The Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 24-15, to improve to 9-3 on the season. It marked the fifth straight win and ninth in the last 10 games as Chicago established themselves as true contenders in the NFC. They remain atop the NFC North while moving into the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
The Bears jumped out to an early 7-0 lead, and they never relinquished it. After a league-high five comeback wins this year, this was one of Chicago’s most decisive wins despite the nine-point margin. The offense rode the league’s second-best run game to the tune of 281 yards while the defense frustrated a struggling Eagles offense and held the team to just nine points until the final three minutes.
There’s plenty to discuss from this game, including the run game’s dominance, the defense stepping up and how Chicago set the rest of the NFL world on notice. Our Bears Wire staff is sharing their thoughts on the Chicago’s Week 13 win against the Eagles.
Alyssa Barbieri
The Bears just put the rest of the NFL on notice after a statement win against the defending Super Bowl champions. The 24-15 score doesn’t even tell the whole story. Chicago flat-out dominated this game, and they very well should’ve put up 30-plus points. Heck, they held the Eagles to just nine points before a late garbage-time touchdown in the final minutes. The Bears dominated in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and they look like legitimate contenders in the NFC.
Heading into this game, my gut told me Chicago was going to win this game. Who am I to doubt this team when they continue to find ways to win? When I made my prediction for this game, I said if the Bears were in this game in the fourth quarter that they were going to win. And that’s exactly what happened. Following an abysmal third quarter, Chicago carried a 10-9 lead into the fourth quarter and then put an exclamation point on this game.
The Bears run game was unstoppable against the Eagles, totaling a season-high 281 yards. D’Andre Swift and rookie Kyle Monangai both eclipsed 100 rushing yards (125 and 130, respectively) to become the first Chicago duo to each rush for 100 yards since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985. What made it even more impressive was that Philadelphia knew the Bears were going to run the ball, and they still couldn’t stop them. A lot of the credit goes to this revamped offensive line, where Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman, Jonah Jackson and rookie Ozzy Trapilo, along with Darnell Wright, manhandled that Eagles defensive front.
Chicago’s defense got back some reinforcements with cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, who were on a pitch count in their first action back, but they were still down their three starting linebackers. Once again, no linebackers, no problem. The Eagles offense never found a rhythm against this Bears defense, where Saquon Barkley was held to just 56 rushing yards and Chicago forced two turnovers on Jalen Hurts (a Kevin Byard interception and Nahshon Wright forced fumble and recovery). They allowed just nine points to the defending champions until a late garbage-time touchdown. It was an inspired effort by Dennis Allen’s unit.
For weeks, the Bears have been under criticism for not having beaten good teams. Now, Chicago has rattled off two straight wins against division leaders, including a decisive win over an Eagles team that just won the Super Bowl in this calendar year. It was the kind of statement win that puts the rest of the league on notice. Not that the Bears give a damn. They’re going to continue to look to prove the doubters wrong. And that starts in Week 14 in the first of two games against the Green Bay Packers in the next three weeks.
Brendan Sugrue
I knew the Bears would be in this game. Heck, I felt like they had a decent chance to win even though I didn’t ultimately pick them. But I did not think they would push around the Eagles all game and play four quarters of “F You Football” in a hostile environment. What an unbelievable statement win by the Bears to officially go from pretenders to contenders for all to see. And to do it on the one-year anniversary of the Matt Eberflus Thanksgiving debacle that effectively put all of this into motion is the cherry on top.
It’s not hyperbole to say this is the biggest victory of the 2020s so far for this team. Up until this point, people kept saying the Bears were only stacking victories due to a soft schedule and lucky breaks. Friday proved otherwise. Chicago was the better-coached team, the more physical team, and the all-around better team against the reigning Super Bowl champions.
The offense found the formula needed for success, and that was running the damn ball over and over. Even when the Eagles expected it, they couldn’t do anything to stop it. The Bears eclipsed 280 rushing yards for the second time this season behind a dominant line performance. Even with Caleb Williams struggling in the wind, they pushed most of the right buttons to control the time of possession and keep the Eagles offense on the bench.
Defensively, the Bears did enough to not allow the Eagles to get into any sort of rhythm. They had just two first downs halfway into the third quarter while struggling with timing and assignments. Most importantly? Dennis Allen’s secret plan to stop the tush push worked with Nahshon Wright ripping the ball out of Jalen Hurts’ hands for the play of the game. What looked to be an Eagles scoring drive instead turned into a long Bears touchdown. Both Allen and Ben Johnson got the best of their counterparts.
What we’re seeing right now is special. This is better than 2018 and on par with 2010 and 2006. The Bears offense is dangerous, and they’re rolling through teams even when the quarterback is off his game. The defense, meanwhile, is getting better and better. Johnson promised this team would be playing their best football in December, and he is delivering on that. Enjoy this win over the weekend and savor the moment. The Chicago Bears are a legit contender in the NFL, and the league just got put on notice.
Mike Pendleton
The Chicago Bears must be real now, huh? Is this finally a win that will silence critics on national platforms in thinking this is the biggest fake, fluke team of the NFL this year? It’s not just about beating the Philadelphia Eagles, it’s about how they did it, with attitude.
Running the ball down the throats of the defending Super Bowl champions, locking up their offense drive after drive, making their scores irrelevant in the end. The weather played a factor in this game, and to Ben Johnson’s credit, he coached and altered the game plan according to what he felt would work best in the conditions.
The Bears are still in first place following their Week 13 game, but now, the fun really begins. Two of their next three games will be against the Green Bay Packers and the rivalry is renewed. Chicago may have had an easy schedule in the first part of the season, but now comes the hard part, and they’ve already passed the first test.
Vinnie Parise
Everyone who covers or keeps a close tab on the Chicago Bears knows that they are a good team with flaws. They also just beat the defending champions to move into a 9-3 record, which still stands alone by 0.5 games in the NFC North.
It looks now like it will be a lock that the Bears will make it to the playoffs. They will also have a certain belief that they can make a run. The coaching staff, the run that they’ve been on this year, and the talent that they have in the room will make it very interesting down the stretch.
Now, after pulling up this upset victory over the champs, the Bears have the Green Bay Packers next. No matter what, that is always going to be a year for the Bears. Going into it though, they have a very impressive resume building with this road win over the Eagles. Whether it’s a good team like the Eagles or a bad one like the Saints, winning is winning in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears vs. Eagles: Morning After Chicago’s dominant Week 13 win
