Coming off of their latest blowout victory, a 37-9 thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, the Eagles return to action at Lincoln Financial Field today to take on the Chicago Bears.
Although the game doesn't have the same anticipation as the Eagles' game against their division rivals, it carries a ton of importance, as the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings -- both of which only have two losses -- remain on the Eagles' heels for first-place in the NFC.
COULD BE A LONG DAY FOR MITCH TRUBISKY
The early results Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky have been average at best, as he has just four touchdowns in his first six games, completing only 53% of his passes.
Things could get even uglier for Trubisky on Sunday.
The Eagles' defense is red hot entering this game, especially against the pass. In their last two contests -- against the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys -- the Eagles' secondary has allowed only one touchdown pass and a total of 353 yards.
To make matters even tougher for Trubisky, the Eagles have picked off five passes in their last two games, as their young secondary -- now with the return of Ronald Darby -- have made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
With a completely healthy secondary, and a defensive line that is playing like the best unit in the NFL, it is hard to see Trubisky making enough throws to beat this Eagles' defense.
....ESPECIALLY IF EAGLES SHUT DOWN BEARS' RUNNING GAME
One way the Bears have been able to help Trubisky is with a running game that entering Sunday is fifth in the NFL in yards per game, averaging 131.8 per contest. The strong running game the Bears have is no fluke, as they are getting an average of 4.5 yards per attempt this season, good for sixth in the NFL.
The team's workhorse at running back has been Jordan Howard, who has 841 yards on the ground, with a long of 53 yards and four runs of at least 20-plus yards.
Against the Eagles, however, the Bears could have a tough time getting anything going on the ground.
The Eagles' run defense has been dominant, as they are giving up an average of just 71 yards per game on the ground, easily the best in the NFL. The team's run defense has been so dominant that opposing offenses seem to give up running the ball against them. On the season, the Eagles' defense has faced just 193 rushing attempts -- the only team in the NFL to have less than 200 attempts against them at this point of the season.
The key to the Bears winning will be their ability to run the ball. If the Eagles stop them, however, it is going to be tough for them to get anything going on offense -- and life is going to be even tougher for Trubisky.
BEARS' DEFENSE ISN'T TERRIBLE
The Bears' defense is certainly not the 1985 version that has gone down as one of the best in NFL history, but they aren't terrible either.
Heading into Sunday's game, the Bears are in the top half of the NFL in points allowed, total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed. What makes their defensive stats even more impressive is that they have done so without much help from their offense, and have been put in some tough spots over the last few weeks.
The key to the Bears' defense has been their pass rush, as they are tied for fifth in the NFL this season in sacks, bringing down opposing quarterbacks 29 times in 10 games, an average of almost three times per contest.
The Bears' defensive line is going to be a test for the Eagles, and especially for left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who has played well in his role as Jason Peters' replacement, but remains the biggest question mark along the offensive line.
For an Eagles' offense that is coming off of a red-hot finish vs. the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears' defense is going to be a much tougher challenge.
THE ALSHON GAME
For a game that isn't exactly overflowing with interesting subplots, easily the biggest in this game is receiver Alshon Jeffery going against his old team.
Jeffery, who spent the first five years of his career in Chicago, is facing his old team at the right time, as he is coming off of his most productive three-game stretch of the season. After a slow start, Jeffery has four touchdowns over the last three games, and has started to look like the No. 1 receiver the Eagles paid for when they lured him away from the Bears this past offseason.
It will be interesting to see if head coach Doug Pederson, who is a player's coach to the core, will look to feature Jeffery against his old team in an effort to please his top wideout.
If the does, the results could lead to an Eagles' win -- or, if the Eagles try to hard to force it to Jeffery, it might stall an offense that has been clicking by spreading the ball around.
Although the game doesn't have the same anticipation as the Eagles' game against their division rivals, it carries a ton of importance, as the New Orleans Saints and Minnesota Vikings -- both of which only have two losses -- remain on the Eagles' heels for first-place in the NFC.
COULD BE A LONG DAY FOR MITCH TRUBISKY
The early results Bears rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky have been average at best, as he has just four touchdowns in his first six games, completing only 53% of his passes.
Things could get even uglier for Trubisky on Sunday.
The Eagles' defense is red hot entering this game, especially against the pass. In their last two contests -- against the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys -- the Eagles' secondary has allowed only one touchdown pass and a total of 353 yards.
To make matters even tougher for Trubisky, the Eagles have picked off five passes in their last two games, as their young secondary -- now with the return of Ronald Darby -- have made life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.
With a completely healthy secondary, and a defensive line that is playing like the best unit in the NFL, it is hard to see Trubisky making enough throws to beat this Eagles' defense.
....ESPECIALLY IF EAGLES SHUT DOWN BEARS' RUNNING GAME
One way the Bears have been able to help Trubisky is with a running game that entering Sunday is fifth in the NFL in yards per game, averaging 131.8 per contest. The strong running game the Bears have is no fluke, as they are getting an average of 4.5 yards per attempt this season, good for sixth in the NFL.
The team's workhorse at running back has been Jordan Howard, who has 841 yards on the ground, with a long of 53 yards and four runs of at least 20-plus yards.
Against the Eagles, however, the Bears could have a tough time getting anything going on the ground.
The Eagles' run defense has been dominant, as they are giving up an average of just 71 yards per game on the ground, easily the best in the NFL. The team's run defense has been so dominant that opposing offenses seem to give up running the ball against them. On the season, the Eagles' defense has faced just 193 rushing attempts -- the only team in the NFL to have less than 200 attempts against them at this point of the season.
The key to the Bears winning will be their ability to run the ball. If the Eagles stop them, however, it is going to be tough for them to get anything going on offense -- and life is going to be even tougher for Trubisky.
BEARS' DEFENSE ISN'T TERRIBLE
The Bears' defense is certainly not the 1985 version that has gone down as one of the best in NFL history, but they aren't terrible either.
Heading into Sunday's game, the Bears are in the top half of the NFL in points allowed, total yards allowed, rushing yards allowed and passing yards allowed. What makes their defensive stats even more impressive is that they have done so without much help from their offense, and have been put in some tough spots over the last few weeks.
The key to the Bears' defense has been their pass rush, as they are tied for fifth in the NFL this season in sacks, bringing down opposing quarterbacks 29 times in 10 games, an average of almost three times per contest.
The Bears' defensive line is going to be a test for the Eagles, and especially for left tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who has played well in his role as Jason Peters' replacement, but remains the biggest question mark along the offensive line.
For an Eagles' offense that is coming off of a red-hot finish vs. the Dallas Cowboys, the Bears' defense is going to be a much tougher challenge.
THE ALSHON GAME
For a game that isn't exactly overflowing with interesting subplots, easily the biggest in this game is receiver Alshon Jeffery going against his old team.
Jeffery, who spent the first five years of his career in Chicago, is facing his old team at the right time, as he is coming off of his most productive three-game stretch of the season. After a slow start, Jeffery has four touchdowns over the last three games, and has started to look like the No. 1 receiver the Eagles paid for when they lured him away from the Bears this past offseason.
It will be interesting to see if head coach Doug Pederson, who is a player's coach to the core, will look to feature Jeffery against his old team in an effort to please his top wideout.
If the does, the results could lead to an Eagles' win -- or, if the Eagles try to hard to force it to Jeffery, it might stall an offense that has been clicking by spreading the ball around.
