Bears Defeat Eagles, 27-7: 5 Takeaways From Week 3
The Chicago Bears did whatever they wanted to do against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 27-7 victory in Week 3. For the second consecutive season, the Bears absolutely embarrassed the Eagles in every aspect of the game. Here are my five takeaways from Philadelphia’s demoralizing loss in the Windy City on Monday night.
Offense Couldn’t Help Themselves
Philadelphia’s offense got off to a rough start, as the Eagles gained just 24 yards on their first two drives of the game, including a fumble. Yet it seemed like Eagles first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion was finding his stride in the second quarter. Philadelphia’s ground game was firing on all cylinders and Jalen Hurts was getting hot — until he was forced to leave the game and checked for a concussion.
Eagles backup quarterback Andy Dalton entered the game and capped off a 95-yard drive with an interception that would perfectly encapsulate the night for Philadelphia. The Eagles consistently took one step forward and two steps back throughout the entire game. Mannion frustratingly continued to dial up passes behind the line of scrimmage that went absolutely nowhere. Then Hurts threw an interception of his own to cap off a frustrating performance from Philadelphia’s offense.
Rough Night for Nick Sirianni
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni doesn’t call plays but he’s usually aggressive at the right times. Yet Sirianni failed in that area under the bright lights of Monday Night Football. First, Sirianni opted against calling a timeout to kill some time while Hurts was being evaluated for a concussion at a critical time. Instead, Dalton remained in the game and threw an interception roughly a minute or two before Hurts exited the blue medical tent.
Then down 20-7 late in the third quarter, Sirianni opted to punt on 4th-and-(a long)1 from the 49-yard line. Luckily, Philadelphia’s defense forced the first three-and-out of the night to somewhat bail Sirianni. But then on the very next drive, Sirianni opted to go for it on 4th-and-5 from the 46-yard line, which resulted in an interception. It was a frustrating night for Sirianni, who drops to 5-6 in Monday games, including 1-3 against backup quarterbacks on Mondays.
Ben Johnson Owned Vic Fangio (Again)
Bears head coach Ben Johnson embarrassed Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio last season. Chicago’s offense had their way with Philadelphia’s defense on the ground, as they ran for nearly 300 yards in the City of Brotherly Love. Yet this time, the Bears were forced to start 38-year-old, third-string quarterback Case Keenum, who surely seemed like an easy matchup for the Eagles.
Yet it was the exact opposite of that, as Johnson was in his bag against Fangio. Keenum completed 24-of-34 passes for 247 yards and two passing touchdowns. He also added another touchdown on the ground. Keenum was throwing into wide open windows throughout the entire night as Philadelphia’s defense struggled in coverage, especially the linebackers and the safeties.
MISSING: Eagles Pass Rush
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has invested a ton in Philadelphia’s defensive front. He signed Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis to massive contracts. He traded for Jonathan Greenard and signed him to a huge deal. He spent relatively early draft picks on Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt. Yet the Eagles had zero sacks against the Bears as Keenum stood comfortable in the pocket.
It was an embarrassing performance against a 38-year-old quarterback that isn’t nearly as mobile and evasive as Jayden Daniels and Cam Ward were in previous weeks. Roseman has invested far too much in Philadelphia’s defensive front for a performance like that. While some may point to quarterback pressures instead of sacks, the Eagles weren’t exactly racking up a bunch of pressures either. They have to be better moving forward — it’s that simple.
Safety (Is a) Hazard
When the Eagles let former starting safety Reed Blankenship walk in free agency, it was a heavily criticized move. Yet Philadelphia’s front office and coaching staff seemed confident in the contingency plan of second-year safety Andrew Mukuba and veteran safety Marcus Epps. Fast forward to Week 3 and Fangio is already frustratingly rotating Epps with veteran defensive back Michael Carter II.
As expected, the shuffling caused confusion in the secondary for the Eagles, as Philadelphia’s defense was consistently out of position in Chicago. If that wasn’t bad enough, Mukuba hasn’t exactly looked like a reliable starter either. Therefore, Roseman may have to make a move at safety — sooner rather than later. At this point, it’s hard to have much confidence in the trio of Mukuba, Epps and Carter moving forward.