PHILADELPHIA - Somebody check the Liberty Bell. It might not be cracked any longer.

If the Eagles can make the Super Bowl, which they did Sunday for the first time in 24 years, then just about anything can happen in Philadelphia.

"We're over that hump," said defensive end Derrick Burgess, one of many stars in a 27-10 NFC championship game victory over Atlanta. "That hump is done."

Indeed, the mountain that was three straight conference title game losses has been scaled thanks to a defense that silenced the arm and feet of Michael Vick. And an offense led by Donovan McNabb's two touchdown passes to Chad Lewis.

By the time the fireworks soared and the confetti flowed in the arctic breeze, and McNabb held the George Halas Trophy aloft, the celebrants were acting as if their team had won the Super Bowl. Not quite, especially with the defending champion New England Patriots on the agenda for Feb. 6 in Jacksonville.

But, for now, this win was more than enough for fans in the City of Brotherly Love - and loathing.

"This is football city," defensive end Hugh Douglas said. "I mean diehard fans. We heard people would maybe jump in the river if we lost this game. Keep the bridges open."

The last three years, it was the Eagles who fell off the bridge, twice at home. This season was different from the outset, however, something McNabb noticed.

"I think what you've seen is a team that just continued to stay loose and stayed focused on the task at hand - to put ourselves in position to go to the Super Bowl and possibly win it," McNabb said. "So maybe people will be happy about the Philadelphia Eagles again, maybe not. But, as you can see, we're not worried about it."

Worry is a birthright for the Philly fans, who haven't witnessed a championship since the 76ers swept the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1983 NBA Finals. But the way the Eagles (15-3) performed all season proved they are, by far, the class of the NFC. To emphasize that point, they manhandled Vick and the Falcons (12-6).

Philadelphia gained 326 yards, Atlanta managed 202. The mercurial Vick rushed for only 26 yards against a brilliant scheme devised by defensive coordinator Jim Johnson that kept him pinched in the pocket or forced the left-hander to roll right. The Eagles had four sacks, two by Burgess.

"They did some things we didn't expect them to do," Vick admitted. "Making sure I didn't get outside the pocket was their first priority. They did a good job."

A good job? Vick and the NFL's top-ranked rushing attack barely were factors.

"When they did take off," linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said, "guys came up and tattooed them."

McNabb left his mark, going 17-of-26 for 180 yards and rushing for 32 yards. Lewis left his with the two TD catches in the right corner of the end zone. The first was a leaping 3-yarder that withstood Falcons coach Jim Mora's challenge. The second, from the 2, finished the scoring - and the Falcons.

But the job hardly is finished. The Eagles may have warmed a frozen city's heart, but there is another matter to deal with.

"There's no relief for me," McNabb said. "We'll have relief after the Super Bowl. We set a goal of winning the Super Bowl, not just the NFC. So that's where I'm going. We're excited, but we're not done."

Still, the Patriots are an early seven-point favorite.

Philly's cause would be aided immeasurably if All-Pro receiver Terrell Owens could come back from his severe ankle injury and play in Jacksonville. Not that he didn't play a role in the NFC title win.

The Eagles acquired the gamebreaking receiver to lead them this far. While he couldn't do it on the field, his ability to keep things loose permeated the locker room all season, right through to this victory.

Owens was leading most of the cheers on the sideline after greeting his teammates during introductions. By the middle of the fourth quarter, when it was clear there would be no collapse, Owens was busy handing out hugs and leading the raucous crowd in cheers of "Super Bowl, Super Bowl."

"In the NFL," said Eagles owner Jeff Lurie, who opened his vaults to acquire and sign Owens last year, "I can't imagine another player obsessed more than Terrell Owens to get back and rehab and do everything possible. The guy is incredibly committed to winning."

Thanks to Sunday's win on a 17-degree day, Philadelphians can dream of more than Rocky's championships. They can imagine the Eagles' first title since 1960.

"We know that we aren't finished," receiver Freddie Mitchell said, "and we're ready to head for Jacksonville for closure."

AP-ES-01-24-05 0327EST