Week 15 Bears Gameday: Eagles Fly into Soldier Field
Back in action after a bye, the Bears welcome the NFC's top team in a battle between two dual threat QBs and two proud franchises in very different places
Welcome to our game day blog — I hate to use that term, its so dated, but I don’t think there’s a better one. “Journal” feels a bit snooty for me — for the Bears and Eagles tilt.
I’d like to fill this minor pre-game period I’ve left for myself with all types of tid-bits and injury updates and the like from this game but this damn World Cup final had the nerve to actually be amazing. Its really taking up all the oxygen in the press box at Soldier Field right now and its likely gonna be better than the game we’re all here for, if not the entire Week 15 NFL slate. Yes, the age of FUTBOL is upon us!!! (j/k).
I’ll be back with more conventional game day coverage as we head to kick off and throughout the afternoon. In the meantime, I think I’m sticking with team Mbappe — Viva la France! — though I got much respect for Messi. Would suck if he doesn’t make good on finally getting the World Cup, but he’s still arguably the GOAT.
In lieu of our typical game preview, which we couldn’t get out this week, here’s some of our preview info that Saul typically provides:
TV: FOX
Radio: WBBM Newsradio 780 AM and 105.9 FM
Spanish Radio: TUDN 1200 AM and Latino Mix 93.5 FM
Weather: 19 degrees, sunny (16 mph wind tho…brrrr)
Inactives:
1st Quarter
Bears take opening kickoff after Eagles win toss and defer to open the second half.
Some sort of penalty on the Bears causes a re-kick of the opening kickoff. Inauspicious start for the home team, who may need to play a perfect game to even stay in this one for 60 minutes.
Injury added to insult
Looking at two consecutive stoppages to injuries on Bears plays in this first offensive drive - first Equiniminous St. Brown had a hard time coming up after getting tackled while completing a first down catch. Fortunately he is looking OK on the Bears sideline now. More unfortunate looking is Teven Jenkins still on the ground and awaiting a medical cart after a David Montgomery run attempt.
Jenkins’ early career has been filled with health problems and it would be a shame if this season, in which he’s shown such promise in finally playing consistently, were to end with him squeaming on the field. Lets hope it isn’t too dire for him.
Kyler Gordon steps up
Kyles (and slight variations of us) tend to step up when needed.
Play came right after a big first down catch by DeVonta Smith that took the Eagles deep into Bears territory on their first offensive drive, which started after stopping the Bears on a weak 4th and 2 attempt. In the meantime we’ve been alerted that EQ St. Brown is in concussion protocol, not likely he comes back and its pretty clear Jenkins isn’t. Bears are at midfield and moving though…
Jenkins OUT (neck)
Announcement comes after the Bears 2nd drive stalls out after a 14 yard loss on a sack of Fields. Philly is still in their own territory at the moment. Back to Jenkins — never want to hear about anything regarding the neck in football injuries. Keep him in your thoughts everyone.
End of 1st: 0-0
Surprising 1st quarter result. Got to figure the Bears are stalling out the Eagles so far, but an early formula has emerged — primarily its keep Jalen Hurts and his guys off the field as much as possible.
Problem is, the Bears still can’t do much with their offense and the ranks at wide receiver and offensive line are as thin as they can be. Fields has taken a couple big sacks already and there’s not much reason to think that outside of a possible broken play or two they’ll be able to make any big yard gains on the Eagles defense. Luke Getsy is gonna have to go deep in his bag scheme-wise to make the Bears a real threat this afternoon.
Meanwhile, though, Chicago’s defense is showing that its ready to play, but as I say that Devonta Smith breaks another big play (35 yards) that goes into Bears territory. Again, the inevitable can only be delayed so long.
2nd Quarter
Eagles up 3-0
Jake Elliott kick just before the 11:00 mark puts Philly up but the drive nearly ended with a strike from Hurts to AJ Brown, but Jaylon Johnson got his hand right in front of Brown, continuing an impressive performance so far from him. Bears defense overall deserves props.
Hopefully they can get some significant time off the field as the Bears drive for their own points. Quick responses to the Eagles will be needed whether its to field goals or touchdowns.
Bears ahead 6-3
A nine yard TD run from Montgomery gives the Bears the lead with 6:47 left in the first half. Fields makes the drive though with a ridiculous scramble that looked like it got him to the end zone but he stepped out at the nine. You’ve likely seen the play already. Just look at it again.
Here. LOOK AT IT.
Bears stall big after INT
A DeAndre Houston-Carson INT looked like it was ready to set up the Bears for another score. The Chicago offense started at the Eagles 25, it wound up punting near midfield, the Trenton Gill offering went out of bounds at the Eagles’ 9-yard line.
That was a rough one — Trestan Ebner lost the ball on one play in the backfield and Fields got planted two times after Philly’s Haason Reddick made mince meat of Alex Leatherwood. The right side of the Bears O-Line is getting dominated and it ruined any chance the Bears had of building on their momentum. Approaching the 2 minute warning now as the Eagles try to move to midfield.
Tweet of the day (so far)
More interesting factoids
Eagles ahead 10-6
Some quality 2 minute warning urgency from the Eagles. Hurts ends a 9 play, 91 yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown scramble that had to feel satisfying after Fields’ earlier heroics. I’ll likely go more in post game about what this dual could mean for both those players, but for now a lot of the focus is on the punt in Philly territory. Matt Eberflus will need to answer for that one.
The decision in and of itself I mostly understand, plus you pinned the Eagles down in their own territory on a day when your defense has come out strong, but the Eagles are a team you want to provide as few opportunities to score as possible and this one opp may have gone a long way in getting the game firmly back in the Eagles’ hands, especially with them receiving the ball to open the third quarter.
Halftime: 10-6 Eagles
Big note that I haven’t put here yet: Fields blew past the Bears’ team record in rushing for a QB, a record previously held by Bobby Douglass. Fields is muscling his way up the all-time list for the NFL, he’ll likely have 1,000 yards on the season by the end of today.
3rd Quarter
Eagles up 17-6
Hurts with a 1 yard TD run to end the opening drive of the second half. The Eagles, who we can safely consider a winning team at this point, went about their business in opening up the second half as winning teams do. AJ Brown finally broke a big play with Jaylon Johnson covering him, that set things up at the Bears’ 2-yard line. Jack Sanborn, the Chicago area native and Bears’ newest fan fav on defense, was helped off the field just before the goal line sequence.
Bears pull within 17-13
Fields connects with DMo for a 10-yard touchdown reception and Cairo Santos made the extra point (“and the crowd goes wild, as if Holyfield just won the fight…”).
Took only 3 plays for the Bears to do this one, they started on the Eagles 15 after a completion from Jalen Hurts to Miles Sanders got stripped out the RBs hands on a fine play by Bears defensive lineman Mike Pennel Jr. Kyler Gordon continued his great game today with the recovery and return. Three TOs forced against probably the best offense in the NFC, that’s how you stick in a game like this.
We’re just over 8 minutes left in the third now. Another Bears defender is shaken up on the ground as the Eagles wait to set up for a 2nd and 9. Looks like Matthew Adams, he’s walking off with some help. This one-sided battle of attrition continues.
Bears D stands again
Just stalled the Eagles on a 4th down with approx 3 minutes left in the third and the ball in Bears territory. Score remains 17-13 Philly. The Bears look ready to give the ball back but this time on a punt, its better than the Velus Jones fumble at midfield that gave the Eagles their last possession.
Nsimba Webster traps the Gill punt down at the Eagles’ 4-yard line, a 56-yard punt. Outside of the missed Santos extra point, special teams has been on the job today.
End of 3rd: 17-13 Eagles
4th Quarter
Fields gets a rack
Justin Fields became only the third NFL QB to rush for 1,000 yards on a season on the next to last play of his game. A one yard keeper got him right at the 1K mark. The following play he scrambled for a first down on an unplanned run but the gain was called back for a holding penalty. Making it worse, Fields limped off the field and Nathan Peterman had to enter the game — the drive went one more play as Peterman’s first pass went incomplete. Struggle city, yall.
Eagles up 25-13
AJ Brown wound up getting the final word in his battle with Jaylon Johnson, just deebo-ing up on a 68-yard completion that set the Eagles up for another Hurts rushing TD (his third of the game). A two-point conversion followed. Game, set, match. The Eagles are on their way to their 13th win of the season to only 1 loss while the Bears are about to be 3-11 with a whole lot of injury questions.
Bears score again (!), close lead to 25-20
Not done with the fun yet at Soldier Field. Justin Fields comes back in, looking fine and executed a scoring drive that ended with him connecting with a wide-open Byron Pringle for a 35-yard passing score. Not much to take from that except it make the score more respectable and pads the stats for JF1. Important thing is that Fields is seemingly healthy and he won’t be included in the many injury queries that will come in the wake of this game.
Final: 25-20 Eagles
Respectable effort by the Bears but a considerable amount of aches and pains are sticking with the team coming out of this one. Keep up with us this week for more Bears coverage and maybe a bit more than that as we turn our attentions to the postseason and teams like Philadelphia, who look ready to take the Lombardi trophy.
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