SAN FRANCISCO -- The ace in the hole for the Philadelphia Eagles is that if they keep going through quarterbacks, they have the ultimate survivor around to stop the bleeding.

	Koy Detmer had 2 touchdown passes before injuring his elbow.

The wife of fourth-stringer quarterback Tim Hasselbeck is Elisabeth Filarski, who made it to the final four of the CBS series, ''Survivor, the Australian Outback.''

Of course, the way things are going the Eagles might have to go to exotic lands to find a voodoo doctor to take the curse off their quarterbacks. Last week, Donovan McNabb broke his ankle on the third play of the game, but then finished the victory over the Arizona Cardinals, but is now lost until the final game of the regular season.

Monday night, Koy Detmer was leading by 18 points in a near-flawless performance against the 49ers when he dislocated his elbow as 49ers defensive end Chiki Okeafor tried to tackle him in the third quarter.

It's becoming the norm. The Eagles win big, and another quarterback is broken. Enter A.J. Feeley, the former University of Oregon backup to Joey Harrington. Feeley, who had only 14 career passes in two seasons, connected on three of three passes for 17 yards in a 10-point finish that enabled the Eagles to whip the 49ers 38-17.

No one knows how long Detmer will be out, but Eagles coach Andy Reid doesn't plan to change his offense.

''We run the offense,'' Reid said. ''You let the guy come in and run the things that he worked on. He worked on it all through the training camp and you let the guy play.''

As skeptical as everyone was going into the game against the Niners, those who watched the Eagles on Monday came out believers. Detmer filled in with amazing precision in running Reid's West Coast offense. In days before the 49ers game, Reid tried to give the impression he was going to run the ball more. No way. The West Coast offense is a passing offense for Reid, so Detmer came out firing. Detmer completed 18 of 26 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns. Reid called 27 pass plays to 19 running plays and had a 28-10 third-quarter lead. And the Eagles were driving.

Then came one of the most poignant scenes in Monday Night Football history. Like the Joe Theismann play of years ago when Lawrence Taylor broke Theismann's leg, Detmer's left arm dislocated in an ugly fashion as he landed on it. The cameras caught every painful angle.

Reid praises Detmer for his toughness, but he ran to the field. Referee Dick Hantak ran immediately to Detmer and covered his face, which grimaced in pain. Hantak waved in for help from the sidelines as he covered the upper portion of Detmer's body. Detmer's right leg kept kicking on the grass as he dealt with the pain of his dislocated left elbow.

''Koy is really a tough guy,'' Reid said. ''To see him roll around like that ... I could see the dislocation. It was terrible.''

Winning and losing meant nothing for the next 10 minutes. A cart came onto the field. Doctors worked on finding the dislocation and providing treatment. They tried to get him onto the cart with the least amount of trauma. When Detmer made it to the cart, though, most of his Philadelphia teammates came to the middle of the field to support him. Several dozen members of the 49ers also came to middle of the field to give their blessings.

''Everybody else saw that it wasn't a cheap shot or anything else on their part,'' Reid said.

After the game, 49ers coach Steve Mariucci came into the locker room to congratulate Detmer. With Detmer replacing McNabb, the Eagles looked like champions. Todd Pinkston adjusted to an underthrown first-quarter pass and caught a 25-yard touchdown. Antonio Freeman put on a head fake that left 49ers rookie Mike Rumpf out of position as he caught an 11-yard touchdown pass. When Rumpf was isolated in single coverage, Detmer kept completing passes to Pinkston or anyone else in the vicinity.

''Do we miss Donovan McNabb? Yes,'' Reid said. ''We are talking about a guy that had a potential to be MVP of the NFL. But the other guys played their hearts out and did a great job. So it's a team sport. That's just what it is.''

The team that seems to rely too much on one player -- McNabb -- showed it really was a team. The defense made Jeff Garcia look inadequate. Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow couldn't even think about running against Jim Johnson's run blitzing schemes. Hearst gained 65 yards. Barlow had minus-3 and left with a knee injury.

At 8-3, the Eagles stepped toward the top of the NFC, but now they face another test. Can they continue to win with Feeley? After all, not a single starting player or top backup has taken a single snap with Feeley in a practice.

Feeley worked as if he were a veteran during the final quarter and a half and everyone felt comfortable. Of course, this was a demoralized, distracted 49ers team the Eagles were facing. Once, center Jeremy Newberry snapped the ball on a shotgun play 20 yards over the head of quarterback Jeff Garcia. Receivers dropped passes with regularity. Rumpf couldn't cover anyone and eventually found his way to the bench in the fourth quarter.

Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe dislocated his elbow two weeks ago and he might be ready to return. This was Detmer's left elbow, but it's safe to think he's going to miss at least two to four weeks. An MRI might reveal ligament damage and maybe that would require season-ending surgery.

''It hurt coming out, and the elbow hurt the same going in,'' Detmer said. ''They didn't put it in until we got back in the locker room. There was unbelievable pain. Right now, it's throbbing. I'm optimistic.''

With a two-game lead in the NFC East, the Eagles are touchy, ''feely'' about going with Feeley if necessary. He isn't as mobile as Harrington, but because he started at Oregon before Harrington, Feeley, a 6-foot-3 pocket passer with a strong arm, says he's every bit as talented.

	“	I get more confidence every time I get out there. Regardless of who is in there as the quarterback, we're going to go out and run the West Coast offense. I'm here for a reason. I'm the insurance policy. Now, they are cashing in on it. ”
		— Philadelphia third-string quarterback A.J. Feeley

For a veteran receiver such as Freeman, going to a third quarterback is unprecedented. He played eight seasons with Brett Favre before coming to Philadelphia this season. He never played with the backup quarterback. Now, he's working with a third guy.

''You don't know how the balls are going to come out at first, but you adjust as a receiver,'' Freeman said. ''It was fun with Koy in there. We just went out there and had fun and made plays. For some of the year, it's been Donovan carrying the team or Duce Staley carrying the team. This week, it was a total team effort.''

Everyone is rallying around Feeley, who might have to take the Eagles to the playoffs before McNabb's broken leg heals.

''It always helps to go out there and make plays,'' Feeley said. ''I get more confidence every time I get out there. Regardless of who is in there as the quarterback, we're going to go out and run the West Coast offense. I'm here for a reason. I'm the insurance policy. Now, they are cashing in on it.''

Feeley gained instant credibility by hitting tight end Chad Lewis for a 1-yard touchdown pass two plays into his first major test. Next Sunday, he expects to start against the St. Louis Rams, who went 5-0 with an unknown, Marc Bulger, filling in for injured Kurt Warner.

Detmer should find out more Tuesday, but the fate of the Eagles temporarily is in the hands of a guy name Feeley. It was touchy, feely story Monday night. Can it continue next Sunday?

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.