Scouting report: Breaking down the Philadelphia Eagles

On paper, the Philadelphia Eagles defense appears to be an imposing, intimidating bunch. They lead the NFL in rushing yards allowed and are tied for first with the Giants in quarterback sacks.

Then again, the Eagles' 13 sacks have not come at a steady pace. Philadelphia piled up 9 sacks in last week's win over Pittsburgh, but failed to drop Dallas quarterback Tony Romo even once the previous week.

The 15-6 victory over the Steelers seems impressive, but the jury may still be out on Pittsburgh, which has beaten two winless teams (Houston and Cleveland).

The Cowboys had little trouble solving Philadelphia's defense during a 41-37 victory in Week 2. The Eagles' other win was a blowout of the St. Louis Rams, which may be the worst team in all of professional sports for all we know.

The Bears don't figure to put 41 points on the board on Sunday night at Soldier Field, but keeping Kyle Orton from being sacked 9 times may be an attainable preventable goal.

Here's a closer look at the Eagles:

No Names return: Philadelphia may have resurrected the "No Name Defense," a tag belonging to the 1972 Dolphins. The best-known Eagles defenders are 13-year veteran Brian Dawkins and former Patriots cornerback Asante Samuel, signed as a free agent last winter.

But it's the unheralded front seven that appears to be the strength of this defense. Tackles Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are the traditional gap-pluggers, while linebackers Omar Gaither, Stewart Bradley and Chris Gocong flow well to the ball. Ten different players have collected sacks for the Eagles, led by end Juqua Parker with 2.5 sacks.

The run defense limited Pittsburgh's Willie Parker, who led the league in rushing after Week 2, to 20 yards on 13 carries last week. Strong safety Quintin Mikell is the Eagles' top tackler.

Waiting for Westbrook: The biggest mystery for the Eagles is the status of running back Brian Westbrook, who suffered an ankle injury last week when he hurdled a Steelers defender and landed awkwardly on offensive tackle Tra Thomas' leg.

Westbrook left the stadium on crutches last Sunday and hasn't practiced all week. The Philadelphia news media expects Westbrook to miss Sunday's game, and at the very least he figures to be less than 100 percent.

Rookie receiving star: DeSean Jackson, a rookie from California, achieved infamy by tossing the ball away before crossing the goal line against Dallas two weeks ago. Otherwise, Jackson has been a sensation for the Eagles, piling up 17 catches for 256 yards. He also has a 60-yard punt return to his credit.

Kevin Curtis, a 1,000-yard receiver last season, is still recovering from a sports hernia. Philadelphia's second-leading receiver, Hank Baskett, is dating Playboy model and "Girls Next Door" star Kendra Wilkinson, according to the gossip columns.

McNabb back home: Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb missed practice time this week due to a chest contusion and is expected to play. He's a South Side native who played at Mt. Carmel High School, but downplayed his latest trip home.

"This being my tenth year, it's not overly exciting as it was early on," he said. "This is a trip in which it's business. I look at it as just another opportunity to, hopefully, get another win."

Iron men bookends: Eagles offensive tackles Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas have started together in 121 regular-season games. Runyan's 179 consecutive starts is third-longest active streak in the league behind Brett Favre (256) and Tampa Bay linebacker Derrick Brooks (195).

Punter from Down Under: Philadelphia's Sav Rocca, a former Australian rules football star, leads the league with a 44.1-yard net punting average and has just one touchback this season.

Early offense: While the Bears have blown a couple of fourth-quarter leads, the Eagles offense has faded late in games. Through three weeks, they've scored 61 points in the first half and 29 in the second half.

Birdbrained memories: Eagles coach Andy Reid was 5-0 against the Bears until suffering a 19-16 home loss last year on Oct. 21. Brian Griese led the Bears on a 97-yard scoring march in the final two minutes and hit Muhsin Muhammad from 15 yards for the winning touchdown with 9 seconds left. Philadelphia can take comfort in the fact that both Griese and Muhammad were released by the Bears last winter.