Monday Night Football. Prime Time! A game against a contending team. This Week 3 game against the Chicago Bears is a fun one and brings with it all kinds of intrigue and storylines. With that, a look at the Eagles-Bears game on Monday night (8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC/Sportsradio 94WIP) …
1. Chicago's quarterback situation
Case Keenum? Tyson Bagent? Will the Eagles really know before the teams come out for pre-game warmups? How much does it matter? Chicago head coach Ben Johnson has supreme confidence in his quarterback room, is a master offensive designer and playcaller and believes in the skill-position players Chicago uses. So, he's going to have something for the Eagles' defense to really think about with the pre-snap motion and likely trick or two coming in this game. The Eagles are preparing for a system, not necessarily a quarterback. But without Caleb Williams (107 rushing yards) on the field at full strength, Chicago's quarterback situation won't be as mobile or versatile, so that means something.
2. Rising up against the run
Chicago runs the football as well as any team in the league. The Bears invested in the offensive line, they've got a good rotation in the backfield, and they bring it with the running game. In the Week 1 win over Carolina, Chicago rushed for 291 yards. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are a terrific 1-2 punch – Swift has 169 rushing yards and Monangai has 147 rushing yards – so if the Eagles can win at the line of scrimmage and in the box, it will be huge. Philadelphia remembers the game from the 2025 season when the Bears had success on the ground in a 24-15 win at Lincoln Financial Field.
3. Eagles' depth is tested – again
Dallas Goedert is out for this game so the tight end position relies on Johnny Mundt and E.J. Jenkins. The offensive line has moved Drew Kendall to the starting lineup at center. Here and there throughout the roster – running back, wide receiver, the secondary – the Eagles are using the entire room and players are delivering. So, this is a depth kind of game for the Eagles, but the truth is, almost every game is for every team at this time of the year with players really still rounding into regular season playing form.
4. Looking for wins on first down
The Eagles put together four really good drives in Tennessee – one was marred by the end zone interception – and that's a good sign. Offensive coordinator Sean Mannion talked this week about improving the picture and staying on schedule, and that means avoiding third-and-long situations. Avoiding negative and no-gain plays on first down would really help the cause, so let's see what Mannion puts together to get the Eagles into favorable situations on second and third down. Chicago hasn't demonstrated a consistent pass rush through two games, but Montez Sweat is a forceful player who has 9 tackles for loss and 5 quarterback sacks in 10 career games against the Eagles.
5. The turnover battle
It isn't easy to win a game when you are minus-2 in the turnover department, but the Eagles did just that last week in Tennessee. That is a rarity and the message once again is clear: Win the turnover battle. Vic Fangio's defense is looking for its first takeaway and once that happens, the takeaways usually happen in bunches. Putting Chicago in third-and-long scenarios would be ideal. One note here: Chicago is tied for 29th in the league in penalties, averaging 10 per game (the Eagles are tied for third, with 4.5 per game), and that is another way to put the Bears behind the sticks. The Eagles have to be disciplined on both sides of the ball, maximize ball security and play aggressive, run-to-the-football defense.
6. Offensive line taking another step forward
No word on any potential changes, so the expectation is Kendall at center and Cam Jurgens at left guard for a second week. With that, the timing should improve and chemistry should continue to develop. The offensive line protected well last week in Tennessee as the Titans showed an array of pressures, and that last drive was epic. There is momentum and confidence here. Chicago's defense had troubles against Carolina and then gave up only nine points against Minnesota, so that group is still finding its identity. Same with this offensive line and the Eagles offense in general, which wants to come out and play physical football, run the ball well, pass efficiently and stay out of obvious passing situations. The battle in the trenches is a good one, really, on both sides of the line of scrimmage.
