PHILADELPHIA (AP) -With his best performance in more than two years, Jeff Garcia helped the Eagles playoff chances. And maybe his job prospects, too.

Making his second start in place of the injured Donovan McNabb on Monday night, the 36-year-old Garcia threw three touchdown passes in a 27-24 win over the Carolina Panthers, pushing the previously fading Philadelphia Eagles back into the chase for the NFC wild card.

He also may have re-established himself as a viable NFL starter after struggling through two difficult seasons in Cleveland and Detroit.

``Jeff Garcia is a battler, and we're learning that,'' coach Andy Reid said Tuesday. ``He took some big shots back there when he was moving around and bounced back up. It seemed like the more he got hit, the tougher he got and the better he played.''

Philadelphia needed a big performance from Garcia, who took over for McNabb when the five-time Pro Bowler went down with a torn knee ligament two weeks ago, right in the middle of a slide that saw the Eagles drop five of six games.

``I really believe that I can still battle with the best of them,'' Garcia said after the game. ``I don't think like I have lost it. I don't think like I am holding this team back in any sort of way.''

The Eagles will have to rely on Garcia if they want to stay on track for a wild-card spot.

With four games left, the Eagles (6-6) are tied with the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and Panthers in the NFC wild-card race and face a stretch of three consecutive division games on the road. Philadelphia visits Washington and the Giants before meeting the Cowboys in Dallas on Christmas Day and wrapping up the season at home against Atlanta on New Year's Eve.

If Garcia gets the Eagles to the playoffs, he could also rejuvenate his career.

Garcia is currently playing out a one-year deal signed in the offseason. With a good performance down the stretch, he could earn a shot at a starting job somewhere else next year or persuade the Eagles to bring him back as insurance in case McNabb suffers a setback during his recovery.

For a while Monday, it looked as if Garcia was squandering his chance. The offense drew boos when it sputtered early against the Panthers as Garcia missed open receivers or saw his passes bounce off their hands.

But Garcia rallied the offense, throwing for 312 yards on 21-of-39 passing and three TDs, including touchdowns of 30 yards to Donte' Stallworth and 40 to Reggie Brown. Stallworth also made a nifty one-handed grab for a 51-yard gain in the second quarter that set up Garcia's first scoring pass.

The return of the full-throttle Eagles offense was somewhat unexpected. Philadelphia had gone deep early and often before McNabb's injury, but the offense seemed stunted last week in a 45-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. While Garcia was efficient, he didn't throw the ball downfield and settled for dumping the ball off to backs and tight ends.

That changed against the Panthers.

``I believe I can still do quality things on the field and I can still lead this team in a positive way,'' Garcia said. ``It might not always be pretty, but we are going to find a way to get it done.''

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