The Bears signing of free-agent defensive end Julius Peppers is imminent, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.

The Eagles’ first major acquisition of the free-agent signing period is a player that was already on their roster.

A rematch win in the Saturday wild-card game against the Dallas Cowboys would certainly be a signature moment for the Eagles, particularly since they left an undistinguished scrawl - and a bunch of other nasty stuff - on the turf at Cowboys Stadium last weekend. As redemptive as that win might be, the Eagles, deep down where they hide the truth, would probably prefer another opponent in the first round of the postseason.

IT WAS A LITTLE after 1 p.m. on Monday.

It was like most nine-car pileups when viewed in slow motion. A dozen things had to happen along the way for the result to end up being what it was, in this case a 24-20 Eagles victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field

When Donovan McNabb said last night’s game against the Bears was a “must-win” situation, and Quintin Mikell called it “our Super Bowl,” it was no surprise that Andy Reid didn’t join in the chorus. He said, as expected, that every game in the National Football League is important, and when you start worrying about the standings instead of preparing as hard as possible for the next opponent, that’s when you get into trouble. And then he directed his staff to prepare for the Bears as if the field were on fire

The Big Sleep lasted almost three quarters. As usual, Jay Cutler was feeling around in the dark, not sure who he was or where he was during a night game. All that was missing was a stubbed toe on the dresser.

Google the name of Bears running back Kahlil Bell and one of the first links that pops up is a YouTube highlight reel of the former UCLA standout against Stanford in 2007.