This week's prime-time Sunday night game pits two teams against each other who are both trying to stamp their imprint on the NFC playoff picture despite each team coming off consecutive losses. The 5-4 Eagles are reeling after traveling to San Diego and suffering a tough 31-23 loss to the Chargers. However, they didn't lose any ground in either the NFC East or the wild card race, as both the Cowboys and Falcons lost as well. Struggles in the red zone and short-yardage conversion early in the game came back to bite the Eagles, though Donovan McNabb stood out with 450 yards passing. The Eagles now find themselves one game behind the division-leading Cowboys and locked in a four-way tie for the two wild card spots. Philadelphia controls its own destiny and will be looking to recapture their winning ways from a few games ago.

The Bears stand one game behind the Eagles at 4-5 after also losing two straight, though their losses were arguably more disheartening. Two weeks ago, the Arizona Cardinals came to Chicago and lit up a porous Chicago defense for 41 points. The Bears then traveled to San Francisco on a short week for the Thursday night game and Jay Cutler, who was imported in the off-season to be the franchise quarterback, was picked off five times in a 10-6 loss. The Bears defense has been shattered by injuries, namely to Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa, and the offense hasn't quite lived up to expectations during what has become a disappointing first half. But the Bears can turn that around and start a second-half rally if they can defeat the Eagles at home in front of a national audience. Having 10 days off to prepare for the Eagles should certainly work in the Bears' favor in what could amount to an elimination game.

The Last Time They Met
September 28, 2008: Bears 24, Eagles 20
It's only fitting that the Eagles' short-yardage issues would come back to bite them the week before they travel to Chicago for a Sunday night rematch. Last season's trip to Chicago was also played on a Sunday night, and it will forever be remembered as one of the more frustrating losses of the Eagles' season. The teams traded scores for much of the game, with Bears quarterback Kyle Orton tossing three touchdowns and Donovan McNabb throwing for one himself in his return to his hometown of Chicago. Even with two missed David Akers field goals, the Eagles had the game in their hands as the clock wound down. Trailing by four points with over five minutes to play, the Eagles had a first-and-goal from the 4-yard-line. Correll Buckhalter, who was starting in place of the injured Brian Westbrook, took the first carry down to the 1-yard line. But the Eagles were stuffed on three successive running attempts, and fell painfully short by a lone yard.

Passes Will Be Flying In The Windy City
Donovan McNabb		Jay Cutler

When The Eagles Have The Ball
The Eagles face the prospect of playing without their star running back for the near future after Brian Westbrook sustained his second concussion of the season last week against the Chargers. In his place, the Eagles will turn to rookie LeSean McCoy and fullback Leonard Weaver on the ground, while still relying on the productivity of the passing game. Slot receiver Jason Avant is coming off a career game in which he notched 156 yards on eight catches and DeSean Jackson continued his breakout season with 91 yards receiving. Up front, the Eagles protected McNabb extremely well, allowing only two sacks versus 55 pass attempts, and they did it without left tackle Jason Peters. Peters is expected to play this week, which will only help matters as the Eagles go up against the ninth-ranked defense in the league.

The once-vaunted Bears defense has taken a step back this season, but it's still been solid – with the exception of two games in which it allowed over 40 points. The Bears have one of the better defensive lines in football, with ends Alex Brown and Adewale Ogunluye as dangerous pass rushers and one of the best defensive tackles in football, Tommie Harris. The linebacking corps has been hit hardest by injury, but Lance Briggs is still one of the league's best and he leads the team with 71 tackles. Charles Tillman is the man to watch out for in the secondary – he normally stays on the left side of the field. The Bears have been more vulnerable to the run than the pass this season and are allowing over 118 yards per game on the ground, 21st in the league. But a thin secondary could also be exploited by the Eagles' array of weapons in the receiving game.

When The Bears Have The Ball
The Bears traded two first-round picks, a third-round pick and quarterback Kyle Orton to the Denver Broncos in the off-season to bring in the strong-armed Cutler, who was immediately anointed the franchise's answer to a long time search for a quarterback. Cutler has flashed his big-play ability under center – the Bears are in the top five in the league in pass plays of over 20 yards with 36 – but he has also proved to be quite turnover prone. The turnover matchup would seem to favor the Eagles this week because Cutler leads the NFL in interceptions with 17 and the Eagles have the second-best turnover margin the league. Cutler's most consistent target is the elusive Devin Hester, but he also can throw to tight end Greg Olson and the speedy Johnny Knox. Running back Matt Forte has taken a step back after a breakout rookie season, but he is talented as both a rusher and a receiver.

After outperforming the offensive side of the ball for much of the season, the Eagles' defense finally had an off-game last week. Missing weakside linebacker Akeem Jordan and the nickel and dime cornerbacks, the Eagles simply couldn't get the job done and gave up 31 points, twice conceding touchdowns on consecutive drives. The biggest letdown was the performance of the run defense, which allowed 119 yards to the league's worst rushing offense. Sheldon Brown sustained a hamstring injury and his status is uncertain for the Bears' game. If he's unable to go, Dimitri Patterson will be thrust into a starting role and newcomer Ramzee Robinson will likely become the team's nickel cornerback. Jordan could return, which would allow the linebackers to slot back into their normal positions with Chris Gocong on the strong side and Will Witherspoon in the middle. Big plays will be the name of the game for the defense, and if they can rattle Cutler early it will serve as a great omen for the rest of the game.

Players To Watch
QB Jay Cutler
Chicago's offense was expected to be improved this season after the team traded for Cutler. After throwing four interceptions in his Chicago debut, it had appeared that Cutler had settled in and was getting better every week. But the team has dropped four of its last five thanks in part to Cutler's decision-making, the offensive line and Chicago's 29th-ranked ground game. Cutler has a big arm and he's not afraid to take risks. However, his tendency to force throws into tight spaces has led to a league-high 17 interceptions, including a career-high five last Thursday against the 49ers. In fact, Cutler threw a pair of red-zone interceptions in that game that gave him five for the season in that category. Cutler's 76.0 QB rating this season is a career-low, a full 10 points below his mark last year with the Broncos. He has completed 62.4 percent of his passes and has thrown for 14 touchdowns.

WLB Lance Briggs
Season-ending injuries to Brian Urlacher and Pisa Tinoisamoa have put more pressure on Briggs, a four-time Pro Bowl player at weakside linebacker. He leads his team in tackles with 71, including a sack, four tackles for a loss and a pair of quarterback hurries. He also has an interception to his credit. Briggs has the toughness and strength of a linebacker, but is also quick to the ball. He has reached the 100-tackle plateau in each of the last five seasons and is on pace to do so again this season.

Key Matchups
Bears return game vs. Eagles coverage units
Ted Daisher's unit did a nice job neutralizing Darren Sproles' impact on the game last week, holding the Chargers' return man to an average of 24.5 yards on kickoff returns and a mere 4.3 yards on punt returns. The Bears entered last Thursday night's game ranked second in the NFL in field position following kickoffs, starting on average at their own 30.6-yard line. However, Chicago returners Danieal Manning and Johnny Knox averaged just 14.0 yards on three attempts against the Niners. Knox has one return for a touchdown this season. Devin Hester, shouldering more of the load on offense, is averaging 9.9 yards on punt returns.

Bears TE Greg Olsen vs. Eagles back seven
The Bears will line up the 6-5, 255-pound Olsen in the slot and spread him out as a wide receiver. With six touchdowns among his 34 receptions and a 10.6 yards per catch average, Olsen is the next player in the tight end gauntlet the Eagles have faced this season. Last week in San Diego, Antonio Gates caught seven balls for 78 yards, including a gut-wrenching 17-yard reception on a third-and-6 play late in the fourth quarter. Two weeks ago against Dallas, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten's 5-yard grab on third-and-3 late in the game sealed the win for Dallas. Olsen will likely see a slew of different matchups, ranging from safeties Quintin Mikell and Sean Jones to linebackers Will Witherspoon and either Akeem Jordan or Moise Fokou, depending on Jordan's health. The concern is not who will cover Olsen, however, but rather getting the job done.

-- Preview by Bob Kent and Bo Wulf; Charts compiled by Chris McPherson