Bears vs. Eagles Prediction: Chance for a signature win |
Dustin Riese
· · 6 hours ago
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you and your families, as the Holiday Season has officially arrived. This year, the holiday season comes with extra joy as the Chicago Bears lead the NFC North with an 8-3 record. Not only that, but with the Bears at the center of the NFL world with the annual Black Friday Game on Friday, Thanksgiving will have a much different feel than in seasons past.
Standing in the way of the Bears and a potential 9-3 start are the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles, who also come into this game with an identical 8-3 mark and lead their division. Philadelphia let one get away against the Cowboys last weekend, and this feels like a potential playoff matchup down the road. A lot has been made about the Bears' start and their strength of schedule, and rightfully so, but you still have to beat the teams in front of you, which the Bears have done. Now comes the question of how good this team really is: five of their final six games are against NFC North playoff opponents, except for Cleveland. If Chicago wants to make the postseason, it will have to find ways to win against one of the toughest stretches in the NFL this season. However, if this season has taught us anything about the Bears, it is never to underestimate them, as they will fight until the end. Here are some things to look for between the Bears and Eagles' matchup:
Playing the defending Champions on the road on a short week is one thing. Playing them on the road, off a short week, and coming off a disappointing loss to the Cowboys on Sunday is another challenge, as the Eagles are an angry group of birds this weekend. As if they needed any added motivation to what has been a trying season for them on the offensive end, you add the fuel to the fire, their hatred of the Cowboys, and let it simmer after what happened last weekend. There is no doubt this will be a challenge for Chicago, as they head into one of the league's most hostile environments to face one of the best teams in the NFL. Throw in a young quarterback who is about to embark on what could be his toughest test to date and this has the recipe to get out of hand quickly. We will see what this Bears team is made of this weekend as they are looking to shock the world.
When you look at this game, you have a matchup of contrasting strengths, as the Bears' offense faces the Eagles' defense. Despite an 8-3 record, the Eagles' offense has been putrid at times this season, and it's a miracle they are even here given how they've performed. Credit their defense for that, as they not only have the best front seven in the game, but you could argue that they are the best defense in the NFL right up there with Denver. The same can be said about the Bears being 8-3 and knowing how bad their defense has been at times, as it's a miracle they are in the same position. Their offense is the reason for that as the once inconsistent unit has emerged as a top-five offense in the NFL and has been the driving force for the Bears overall success this season. Something has to give in this one. Will it be the young and ever-improving offense, or a defense that is clearly built to win a ring? Stay tuned to find out.
Along with the many storylines in this one, injuries continue to be the topic of conversation for the Bears, especially after having all three of their starting linebackers out last week. While there is a chance that Noah Sewall or T.J. Edwards could be back this week, the attention shifts to the secondary where Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon continue to work their way back from the IR. While nothing has been made official as of yet, it does appear that Johnson is closer to playing this weekend than Gordon, but why risk it at all if neither of them is 100%. Indeed, the presence of AJ Brown and Davonte Smith has something to do with that, but this isn't the same offense that was piling up points last season, as you can get away with not being healthy against them. Hopefully, in the Bears' case, one, if not both, of them are back this week, as that will make this team that much better. That is scary to think about, knowing the Bears have been able to do what they have done, all while dealing with tons of injuries.
Who would've thought that once the NFL schedule was released, this week 13 matchup would not only peg two first-place teams against each other, but could also have serious implications on the NFC playoff field? Yet here we are as the Bears continue to impress and have run their record to 8-1 over their last nine games. When it comes to the Eagles, an 8-3 record is good, but as a fan of them, you can't like how they have gotten there. The offense has struggled, to say the least, and has lost to both the Giants and the Cowboys this season, which is unacceptable for a Super Bowl-caliber team. The silver lining behind all this is that neither team has played its best football yet, and should that happen, you could be looking at two Super Bowl contenders when the season is done. Even if that is the case, the Bears aren't quite there when it comes to the level of talent the Eagles have, as it could be a long afternoon for the Monsters of the Midway. Despite a valiant effort by the Bears, it won't be enough as the Eagles offense gets back on track for the 27-14 win.An angry group of birds
Bears offense vs the Eagles defense
Help is on the way
Prediction: Eagles win 27-14
