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The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a surprising start, but they have since lost three of four and head into a season-defining stretch against a string of playoff contenders, beginning Sunday with a home game against the explosive Atlanta Falcons.Little was expected from the Eagles after an offseason that saw a coaching change and the exodus of their presumed starting quarterback and top running back. But Philadelphia raced out to a 3-0 start behind savvy rookie quarterback Carson Wentz and an opportunistic, aggressive defense.Wentz and the Eagles cooled off the past two weeks, though, and dropped division games on the road to the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants in back-to-back weeks.We still are -- and I truly believe that -- were still a good football team, Eagles first-year coach Doug Pederson said.That will be tested against the Falcons (6-3), who, led by quarterback Matt Ryan and wide receiver Julio Jones, boast the highest-scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 33.9 points. Ryan, who grew up around the Philadelphia area, is having an MVP-caliber season, completing 69.3 percent of his throws with 23 touchdowns and only four interceptions.Its always fun to get back up there and play, Ryan said. Well be ready to go. Itll be nice to have some family and friends up there. But once we start playing, its like any other week. You just get into it and try to play your best.Jones is averaging 19.0 yards per catch and has five touchdowns. But theres much more to the Falcons attack than Ryan and Jones. Receiver Mohamed Sanu has 37 catches, including three touchdowns, and running backs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman are both receiving threats out of the backfield. Coleman is out with a hamstring injury this week.(Ryans) not always having to look for Julio (Jones), Pederson told reporters. Hes got other weapons on that offense that hes utilizing and thats whats making that offense explosive right now.The Eagles pass defense ranks sixth in the league, allowing 218 yards through the air per game. Starting corner Leodis McKelvin (hamstring) will play this week.The Falcons also have injury concerns in their secondary, but they received good news this week when a second look at star cornerback Desmond Trufants left shoulder produced optimism about the Pro Bowlers availability. Trufant, who injured the shoulder in last Thursdays win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, did not practice Wednesday but was not listed on Fridays injury report.The good news for us, from the second opinion, everything went well, Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said.Second-year defensive back Jalen Collins, who was suspended for the first four games of the regular season after violating the leagues policy on performance-enhancing substances, is available if Trufant struggles.The Falcons will be without veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney, who is battling a quad injury.Atlanta has played well on the road, going 4-1 away from home this season. Quinn, who is in his second season with the Falcons, credits the teams preparation process for its success away from home.We love the process that we go through to get ready, Quinn told reporters. Whether were home, away, night, day, West Coast, East Coast, we know we have a responsibility to get ready.The Eagles are 3-0 at home this season, including wins over the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings.Wentz, a first-round draft pick out of North Dakota State, has exceeded expectations but has not been able to produce big plays in the passing game as of late. He threw two interceptions without a touchdown in last weeks loss at the Giants.Hes learning the speed of the game and learning that each game is different, unique and has its own set of circumstances, Pederson said of the rookie. I also think he realizes how hard it is to win in the NFL, and when you do win, how rewarding it is due to the preparation that goes into the week.One thing he has done well is (taking care of) the things that weve asked him to do in managing our offense during the game. Hes handled it extremely well. 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Randy White Jersey .Y. - Nelson Mandela will be honoured by the New York Yankees with a plaque in Monument Park.MIAMI -- The last time Chris Bosh played against the San Antonio Spurs, he was offensively brilliant. It seems like a long time ago. During the Eastern Conference finals, Bosh found himself in a baffling slump, missing 26 of his last 34 shots and not even reaching the double-digit mark in scoring during any of his last four games -- the longest such drought for the All-Star big man since a five-game streak that began during the first week of his NBA career. All that, he hopes, will be forgotten now. A new series has arrived, and the stakes couldnt be higher when Bosh and the Miami Heat begin taking on the Spurs in the NBA Finals, with Game 1 set for Thursday night. "My confidence never goes anywhere," Bosh said. "It never wavers. Its always the same. I feel that Im always capable of playing well. This is a different circumstance. I take it as that, and I move on." Thats exactly what the Heat want to hear from their starting centre. For three years now, the Heat -- who have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade on the roster -- have routinely insisted that Bosh is Miamis most important player. And against a Spurs team that has a consummate big man in Tim Duncan, along with a combination of size and athleticism that can easily give any opponent fits, the Heat will surely need help from Bosh if theyre to successfully defend their title. "I like the way he left off last series," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Very comfortable. He looked comfortable. Even though he didnt necessarily convert a lot of his makes, it was more similar to his game. And hes proven it before that one series doesnt dictate necessarily what happens the next series, particularly when match-ups and styles of play are different." Bosh scored nine points in the Game 7 win over Indiana, his best total in the final four games of that series. He shot 1 for 6 in Game 4, 3 for 7 in Game 5, 1 for 8 in Game 6 and then 3 for 13 in the final game of the East title matchup. Thats 28 points, total, in four games. Hes scored at least that many on 106 single-game occasions in his career. A quick start in Game 1 of the finals is what Bosh is looking for now, if for no other reason than to forget what hes been dealing with of late. "We always want to be aggressive individually and as a team," Bosh said. "You know, I want to really get going early offensively in games, because it helps me, we play better, I think I play better. Just coming out being aggressive and just really looking for my spots that esstablishes me early.dddddddddddd And I think it propels me for the rest of the game." The irony here is that while Bosh is in the worst offensive slump of his season -- and most significant one of his career, arguably -- is that when Miami visited San Antonio on March 31, he was an offensive fireplug. With James and Wade sitting out that night because of injuries, Bosh was the No. 1 option, all the way to the end. And the Heat pulled off an 88-86 victory when Bosh made a 3-pointer over Tim Duncan with about a second remaining, capping what was a 23-point night. Bosh had 23 points in his very next game as well. Hes gotten to the 20-point mark -- and it was exactly 20 -- only one time in his 19 appearances since. "I spent a lot of time with Chris in his house. Were neighbours," Wade said, beginning to tell a story of how he and Bosh spent the night before Game 7 of the Indiana series. "And I told him, I said, Chris, it didnt matter if you scored 30 points a game up until this point. If you get in Game 7 and score two points and we lose, youll feel just as bad or worse than you feel now. So its all about Game 7, man. Its all about this moment. Lets do whatever we can." Bosh made two big jumpers during a critical stretch of Game 7, as the Heat started pulling away toward what became a rout. The stat sheet says he didnt do much else, but the Heat would argue otherwise. "He was playing with a great motor ... and that energy was contagious for everybody," Spoelstra said. The beauty of being on the Heat is that no one has to carry the load alone, a lesson that Bosh was reminded of during -- and even after -- Game 7 of the East finals. During the on-court trophy presentation, players got T-shirts and caps to wear in commemoration of the East title. Bosh tugged his shirt on over his jersey, then plopped the cap onto his head while scooping up his two young children in either arm. So when the brim of the cap dipped over his eyes, he asked someone nearby to adjust it because he didnt want to put either of his kids down and free up a hand to do it himself. Same goes on the court. If Boshs shot is struggling, someone nearby will try to help him out. But if his shot is going -- like when he averaged 15.8 points during Miamis four wins over Oklahoma City in last years finals -- then the Heat will be tough to beat. "We have to play well as a team, play well inside our system," Bosh said. "And the team that plays the best series is going to win." ' ' '