(My Sportsbook) - The Eagles played well enough to escape Champaign with a 19-13 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 9, posting their third straight victory with a stellar defensive showing and a rushing touchdown from offensive catalyst Donovan McNabb. Now that Philadelphia has a two-game cushion in the division standings and a 5-0 mark in the conference, the Eagles can shift their focus toward a struggling AFC opponent this week when they return home to Veterans Stadium -- where they are 4-0 this season.

In last week's game, Philly's defense took care of business and McNabb handled the scoring duties in a hard-fought battle with the reeling Bears. DE Hugh Douglas, who made a key stop to end a potential Chicago scoring drive late in the fourth quarter, led a fervent defense that held the hosts to only 260 total yards of offense and a mere 74 rushing yards.

"We are at the midway point and yes, we are excited about where we are at, but just looking back on the film from the last couple of games obviously, we have some room for improvement," said McNabb. "There is not another better time to do this. Whenever you hit the midway point you sort of want to take off and know you are playing your best ball.

"We are playing against an Indianapolis team that I think a lot of people are down on. When you watch the film, you wouldn't know they are playing with the record that they are playing with. We have to prepare throughout the week and establish ourselves this weekend again."

McNabb was pressured on nearly every play last week, and the Bears used All- Pro LB Brian Urlacher to spy on the multi-talented QB and take McNabb out of his normal rhythm. However, even three sacks and an interception couldn't damage McNabb's confidence. The Syracuse product recorded his sixth rushing touchdown of the season and moved the Eagles into field goal position twice in the decisive fourth quarter.

Philly's running game, which had been building momentum in previous weeks, couldn't continue the success against the determined Chicago defense. McNabb led the team with 46 yards on nine carries, while RB Duce Staley finished with only 39 yards on 19 rushes.

When McNabb went to the air, he connected with WR Antonio Freeman four times for a game-high 67 yards.

The Bears deserve a lot of credit for the way they contained McNabb and Staley, but the Colts don't have the same ability to limit Philly's many weapons. Last week's game was a defensive battle, but this Sunday's contest should feature good play from both quarterbacks.

Expect the Eagles to return to the run this week and control the tempo of the game with time consuming drives. Indianapolis is vulnerable to the run, allowing the second-highest rushing average in the conference (144.1 ypg).

The Eagles love to establish the run, since it opens up so much of their offense. If Staley, Dorsey Levens and rookie Brian Westbrook can keep the defense on its heels, McNabb will be free to play his style of game.

"This is around the time where you want to take your game to another level," said McNabb. "You want your team to continue to improve and be playing their best ball from now until the end of the season. I think the only way you're able to do that is by having an established run game as well as an established passing game. If you look around the league, all the teams that came out passing the ball 40-50 times a game aren't doing it anymore.

"The teams that aren't able to run the ball are the teams that are pretty much struggling right now."

COMING UP: The Eagles welcome the former NFC East rival Arizona Cardinals to Veterans Stadium in Week 11.