Sometimes you don't realize how much you've missed something until you get it back. Last night was my first opportunity to watch the Eagles since last year's disappointing NFC Championship game loss to Carolina, and at some point in the middle of the 1st quarter, I realized how much I had missed football.

Most considered it a forgone conclusion that last night's MNF matchup would be an all hands on deck shoot-out. In my football pool, when asked to predict a point total for the game, I chose 65. Sure, their defense had stopped the Giants a week earlier, but c'mon...it was the Giants. No one was comfortable using that first game as a gauge of this team's talents. But that was before Monday Night Football. Eagles vs Vikings. McNabb vs Culpepper. Owens vs Moss. The Linc parking lots were packed with green-faced lunatics, coolers, and grills by 8am, and at one point yesterday afternoon, I swore I could almost smell the cheesesteaks and Yuengling from Texas. Almost.

27-16 isn't exactly a blowout, but the game never felt close. The Eagles looked as good as they looked during their win streak of last season, if not better. Donovan McNabb is one of those players that, every Sunday, you look skyward at least twice and thank god you are lucky enough to watch him play each and every week. He runs, he deeks, he escapes defenders when it seems he has no way out, and he has got a wicked arm. Oh, and he has an absolute blast on the field; there's nowhere he'd rather be. What more can you ask for?

Come to think of it, there was one thing. Last season Eagles fans asked management for a decent receiver. What good is a stellar QB if he has no one to throw to? Pinkston and Thrash weren't cutting it, and McNabb was visibly frustrated by the end of the Birds' playoff run. So management went out and stole Terrell Owens away from the Baltimore Ravens. Fans were excited, if not secretly a bit nervous. No more excuses. Everyone knew that if the arrival of a superstar receiver didn't bring success to Philadelphia, nothing would. It's safe to say that those worries are now history, but it takes more than a stat sheet to see why.

T.O. brings so much more to the table than touchdowns, over-the-top celebrations, and a gold plated mouthguard. McNabb looked more relaxed in the pocket last night than ever before. Sure, he's got a Pro Bowl-caliber receiver, but he's also got 7 or 8 other guys who, all of a sudden, have tons of open field to work with. LJ Smith, Brian Westbrook, Chad Lewis...these guys were making plays they had no chance of making last season. After 3 consecutive NFC title game losses, football insiders had begun to question the worth of McNabb, wondering if he'd ever be able to bring a Super Bowl victory to Broad Street. Watching him own the field last night, finally proving to the nation what Eagles fans have known all along, was thrilling. It may have been the best part of last night's game, if not for one little thing.

Red. Zone. Defense. We knew the Eagles improved their overall defense this offseason with the addition of defensive end Jevon Kearse, but it could still use some tweaking. The Vikes did, after all, pass for 332 yards and run for 78. But the Eagles got the stops when they needed them - at the goal line. The Vikings got into the red zone 5 times and only once capitalized with a touchdown. Once! The Vikings even made it to the Eagles 1 yard line TWO TIMES, and only had 3 points to show for it. And then, there's the fumble. The fumble. The Vikings had the ball on the Eagles 2 yard line at the end of the 1st half when Nate Wayne forced a Culpepper fumble just centimeters from the end zone. Clutch.

And so, the Eagles won the game to start the season 2-0. Yes, it's early in the season. Yes, things change, players get hurt, and so on. But the Eagles looked last night like a team that was on a mission. And when it was over, the Eagles had beaten a pretty good football team.

There are no asterisks on last night's W. This team is for real.