The Chicago Bears have their work cut out for them as they are taking on the Philadelphia Eagles in a Week 3 showdown on Monday Night Football.
Chicago is hoping to bounce back after a tough 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. Philly needed a game-winning touchdown pass from Jalen Hurts with nine seconds left to close out the Tennessee Titans 24-20.
Some of our readers may not know this, but I am a die-hard Eagles fan and run FanSided's Inside the Iggles Eagles site. Bear Goggles On's Ryan Heckman and I sat down to talk about the Week 3 game, with Heckman asking me questions about the Eagles as I shared what Bears fans can expect.
Full Q&A on Bears-Eagles Week 3 showdown
Q: Last year, the Bears ran for nearly 300 yards on the Eagles. Without Caleb Williams in this one, they’ll need to lean on the run game even more. How do you expect the Eagles defense to do this go-around?
A: The Eagles are one of the worst rush defenses in the NFL, ranking 23rd and allowing 127 yards per game. This doesn't feel like a favorable matchup for a front seven that is filled with stars, but still struggles to stop the run. I don't think the Bears will run for 281 yards again, but even with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Zack Baun there, the Eagles are still going to surrender a lot of rushing yards.
Q: On the opposite side, the Eagles only ran it 17 times against the Bears last year. So far, Chicago’s defense hasn’t been able to stop the run all that well. How do you see Saquon and company panning out this time?
A: The Eagles will roll with the running back committee since all three of their backs are hurt. Plus, starting left guard Landon Dickerson is on IR with the knee injury, leaving usual starting center Cam Jurgens to replace him and Drew Kendall at center now. Philly is a mess on the offensive line right now, so I don't see the Eagles gaining more than 100 yards and will most likely average less than four yards per carry.
Q: What would you say the Eagles defense’s biggest weakness is right now?
A: The safeties have really hurt this team, especially in the Titans game. Andrew Mukuba is not 100% with his knee injury, and Marcus Epps had a horrible game, missing a key tackle on a third-and-22 that nearly cost Philly the game. The Eagles did sign Kenny Moore, which is good, but it may not solve the issues this team has had there for the last few seasons.
Q: How about their biggest weakness on offense? It has to be the offensive line, right? Just how much of a factor do you think this will be on Monday night?
A: The offensive line is no doubt a big problem. As mentioned before, Jurgens is playing out of position at left guard, and Kendall is about to make his third career NFL start. Chicago has a legit shot at getting some pressure on Jalen Hurts and stopping the running game. Many might think the Eagles should win this game, but exploiting that Eagles offensive line is the key to a Bears upset.
Q: Jalen Hurts is one of the most-criticized quarterbacks in football. I genuinely like the guy and think he’s the ultimate competitor, but I do see flaws in his passing at times. Where are you, right now, on Hurts as a quarterback?
A: Hurts is criminally underrated who absolutely has his flaws. He doesn't always make the right reads, but I know that when he is starting, the Eagles always have a shot to win. Nothing ever fazes that man. His deep ball accuracy doesn't nearly get talked about much and his mobility and williness to run the ball this year has been a big difference. He's not perfect, but he really should be in the conversation for being a top-10 quarterback in the NFL.
Q: Will Sean Mannion give the Bears defense any real worries compared to Kevin Patullo a year ago?
A: Mannion has done a better job of calling a variety of different types of plays and uses pre-snap motions, unlike Patullo, who loved his first- and second-down runs and either his hitch routes or RB surrender draw play on third down. This Eagles offense has some things to work on, like their screen game with Makai Lemon, which isn't working at the moment. Still, Mannion is going to have Hurts attack the middle of the field and move his players around, so it's a much different-looking offense than what Bears fans saw last year.
Q: What are you most worried about Monday night other than the Eagles’ offensive line?
A: Philly's edge rushers producing sacks. Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr. have done a great job of pressuring the quarterback, but like last year before the Jaelan Phillips trade, they are just not getting to the quarterback. Smith got a sack last week, which is great, but if Jonathan Greenard misses a third straight game, Hunt and Smith better get sacks, especially if they go up against Braxton Jones or Theo Benedet at left tackle.
Q: The Bears’ starting cornerbacks haven’t performed well so far this year. I’m personally worried about DeVonta Smith. The Bears know Dontayvion Wicks well. And I am not worried at all about Makai Lemon strictly because we’ve hardly heard his name. Why haven’t we heard much about the first-round pick through two weeks?
A: Mannion is so fixated on Lemon catching passes in the backfield and making something happen with his speed, but all those plays have been for negative yards. Lemon can be a great receiver...if Mannion lets him go vertical down the field. Right now, Hurts is fixated on Smith and Wicks, as both have been great, but more patience will be needed for Lemon, but his time will come soon enough. Just not against the Bears.
Q: What’s your score prediction for Monday night and what do you think the biggest storyline on Tuesday morning will be?
Read more: Bears' defensive line should have field day with Eagles' offensive line in Week 3
A: I think the Eagles are going to win this game 27-17 regardless of who the starting quarterback is for the Bears. The biggest storyline will be how the Bears' secondary is in such disarray that someone has to be benched, whether that is Jaylon Johnson or Tyrique Stevenson.
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