T.O. BRINGING EAGLES OFFENSE TO THE T-O-P.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

Footballs are in the air in Philadelphia, and so, too, are peace, love and harmony - qualities often in short supply in the City of Brotherly Love.

Three weeks into the season and isn't that a scary thought for everyone else in the NFL?

When Terrell Owens begged and cajoled his way to the Eagles in an offseason trade, it was to add some much-needed explosiveness to an offense that limped through three consecutive NFC title-game losses.

Yet it seemed an even-money proposition that this experiment - the Human Tinderbox walking into Gasoline Alley - might blow up on the Eagles.

What happens when Donovan McNabb isn't getting Owens the ball? What happens when T.O. gripes about Andy Reid's play calling? What do the fans say if Owens isn't a factor?

Those have remained questions for another day, one that by the looks of it could be off in the distance.

The Eagles improved to 3-0 for the first time since 1993 after whipping Detroit 30-13 and showing no signs of a slowdown.

Owens not only has been a valuable addition to the offense, he's transformed it. No longer do the Eagles dink and dunk, relying on the mobility of McNabb and the versatility of halfback Brian Westbrook - a formula that has fizzled in the playoffs.

Newsflash: They actually throw the ball to receivers now.

Owens has an NFL-leading five touchdown catches, which is one more than Westbrook did last year when Westbrook lead the Eagles.

The Eagles haven't scored less than 27 points - a threshold they reached just once in the first nine games last season.

The addition of a deep-ball threat has made McNabb that much more effective. Never a terribly accurate passer, McNabb has completed 69.8 percent of his passes for 931 yards and eight touchdowns - half of his 2003 total - without an interception. He also has run for two scores.

Against Detroit, McNabb completed 16 of his first 18 passes, and on the day put the ball in the hands of eight different receivers.

It has left Owens plenty of opportunities to mug for the cameras. And if their sideline smiles are any indication, he and McNabb - who roomed together in training camp - have become fast friends.

``It's basically what I thought it was going to be,'' Owens said of their chemistry after Sunday's game. ``I'm curious to know what you guys think.''

So far, so good.

Elsewhere around the league in Week 3:

--Mon-swoon warning: As hurricanes keep pounding Florida, the state's three NFL teams are still in a scoring drought. The Bucs, Jaguars and Dolphins have scored a total of seven touchdowns in nine games.

--Streak busters: It has been a rough month for streaks in the Bay Area. First De La Salle High had its national-record winning streak stopped. Then Raiders' receiver Jerry Rice had his NFL record of consecutive games with a catch stopped. And Sunday the 49ers were shut out for the first time since 1977, a span of 420 regular-season games - the longest in NFL history.