5:53 PM - Welcome to my live blog from Soldier Field! From now until the end of tonight's game between the Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, I'll bring you all the latest developments while also providing a behind-the-scenes look at what's transpiring both on and off the field, whether it's a celebrity sighting or a review of the grub in the press box.

5:57 PM - I realize that the term "must win" is overused (I heard someone once say that the last must win was actually World War II). But if the Bears have any hope of making the playoffs, they've got to win tonight's game. A victory would lift the Bears into a three-way tie with the Eagles and Falcons, one game behind the Giants and Packers in the race for two NFC wildcard berths.

6:06 PM - Tight end Desmond Clark (neck) and safety Kevin Payne (back) will miss tonight's game with injuries. Other Bears inactives are receiver Juaquin Iglesias, cornerback D.J. Moore, guard Lance Louis, and defensive tackles Matt Toeaina and Jarron Gilbert. Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa, who's out for the season with a knee injury, is also on the inactive list.

6:10 PM - Eagles running back Brian Westbrook (concussion), receiver Kevin Curtis (knee), linebacker Akeem Jordan (knee) and safety Quintin Demps (ankle) will sit out tonight's game with injuries. Other Philadelphia inactives are running back P.J. Hill, guard/tackle Stacy Andrews and guard Mike McGlynn.

6:18 PM - With the Bears playing tonight, I had the rare opportunity to sit home and watch football today, and I have a major complaint. The Fox Network stuck with the Vikings-Seahawks game here in Chicago to the bitter end even though Minnesota had built a 28-0 lead midway through the third quarter. There were three other close exciting games Fox could have switched to: the Giants-Falcons, the Cowboys-Redskins and even the Lions-Browns. I'm not sure what Fox was thinking. But they blew it.

6:23 PM - I watched the Red Zone channel today for the first time, and was blown away. It's an off-shoot of NFL Network that shows live coverage of games when a team enters the red zone. They split the screen when teams in different games advance inside the 20. It felt like I was watching the first round of the NCAA basketball tournament, going from game to game to game. Kudos to NFL Network.

7:16 PM - I just returned from the field, where I chatted with Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano and former Blackhawks star Chris Chelios. Zambrano is wearing a white Brian Urlacher jersey, while Chelios is serving as the "4th Phase" captain. Zambrano spoke to Bears coaches Ron Turner and Pep Hamilton. Maybe they were trying to convince him to suit up.

7:28 PM - The Eagles have won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. Let's see if the Bears defense can pick up where it left off 10 days ago in San Francisco and maybe also generate a few more turnovers. I'm predicting a Danieal Manning interception in the first half by the way.

7:39 PM - David Akers' 25-yard field goal on the game's opening possession gave the Eagles a 3-0 lead with 10:54 left in the first quarter. The kick capped a nine-play, 68-yard drive that was highlighted by runs of 34 yards by Michael Vick and 14 yards by rookie running back LeSean McCoy, who's filling in for the injured Brian Westrbook. The Eagles settled for the field goal after Corey Graham broke up Donovan McNabb's pass on third-and-five from the 7.

7:46 PM - The Bears picked up one first down on their opening possession on Jay Cutler's 9-yard pass to Johnny Knox on third-and-eight. But they were forced to punt after Devin Hester was thrown for a three-yard loss after catching a wide receiver screen. The way the opposing defense swarms to Hester on that play, I'd love to see Cutler pump fake to Hester and throw deep to a receiver on the other side of the field. Matt Forte had nowhere to run on the Bears' first possession, gaining two yards on three carries.

7:56 PM - Donovan McNabb's 13-yard touchdown pass on a wide receiver screen to Jason Avant gave the Eagles a 10-0 lead with 2:48 left in the first quarter. The score capped an eight-play, 76-yard drive that included two defensive penalties. The Eagles would have had to punt after McNabb was tackled a yard short of a first down on a third-and-seven scramble. But defensive lineman Israel Idonije drew a 15-yard penalty for facemasking McNabb, giving the Eagles a first down.

8:00 PM - The Bears defense should star in the next remake of Dr. Jeckyl and Mr. Hyde. One week the unit is dominant and the next they let the opposing offense march up and down the field. The Eagles have started the game with scoring drives of 68 and 76 yards.

8:06 PM - Robbie Gould's 45-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 10-3 with 14:45 left in the second quarter. The Bears settled for the kick after Jay Cutler overthrew wide open receivers in the right corner of the end zone on back-to-back plays, missing Greg Olsen on second down and Devin Hester on third down.

8:17 PM - The Bears defense finally stopped the Eagles as Tommie Harris sacked Donovan McNabb on third-and-four.

8:19 PM - Are you kidding me? Running back Kahlil Bell, who was promoted from the practice squad to the active roster on Friday, dashed 72 yards on his first NFL carry to the Philadelphia 10.

8:21 PM - Continuing to struggle in the red zone, the Bears settled for Robbie Gould's 28-yard field goal, cutting the deficit to 10-6 with 9:59 left in the second quarter. The kick came after Jay Cutler forced a pass into double coverage intended for Greg Olsen on third-and-goal from the 10. The Bears were fortunate that the pass was not picked off.

8:27 PM - Zackary Bowman jumped a slant pattern intended for DeSean Jackson and intercepted Donovan McNabb's pass. Bowman now has interceptions in three straight games.

8:34 PM - One play after DeSean Jackson returned a punt 53 yards to the Chicago 39, Charles Tillman stripped the ball from Jackson after a short reception. Anthony Adams recovered at the Bears' 33. That gives the Bears defense takeaways on back-to-back plays.

8:49 PM - Kahlil Bell's 72-yard run was the longest by a Bears player since Neal Anderson's 73-yarder against the Packers on Dec. 17, 1989.

8:52 PM - Robbie Gould's 28-yard field goal drew the Bears to within 10-9 with :13 remaining in the first half. The Bears once again failed to get the ball in the end zone after reaching the red zone. It seems like failing to take advantage of opportunities like that always comes back to bite you.

9:12 PM - Eagles cornerback Asante Samuel has suffered a stinger and his return to the game is questionable.

9:17 PM - The Bears take over at their own 49-yard line after Sav Rocca's 16-yard punt.

9:20 PM - Robbie Gould's fourth field goal without a miss, a 49-yarder, gave the Bears a 12-10 lead with 10:26 left in the third quarter. Gould's kick came after Jay Cutler overthrew tight end Greg Olsen on third-and-seven at the 31.

9:36 PM - Donovan McNabb's 48-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson gave the Eagles a 17-12 lead with 5:53 left in the third quarter. Jackson caught the scoring pass deep down the middle.

9:43 PM - Jay Cutler lofted a 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kellen Davis in the right corner of the end zone. Davis beat linebacker Chris Gocong on the play. Cutler then rifled a pass to Matt Forte for the two-point conversion, giving the Bears a 20-17 lead with 2:52 remaining in the third quarter. It was the Bears' first TD in seven quarters.

9:54 PM - Jay Cutler threw high and wide of Earl Bennett on third-and-four, and Brad Maynard followed with a 52-yard punt that bounded out of bounds at the Philadelphia 19-yard line.

9:58 PM - Charles Tillman forced his third fumble of the game, stripping the ball from running back LeSean McCoy after a 17-yard run. Hunter Hillenmeyer recovered at the Philadelphia 37.

10:02 PM - The Bears failed to capitalize on the turnover as Robbie Gould's 48-yard field goal attempt was blocked by defensive tackle Antonio Dixon.

10:10 PM - LeSean McCoy's 10-yard touchdown run gave the Eagles a 24-20 lead with 5:31 left in the fourth quarter. The score capped an 11-play, 62-yard drive that burned 5:30 off the clock. After struggling for most of the game, let's see if the Bears offense can step up in the clutch. After all, you can pretty much say that the season is on the line.

10:19 PM - The Bears went three-and-out again as Jay Cutler overthrew Johnny Knox deep down the left sideline on third-and-five. The Bears have not picked up a first down on three fourth-quarter possessions.

10:25 PM - The Bears defense came up big, stopping running back LeSean McCoy for a one-yard loss on third-and-four with 2:00 left in the game. The Bears will get the ball back, needed a touchdown to take the lead.

10:28 PM - The Bears will have to go 79 yards for the win after a five-yard penalty on Corey Graham for an illegal block in the back on Devin Hester's seven-yard punt return pushes the ball back to the 21.

10:31 PM - Jay Cutler's 18th interception of the season will prevent the Bears from rallying to beat the Eagles. After picking up a first down with a seven-yard completion to Johnny Knox on fourth-and-one, Cutler's pass intended for Greg Olsen was deflected by linebacker Tracy White and intercepted by safety Sean Jones at the 50 with :45 to go.

10:33 PM - I hope you enjoyed the blog despite the outcome of tonight's contest. Stay with ChicagoBears.com for complete post-game coverage.