Who are the real Eagles?

As bad as everyone felt following that 20-12 Monday night loss to the Washington Redskins, that was how good everyone felt following the Eagles' 56-21 thrashing of the Detroit Lions. With their back against the wall, staring down a possible 0-3 start, the real Eagles showed up and saved their season. But was that actually the real team? Only time will tell, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that the 2007 Philadelphia Eagles are closer to the team in those Halloweenish uniforms than the team who's play was scary on its own through the first two weeks.

It's easy to get excited when your team's offense scores eight touchdowns and the defense records nine sacks. But let's not get too carried away. Sunday's performance was just an example of what can happen when an offense, eager to prove something, starts to click against a defense that simply isn't that good. But, on the other side of the coin, an offense has to be doing something right to reach the end zone eight times; no matter who is playing defense.

There really shouldn't have been any doubts that this offense would click at some point this season. There is only one difference from last year's number two ranked offense: Donte Stallworth is out and Kevin Curtis is in. It was figured that, while Curtis might not have Stallworth's pure explosiveness, he would provide more consistency and, at the very worst, should be an even replacement. The only question coming into the season was how would Donovan be coming off of that ACL reconstruction. How long would it take for McNabb to regain his form?

The answer appears to be three weeks. Granted, there are bound to be down weeks when that knee just isn't feeling as strong, but McNabb looked perfect on Sunday. As a matter of fact, he was perfect (158.3 QB rating). Was it a coincidence that he played better once he removed the knee brace that adorned his knee during preseason and the first two games? Not likely. By his own admission, McNabb said that the brace did limit his extension a little bit. And if he is admitting that much, it's a good bet that it affected his whole throwing motion at least a little bit. Removing the brace was a sign that McNabb feels healthy physically and mentally.

It is true that this offense will go where McNabb takes them, but let's not forget the other aspects of the game. Offensively, the offensive line, which played relatively poor the first two weeks, played fantastic Sunday. And they are the strength of this team, having now started 19 consecutive games as a unit dating back to the beginning of last season. And Brian Westbrook continues to prove that he is one of, if not the most, dangerous player in the NFL. It almost pains me that it has taken me this long to mention him.

Let's assume that the offense continues to play at a level similar to what they achieved last season. They will be in the same exact spot next Martin Luther King Jr. Day that they were last year if the defense also plays at the same level that they played last year. And that's where the biggest reasons for optimism come in. Even through two losses to start the season, the defense looked much improved from last year. The weak spots from last year, defensive tackle and linebacker, look to be significantly better. Broderick Bunkley, who's rookie season was a complete wash, is playing at a dominant level, and the new linebacking corps has done a great job stuffing the run thus far. And if last year proved anything, it is that, with this offense playing the way it is capable of playing, an average defense should be able to make the Eagles a serious contender in the NFC.

So who are the real Eagles? Well three games, with such a wide disparity in performances, is not enough to make an informed decision. And an educated guess would put them somewhere in between the 0-2 and the 1-0, but I believe that they truly are closer to the latter. The offense has a track record dating back to last season, and now they seem to be back on track. And the defense - the reason for last season's loss at New Orleans on January 13 - looks much better. And with a lot of new faces, and injuries on the mend, the defense could become even better. The real offense may not score 56 points a week, and the real defense may not record nine sacks a week, but the real Eagles should be able to win each and every week.