Category: Eagles/NFL

The interior linemen of the Chicago Bears were quick on their feet, Jordan Davis said. They are “savvy players” who attacked the Eagles, who are supposed to have a bruising defensive front, early and often Friday afternoon.

The Bears brought one of the better rushing attacks in the NFL to Lincoln Financial Field. One cut after another, D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai used the space created by Chicago’s front and made the Eagles pay. Swift, a Philly native and former Eagle, had nearly seven yards per carry on his way to 125 yards. Monangai, a rookie seventh-round pick, carried 22 times for 130 yards in the 24-15 win.

The Bears controlled the game and the clock with their two backs. As a team, they racked up 281 yards on 47 rushes, good for 6.1 yards per carry. It was the most rushing yards the Eagles have given up since 2015, and it was the first time since 1960 that two opposing rushers topped 100 yards during an Eagles home game.

“We knew we had to stop the run and then have fun and we just weren’t able to stop the run today,” linebacker Nakobe Dean said.

There was little fun for the Eagles’ defense, which was forced to defend 85 plays partially because of its inability to stop the run and because the Eagles’ offense struggled once again to sustain drives. The margin for error that offense has provided the defense in recent weeks is slim. And when it cracks the way it did Friday, the Eagles never really had a chance.

Jalen Carter likened the Bears’ rushing plan to what the Eagles faced in Week 2 last season vs. Atlanta, when they allowed 152 yards on 28 carries. Bears center Drew Dalman was on the Falcons last season. The Bears showed a lot of “sideways action,” Davis said.

The Eagles took too long to adjust, if they ever did at all. To Dean, they didn’t do a good enough job striking blocks, making reads, or playing off each other. Not being able to stop the run took some of the Eagles’ energy away, Dean said.

“By the time you know it, end of the first quarter, they already had damn near 100 yards rushing,” Davis said.

“We can’t take that long to figure out a remedy for that.”

It mostly was an uncharacteristic performance from the Eagles’ defense. Sure, Dallas roared back in its win Sunday, but that mostly was the Cowboys attacking a banged-up secondary. The Eagles have had occasional problems against the run this season, but not particularly lately. The Bears, however, rarely needed to throw. They won the battle at every level almost every time. They drove the Eagles off the line of scrimmage, got to the second level, and made the Eagles pay for taking poor angles.

Carter took ownership for some of the struggles.

“I blame myself on that,” he said. “There was some runs out there I got drove back or I wasn’t making an effect on the play. We kind of made an adjustment if you started seeing who was playing the first and second downs and then third down.”

What he meant by that was he found himself on the sidelines. The Eagles’ top interior lineman had to come off the field at times on obvious running downs.

“It’s my problems to deal with,” he said. “I ain’t fitting to tell y’all what I’m going through.”

What the defense is going through as a whole is a look-in-the-mirror moment.

Against Dallas, the Eagles allowed 473 total yards, the most in the Fangio era. On Friday, they surrendered 425 total yards and got destroyed trying to stop the run. They had just two tackles for loss.

“Things are going to happen,” cornerback Adoree’ Jackson said. “I always say the sky is not falling. Obviously you want to go out there and be perfect, make every tackle, shed every block, make every PBU, get the picks. Sometimes the game goes this way.”

Davis said he knows the negativity is going to come “from all angles at this point.”

“The reason why this s— stings, it hurts so much for us, is because we know that’s not our standard,” Davis said. “We have to be better. I was saying on the field that comes from all 11 of us. We have to do something different. If you want different results, you have to do something different. Whether that’s a little extra time in the meeting room, extra time in practice, playing blocks better, seeing blocks, we have to do better as individuals to become a better collective.

“We can’t do s— about what we put on the field now. We have to get back in the lab. We have a little bit longer week going into the Chargers game, and we just have to make sure that we get those problems fixed because it’s a copycat league. Everybody sees it; everybody knows that this could be a potential way to attack it. We just can’t let that happen.”

What happens next?

“This game is just going to be a launch pad for us to either get better or we can just stay the same and nothing changes,” Davis said. “I expect the guys on the defense to understand and answer that call.”

C.J. Gardner-Johnson spread his arms out in celebration and walked toward the visiting locker room. The other one used to be his, in 2022 and again in 2024. The trash-talking defensive back, on his third team this year alone, came back against his former team, in his former city, and had the last laugh.

He wasn’t going to be quiet about it.

“I ain’t ever lied to y’all, and I ain’t going to start lying,” Gardner-Johnson said as he walked into the Chicago Bears’ locker room following their 24-15 victory over the Eagles. “I ain’t going to lie to y’all. What’d I say? They’re going to fold.”

The Eagles traded Gardner-Johnson, who led them with six interceptions in 2024, in the offseason along with a sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans for Kenyon Green, an offensive lineman who didn’t make their initial 53-man roster.

The Eagles, Gardner-Johnson said in a podcast interview over the summer, were “scared of a competitor.”

“Simple as that,” he told Ryan Clark on The Pivot.

Howie Roseman said the Eagles made the deal because of financial constraints.

Gardner-Johnson, of course, hasn’t had a normal 2025 season. He was released by the Houston Texans in late September after three games. He then landed on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad before the Bears signed him and reunited him with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who coached Gardner-Johnson in New Orleans.

But he has made an impact with a Bears team that is now 9-3 and in first place in the NFC North. Gardner-Johnson’s departure from Philadelphia was in the spotlight this week not just because the Bears were coming to town but because the Eagles are depleted at safety after rookie Drew Mukuba, the Eagles’ second-round pick, suffered an ankle fracture.

Gardner-Johnson played mostly at nickel and helped stymie a struggling Eagles offense. He finished with three tackles and one quarterback hit. What was he seeing on film entering Friday?

“Stop the run and then make them go the long, hard way,” he said.

The Eagles struggled to run the ball and couldn’t beat an opposing defense missing multiple starters through the air.

“We knew in order to win this game we’d have to compete with their defense and the best defense on the field was going to win this game,” Gardner-Johnson said.

“It’s hard to get wins in this league. To win in a stadium like this, against the defending champs, it shows you that you got to have a lot of confidence in your teammates. This team has a lot of confidence in each other. I don’t think we’re worried about scheme or who we play. We just worry about getting each other’s backs and going out there and fighting for 60 minutes. We’re going to win the game.”

Asked why he said he knew the Eagles would “fold,” Gardner-Johnson said: “Because I’ve been here before. I’ve been here before. You only wear black uniforms if you feel confident.”

Then he winked.

“I told the guys that this is one of those where you got to come in and really pin your ears back and really go play ball,” he said. “It’s going to be a physical game, short week, and it’s about who’s going to be the most physical team, and we showed it today.”

And the special feeling winning back in Philadelphia?

“We can finally close the chapter on something,” Gardner-Johnson said. “It’s good now.”

About three minutes into Gardner-Johnson’s postgame media availability, a teammate handed him a phone. A Bears public relations staffer ended Gardner-Johnson’s session, but he spoke live on a podcast with LeSean McCoy and Emmanuel Acho.

“Was you talking [trash] out there?” McCoy asked him.

“No, I got too much respect for them to even disrespect the players I played with,” Gardner-Johnson replied. “We disrespected them on defense.”

Then McCoy asked: “Was the offense too easy? Predictable?”

Gardner-Johnson leaned in close and winked. For once, there was nothing he needed to say.

It was a holiday letdown for the Birds, who dropped their second consecutive game on Friday, losing, 24-15, to the Chicago Bears.

If you toughed it out in the cold at the Linc, or for some reason want to relive that game, here’s everything you missed from the broadcast:

Pregame

All of Philadelphia’s mascots were on-site for Prime Video’s extended pregame show.

The Phanatic even cheered on a local Eagles fan in a push-up challenge against former NFL tight end Tony Gonzalez, who dropped down to attempt a few of his own.

Even Jason Kelce was on-site with New Heights and made a brief appearance on the telecast, sharing why he believes Eagles fans are the “best in the world.” More on that in Monday’s edition of The Inquirer.

Malcolm Jenkins, who was inducted into the Eagles Hall of Fame on Friday, Chase Utley, and Kyle Lowry shared their own messages

Angelo’s cameo

In order to explain the drop-off in the Eagles offense, Prime Video took a trip to newly minted Michelin Bib Gourmand cheesesteak establishment Angelo’s to take a look at the stats.

“‘Wit’ or ‘wit’out’ a consistent offense, they’re still 8-3,” sideline reporter Kaylee Hartung said.

Someone gave them the right intel for where to go. Shout-out to the Philadelphian on Prime Video’s staff, although brutal to use such a great cheesesteak to explain the Eagles’ struggles.

Ben Johnson’s inspo

Ben Johnson took his high school postgame celebration — a riff on Billy Williams’ “Good, better, best” Hall of Fame speech — and brought it to his first head coaching gig in Chicago.

Johnson played high school football at A.C. Reynolds in Asheville, N.C., and graduated in 2004. Prime Video resurfaced a clip from Johnson’s high school days.

What’s a wedge buster?

What exactly is the wedge buster sandwich? I had many questions, and, to be honest, I still can’t quite tell what’s in it. But the wedge buster is Prime Video’s response to the Thanksgiving meal served by Fox at the end of Thursday’s game, an extremely large sandwich made with pizza crust that the winning team gets to eat postgame.

Maybe just go to Middle Child next time?

Kevin Patullo critiques

Offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo did nothing to calm the heat around the Birds offense in the first half, with the team scoring just three points and compiling 83 yards of offense and two first downs.

There wasn’t much more to say about the state of the Eagles at halftime.

“Kevin Patullo does not have the answers,” former All-Pro cornerback Richard Sherman said. “He’s shown incompetency over the last couple games. … We need a little wingardium leviosa.”

Sherman waved a little Harry Potter wand to emphasize his point, but it’s not the first time he’s criticized Patullo.

Eagles fans

The broadcast got lots of mileage out of disappointed Eagles fans at the Linc, including my close personal friend, Philly Sports Santa, and the Grinch.

The boos were ringing down loudly on the broadcast after most offensive plays.

The Bears wanted to weaponize that atmosphere entering Friday’s game.

“If their offense goes three-and-out starting the game, they’re going to start booing them,” Bears safety and Philly native Kevin Byard said. “It’s one of those environments where it’s going to be very hostile. So hopefully we can start fast and kind of get the crowd against their own team.”

Prime Video even did a b-roll segment of Eagles fans — and even Santa — headed for the exits after the Bears took a two-score lead in the fourth.

Brutal.

Tush Push hate?

Al Michaels finally asked a Tush Push question we haven’t heard before: Who on the team is the best at pushing Jalen Hurts on the famous quarterback sneak?

It took him a bit to get into his story because just after starting it, Hurts fumbled the ball and then the broadcast cut to commercial, leaving the captive audience (me) waiting for the end of the story.

“You know what, I was always good without being pushed on the quarterback sneaks,” Hurts told Michaels. “I don’t need to be pushed.”

“You know who might vote against the Tush Push? Hurts!” Michaels said.

“He might be the first one!” color analyst Kirk Herbstreit said jokingly.

Two-point conversion

Herbstreit and Michaels were surprised to see Nick Sirianni and the Birds go for two down nine points in the fourth with just over three minutes to go.

Had the Birds kicked the extra point, they could have made it a one-score game, although they would have needed to go for two if they managed to score another touchdown.

“To me, it was a no-brainer,” Herbstreit said. “You’re down eight, you’ve got all three timeouts and the two-minute warning, you stop them on three runs, with A.J. Brown and that offense.”

Instead, the Birds remained down nine points, which made a comeback nearly impossible. That said, the Eagles needed to go for two at some point anyway if they were going to tie the game. By going for two first, you have all the information about what the rest of the game needs to look like instead of running the clock down to near zero and then failing on the two-point try.

The Chicago Bears brought a piece of the Windy City to Philly and blew the Eagles away.

On a gusty Black Friday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, the visiting Bears got to work on the ground, pounding their way to a 24-15 victory. Vic Fangio’s defense turned porous as running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 255 rushing yards (130 for Monangai, 125 for Swift).

The Eagles offense, meanwhile, sputtered too frequently, going three-and-out on four possessions and committing two turnovers (one interception, one fumble). Kevin Patullo’s unit finished with just 51 plays (317 yards) to the Bears’ 85 (425 yards).

Jake Elliott also struggled, missing an extra point attempt in the third quarter and a 52-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the fourth.

Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ fourth loss of the season, and second straight:

Bears on the run

The Bears won the time of possession game, especially in the first half, with their offense on the field for 21 minutes compared to just nine for the Eagles.

Chicago’s offense dominated early, thanks to its running game, headlined by a running back duo of former Eagle Swift and Monangai. They combined for 7.2 yards per carry in the first half (129 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries).

Swift was particularly efficient on the ground, averaging 8.8 yards per carry through the first 30 minutes of the game. The St. Joseph’s Prep alumnus put the Bears up, 7-0, with just over a minute and a half remaining in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run.

He also was adept at forcing missed tackles, especially on the first play of the Bears’ third possession of the afternoon. Swift took a handoff from an under-center Caleb Williams, then scurried to the right for a 17-yard gain, leaving Adoree’ Jackson in his wake.

“We’ve just got to be more violent,” Nakobe Dean said of the Eagles’ shortcomings against the run. “We’ve got to get off blocks. We’ve got to fit the run and like I said, that happens. And that’s with all 11, not just the D-line, not just the linebackers, not just the DBs. Everybody’s got to fit the run better.”

Williams contributed on the ground, too, scrambling on third-and-5 to pick up a first down on the Bears’ third possession. However, the Bears got away from the running game briefly in the red zone, as Williams threw three straight incomplete passes. Chicago settled for a 30-yard Cairo Santos field goal and pulled ahead, 10-3.

The Bears got back to the running game in the fourth quarter, as Monangai added another rushing touchdown to put Chicago up, 17-9. The running game became a focal point because both quarterbacks had their share of misses in the passing game.

Williams went 17 of 36 (47.2%) for 154 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Jalen Hurts went 19 of 34 (55.9%) for 230 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Williams sealed the Eagles’ fate with his 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet late in the fourth quarter that made it 24-9.

Up-and-down offense

While neither team thrived in the passing game, the Bears could at least run the ball. Saquon Barkley had some solid early runs, averaging 6.3 yards per carry in the first quarter, but the Bears defense tightened up and limited him to 4.3 per carry by the end of the game. Barkley finished with 56 yards on 13 carries.

The Eagles’ passing attack couldn’t compensate for the lack of explosiveness on the ground. Hurts wasn’t always on the same page with his receivers, including a third-down incompletion to DeVonta Smith on a slant that forced the Eagles to settle for a 44-yard field goal.

Hurts’ pass for Smith was slightly behind the 27-year-old receiver as he ran across the middle of the field. After the game, Hurts called the missed connection “two guys on two different pages.”

“That’s a bit of the issues that we’ve kind of been having,” Hurts said. “We weren’t detailed enough in that. I wasn’t detailed enough in instructing him what to do, have him prepared, and making myself clear on that. So I’m trying to find as many particulars as I can when it comes to the level of execution we have and that’s a group effort that has to be there.”

The field goal made it 7-3 in favor of the Bears. In the first half, the Eagles mustered just two first downs and 83 total yards, while the Bears amassed 16 first downs and 222 yards.

Ex-Eagle Kevin Byard’s third-quarter interception of Hurts continued the negative trend, but the Eagles offense showed a spark on the next possession — with a foolish Bears penalty helping the cause.

Bears defensive lineman Gervon Dexter was flagged for a late hit on Hurts, moving the Eagles up 15 yards to their own 40. On the following play, Hurts had a rare designed run for 23 yards, bringing the Eagles to the Bears’ 33-yard line. On the ensuing play, Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 33-yard touchdown pass, but Elliott missed the extra point to make it 10-9 Bears.

That spark wasn’t enough. The next two Eagles possessions ended in a Hurts fumble and a three-and-out. They eventually turned it back on, reeling off a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, capped by a 4-yard Brown touchdown catch and an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.

Turnover time

Entering the game, the Eagles led the league with just six turnovers lost this season. The Bears, meanwhile, had forced a league-best 24 turnovers.

The Bears won Friday’s turnover battle. Byard picked off Hurts early in the third quarter after the quarterback rolled out to his right while being pressured and launched a pass deep down the right sideline for Brown. Byard undercut the pass and snared his NFL-best sixth interception of the season.

“I saw Kevin coming over and I knew there was a chance he was going to be able to make a play on the ball,” Hurts said. “Just was trying to give him a chance and throw it to the sideline where A.J. could try and make a play on it, and I wasn’t able to connect with him.”

Luckily for the Eagles offense, the Bears failed to capitalize on Byard’s efforts. Williams was under duress up front on second and third downs, scrambling for no gain and throwing an incomplete pass intended for Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to go three-and-out.

Later in the third quarter, Jalyx Hunt picked off Williams and returned the ball to the Bears’ 36-yard line. His play gave the Eagles offense excellent field position to try to pull ahead while they were down, 10-9.

However, on third-and-1 at Chicago’s 12, Hurts fumbled on the Tush Push, a play that Bears head coach Ben Johnson previously denounced. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright recovered the fumble, ending the Eagles’ attempt to go ahead. Hurts said he had hoped that his progress was stopped before the fumble, but the officials “didn’t blow the whistle as soon.”

“That’s not to point the finger at anyone else,” Hurts said. “I’ve got to hold on to the ball.”

This time, the Bears made the turnover count, as Monangai punched in a 4-yard rushing touchdown to cap a 12-play, 87-yard drive and put Chicago up, 17-9, early in the fourth quarter.