1993, which also marked the last two times they opened the season 4-0. Nobody, however, was getting overly excited by the fast start.

"I think Kansas City started 9-0 last year," linebacker Dhani Jones noted. "Where did that get them? Didn't they go out after one playoff game? "

The fact that this Eagles victory wasn't quite as impressive as the first three won't matter at all in two weeks when the Eagles return to Lincoln Financial Field for their rematch with the Carolina Panthers, the team that denied them a trip to the Super Bowl in January.

If anything, yesterday's performance probably helps the Eagles get ready for what promises to be their most difficult opponent to date.

"We had an opportunity early to really gash them and we didn't do that," Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens said after scoring his team's only touchdown. "We have a chance now to go back and look at the film, and there are a lot of things we can improve on from this game. "

The one fascinating element of the game was that even though the Eagles weren't as precise as they had been in the first three weeks, the nine-point underdog Bears never really threatened to pull off the upset.

There was, however, a distinct turning point.

The Eagles penetrated Chicago territory on each of their first three possessions, but they came away with just six points on two Akers field goals, including an impressive 51-yarder in the first quarter.

After the Bears forced a three-and-out on the Eagles' fourth series, Dirk Johnson lined up to punt inside his team's 10-yard line. It was Chicago's first chance at good field position and an opportunity for the Bears to steal the momentum and get the home crowd in their corner.

Instead, they fumbled away the football.

Johnson hit a 36-yard punt and R.W. McQuarters made the safe play, calling for a fair catch right around midfield. But as McQuarters settled underneath the ball, Eagles special-teams gunner Roderick Hood nudged Nathan Vasher into McQuarters.

"If the corner gets between [Hood] and the returner, then you want to pressure the corner into the returner," Eagles special-teams coach John Harbaugh said. "I guess that's what Rod did. I didn't really get a chance to see it. He's just played so well all season on special teams. "

The ball bounced off McQuarters, and Jones covered for the Eagles at the Chicago 47-yard line.

"I do really think that was a big turning point," Hood said. "I just tried to give [Vasher] a little push, and Dhani was really alert to get on the ball. "

Chicago native Greg Lewis picked up 11 yards on a first-down double reverse, and Brian Westbrook, who finished with a career-high 178 yards from scrimmage, covered the next 14 yards with a run and a catch.

A questionable roughing-the-passer penalty on Adewale Ogunleye put the Eagles at the 11, and McNabb finished off the drive with an 11-yard scoring strike to Owens on a slant pattern.

The extra point gave the Eagles a 13-0 lead. They built it to 16-0 on a 42-yard field goal by Akers with 1 minute, 57 seconds remaining in the first half.

It bothered the Eagles that they weren't able to score more touchdowns, and it bothered Akers that he missed two field goals in the fourth quarter. But Chicago quarterback Jonathan Quinn was no bother at all.