Intriguing Game- Week Nine
Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles
Bears: They were the surprise team of 2018 for sure. I didn’t expect them to be as good as they were. Especially with a new head coach. This year has been much different. There’s a cause for concern in Chicago. If I’m a Bears fan, I’d be fun up at this point. Look at most offenses in the game today. There’s some type of creativity within the scheme whether it’s a jet sweep or some other way to get the ball down the field. The Bears don’t do any of this at all. It’s safe to say they don’t have an identity on offense which is shocking considering Matt Nagy is an offensive minded guy. The quarterback has also been the issue. Remember, the Bears traded up to get Mitchell Tribusky in 2017, the same year when Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes were drafted. Look what they’ve each become. I watched their game closely against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. My biggest takeaways were this: First, that defense is still the backbone of this entire team. There may be other defenses who get discussed more, but they’re still a group to be mentioned. The second thing is there’s no trust within the offense. Matt has no faith in the quarterback it seems. To get things right, they’ll face the Eagles in South Philadelphia.
Eagles: After a horrible showing in Dallas almost two weeks, I called their game against the Buffalo Bills a must-win. Orchard Park is always a tough place to play for opponents. Once the Eagles got the lead, they kept their foot on the gas and never looked back. This was their best performance of all season because they were able to start fast, but most importantly finish a game where they didn’t have to come back in the fourth quarter. When I watch the Eagles now, I’m somewhat reminded of the Seattle Seahawks when they were on their runs to the Super Bowl. I can explain what I mean. Just like those Seattle teams, when the Eagles can establish the running game, they’re at their best. A consistent effort on the ground was what propelled them to win their first Super Bowl title in 2017. The issue I’ve had with the Eagles this year is how up and down they’ve been. One week, they look lights out and the next, they don’t even bother to show up. Now, they sit at 4-4 after a big win on the road. It’s much better sitting at .500 than to be two games under at 3-5. The Eagles return home after a three-game road trip where they saw the Vikings in Minneapolis, the Cowboys in Arlington and the Bills in upstate New York. They now welcome a Bears team looking to fix their woes.
Bears Player to Watch: David Montgomery– It seems as if he was the only shining point for the Bears offense on Sunday against the Chargers. Anytime he was given the football, he made something of it. Don’t be afraid to feed a playmaker the ball. Coach Nagy, if you’re reading this, give David the football. The Eagles aren’t necessarily the best when it comes to stopping the run. Take a page out the Packers and Cowboys game plan.
Eagles Player to Watch: Miles Sanders– He’s been such a pleasant surprise for the Eagles. He’ll always be known as the kid that replaced some big shoes at Penn State in Saquon Barkley, but he’s made a nice name for himself. Nowadays, the running backs are becoming more of a threat in the passing game. He provides balance in both aspects of the offense. Look for Philly to get him the football in as many ways as they can.
Final Analysis: Here we go! The last time these two met, it was in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Cody Parkey got the chance to send the Bears to the second round of the playoffs and he missed the kick. Nine months later, we’re here with the rematch. The Bears need to keep Carson Wentz contained in the pocket. He’s “Roethlisberger Jr” with the way he’s able to move to extend plays and keep the pocket upright. The Eagles should have no issues shutting down the Bears offense. They’re also better at stopping the run compared to the Chargers who the Bears faced last weekend. The Eagles will need to force Tribusky to throw the ball. They’ll try to rely heavily on the running game. If the Eagles can get any type of pressure on the quarterback, it’ll be another long day for the Bears.
Prediction: Eagles 24 Bears 13
