(Photo: DAZN)
Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears
Eagles (2-0):
They love living on the edge, I see. Their first two victories of the year have been by a combined six points (a two-point victory against the Commanders and a four-point victory against the Titans). I’ll tell you, I’m not surprised one bit that their game against the Titans came down to the fourth quarter. When I made my weekly appearance on “The Prime” last week, I remember saying that Tennessee would give them all they could handle, and believe me, I thought we were on the verge of seeing an upset in Week 2. Many will say the Eagles played down to the competition, but a few things stood out to me. The first being that they were able to produce without a dominant rushing performance. They overcame adversity with Saquon Barkley leaving the game early with a stinger and Dallas Goedert injuring his knee. So, despite those setbacks, they still found a way. The offense responded after a disastrous beginning, but the most important thing is that Jalen Hurts delivered when it mattered most. On that last scoring drive, he was phenomenal. Speaking of Jalen, I remember when I was asked about him during the summer, and I said they’re trading A.J. Brown was an “addition by subtraction” thing because now defenses don’t know who to prepare for or circle in on. I also compared his situation to some other quarterbacks. In 2022, the Chiefs traded away Tyreek Hill, and Patrick Mahomes won an MVP and a Super Bowl. Two years later, the Buffalo Bills traded Stefon Diggs, and Josh Allen won MVP. What could be in store for Jalen? The Eagles will make their way to Chicago for a showdown on Monday night.
Bears (1-1):
What a difference a week makes, right? They were the talk of the league in Week 1 after scoring 59 points in Charlotte. Prior to the game in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings, I knew it would be a challenge for them because Minnesota is a much better defensive team. Knowing Brian Flores and his schemes, he disguises many looks where he’ll crowd the line of scrimmage with seven or eight men as if it’ll be a blitz, then drop those guys back and send a delayed blitz at the last second. Not only were the Bears held to only three points, but the elements didn’t help their cause either, as they played in a rain/downpour and could never get into a rhythm. That’s tougher than people think, and it made all the difference. The only thing the Bears did well was play solid defense. Remember, I said even in the game against the Panthers, when they scored all of those points, they still gave up 37, and their defense was a legitimate concern for me, even dating back to last season. The biggest news regarding this team was the injury to Caleb Williams. When I saw it, I automatically thought it was his Achilles. The way he landed after he went down, and the minute I saw the cart come out, I said to myself, “This could be a tear.” Thankfully, the team announced it was a hamstring injury, and it’s a sigh of relief—or should I say, a “Chi” of relief? This Monday night, the Bears will look to bounce back with Jalen Hurts and the Eagles coming to town to close out the third week of the season.
Eagles X-Factor: DeVonta Smith
When the Eagles traded A.J. Brown, I knew this is who Jalen would lean on more in their passing attack, and it helps that he has built that chemistry with him dating back to their days in college at Alabama. So far on the season, DeVonta is already producing, and with Dallas Goedert out for an extended period of time, he becomes more of a focal point in this passing game. DeVonta can punish single coverage, and with the Bears expected to load the box to limit Jalen’s mobility along with Saquon Barkley, this bodes well in DeVonta’s favor if he’s seeing those single looks.
Bears X-Factor: Grady Jarrett
The savvy veteran for this Chicago defense! If the Bears are going to disrupt this Eagles offense, it starts with Grady Jarrett. I like that he can disrupt and push the pocket from the middle of the defensive line, especially against a quarterback like Jalen Hurts, who’s known to hurt a defense with his feet when given the green light. Grady is able to hold his ground from the inside, and this will prevent the Eagles from moving the sticks and keeping their offense on schedule. Most importantly, he can impact the stat sheet in several ways, even if he doesn’t record a sack.
Final Thoughts:
I remember very well when these two met on Black Friday last season, and honestly, that was the Bears’ best all-around game of last season. They went into Philly and punched the Eagles in the mouth, but most importantly, challenged their manhood and left the Linc with a big-time victory. I also remember saying this was the game that introduced the Bears to the rest of the world. Now, these two teams meet again to close out Week 3 of the NFL season. I know for a fact this is a game the Eagles want after losing the way they did. Both of these teams were tested in Week 2, with Philly surviving all that the Tennessee Titans could throw at them, while the Bears were shut down by the Minnesota Vikings. The Eagles’ run game hasn’t been clicking for them in a while, but that doesn’t mean you still can’t try, at least. Could this be the game that Saquon gets it going? The Eagles must also make the Bears’ quarterback uncomfortable at all costs. I would attack the pocket and force whoever will be starting to make difficult throws. The Eagles must also shut down the Bears’ ground attack! In the game last season, the Eagles allowed 281 rushing yards to the Bears. On the other side, the Bears must keep their quarterback protected, allow Grady Jarrett to make an impact on the defensive side, and limit DeVonta Smith because if they don’t, Jalen will continue to look his way throughout the game until they adjust the coverage.
