A playoff spot secure, Eagles face Falcons and want more

PHILADELPHIA - Donovan McNabb was preparing for season-ending surgery, Jevon Kearse already was out, the defense was awful and the losses were piling up.<br> <br> A month ago, the Philadelphia Eagles seemed headed toward a disastrous finish after a promising start. Now, they&#39;re going to the playoffs and no team in the NFC is playing better.<br> <br> The Eagles (9-6) have won four straight games, including an impressive 23-7 victory at Dallas on Monday. They can clinch their fifth NFC East title in six years and secure the No. 3 seed in the conference with a win over Atlanta on Sunday or if the Cowboys (9-6) lose to lowly Detroit.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve put ourselves in a position where we are going to be able to go to the playoffs,&#39;&#39; coach Andy Reid said Tuesday. ``Other than that, we still have some things out there that we need to keep working for.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> It was difficult to imagine Philadelphia in this position after McNabb tore a knee ligament in a loss to Tennessee on Nov. 19. Though Jeff Garcia played well in his first start at Indianapolis the following week, a woeful defense was exposed in a 45-21 loss that dropped the Eagles to 5-6.<br> <br> Facing a treacherous schedule that included three consecutive road games against division opponents, the Eagles were more likely to finish last than first.<br> <br> But the 36-year-old Garcia invigorated the offense with his fiery personality and has played like the guy who went to three Pro Bowls in San Francisco during his first five seasons in the NFL.<br> <br> Meanwhile, a once-dominant defense that had turned soft has regained its nastiness. After Washington became the fourth team in six games to gain more than 200 yards rushing against the Eagles, they&#39;ve held the Giants and Cowboys to under 100 yards in consecutive weeks.<br> <br> The same unit that couldn&#39;t stop the run most of the season somehow came through early in the Dallas game with three straight goal-line stands against Marion Barber, the NFC leader in rushing touchdown.<br> <br> ``That might have been the turning point,&#39;&#39; linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said.<br> <br> The low point for the defense came when Peyton Manning and the Colts racked up 420 yards, including 237 on the ground in a nationally televised game on Nov. 26.<br> <br> Without Kearse, who was off to a tremendous start with 3.5 sacks in two games before he went down with a season-ending knee injury, the front four couldn&#39;t generate much of a rush. The tackles and linebackers struggled against the run and defensive coordinator Jim Johnson was having trouble finding the right schemes.<br> <br> Since the loss to Indy, however, the defense has made crucial stops and forced key turnovers.<br> <br> In a 27-24 victory over Carolina that began the winning streak, Pro Bowl cornerback Lito Sheppard intercepted Jake Delhomme&#39;s pass in the end zone in the final minute.<br> <br> Michael Lewis had an 84-yard interception return for a score the next week in a 21-19 win at Washington. Pro Bowl safety Brian Dawkins had an interception and forced two fumbles, and defensive end Trent Cole returned an interception 19 yards for a touchdown to seal a 36-22 win over the Giants last week.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s been a tough season,&#39;&#39; Trotter said. ``There was a lot of frustration early on. We had some tough losses. I just told the guys to keep working and the ball would start bouncing our way.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> While the defense has improved, Garcia has rejuvenated an offense that&#39;s suddenly more balanced than it has ever been under the pass-happy Reid. The Eagles finally are giving Brian Westbrook more carries and the pass-run distribution is 50-50 in Garcia&#39;s five starts. It was 60-40 with McNabb under center.<br> <br> The super-confident Garcia is comfortable playing under offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, who held the same role with the 49ers when Garcia had his best season in 2000. Garcia gets rid of the ball quickly, hardly gets sacked and rarely makes poor decisions. He has 10 TDs, two interceptions and a passer rating of 96.2.<br> <br> ``I liked the way he came in with the leadership part of it,&#39;&#39; Reid said. ``I can&#39;t emphasize that enough. When you are replacing your leader on your football team, you can come in and take a passive approach at times, and that is not the way this guy did it. And I wasn&#39;t sure of that. I was sure he could still do the third-down stuff and still move around and complete balls and all of that. But, I wasn&#39;t sure of how he would step up like he has.&#39;&#39;