Bear Down at Soldier Field: Eagles vs. Bears Week 3 Preview

The Eagles are 2-0 for the first time since 2022, but getting there hasn’t been easy. After surviving a 24-22 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 1, the Eagles needed a game-winning touchdown with under 15 seconds left to escape Nashville with a 24-20 win over the Tennessee Titans.

Now the Eagles head to Soldier Field for their first primetime test of the season, taking on a Chicago Bears team that comes into this Monday night game 1-1 and dealing with issues at the quarterback position.

Chicago opened the year by controlling the Carolina Panthers 59-37, led by 291 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns in the process. Their follow-up game was far uglier. The Bears managed just 67 yards on the ground in a 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, a game that cost them starting quarterback Caleb Williams suffering a hamstring injury that has since been ruled a Grade 2 strain. Williams has been ruled out for Monday, with Chicago turning to veteran Case Keenum under center.

The Offensive Line’s Litmus Test

The Eagles’ offensive line has not looked good through the first two games, and Monday won’t make things any easier.

Landon Dickerson remains on injured reserve after playing through a knee injury in the opener, and Chicago’s front seven will be the toughest group the Eagles has faced yet. Cam Jurgens, who moved from center to left guard to accommodate Dickerson’s absence, has already picked up three holding penalties this season, including one in each of the last two games. The line has allowed three sacks in each of the first two contests, and the running game has managed just 2.7 yards per carry since Week 1.

The unit did have its moment in Nashville. On the game-winning drive against the Titans, the Eagles went six-for-eight through the air for 61 yards, giving Jalen Hurts enough time to let routes develop.

“That was so damn exciting to go down there, in the two-minute drill, and win the game,” Jurgens said last week.

While it’s not time to panic with the offensive line, they are in need of a bounce back game, and that will not be easy against this Bears team who is particularly strong in the trenches.

“I don’t want anyone to panic,” Jordan Mailata said. “The best thing about offensive line play is if you can get continuity. Now we have our starting five moving on. Now we have film on how we’re getting beat, how we’re not getting beat, and things to work on.”

With Dickerson expected to miss at least three more games, the current group of Mailata, Jurgens, Tyler Steen and Lane Johnson needs to find continuity fast. With yet another offensive coordinator, the task of finding consistency is going to be harder, but they need to find the toughness and the dominance that they had in the past.

Fangio’s Defense Needs a Response

It isn’t just the offensive line facing questions. The Eagles have allowed 20-plus points in both games this season, a threshold that decided every one of the Eagles losses a year ago. Last season, the Eagles went a perfect 6-0 when holding opponents under 20 points. Vic Fangio has not forgotten last season when the Bears had 281 yards on the ground against the Eagles.

“We’ve got to play it better, obviously,” Fangio said.

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been without Jonathan Greenard for both games as he works back from a strained pectoral, and the pass rush has suffered for it. Greenard was brought in to replace Jaelan Phillips, and his track record, 12.5 sacks with Houston in 2023 and 12 sacks with Minnesota in 2024 punctuates how much that the Eagles need his production and presence.

Greenard remains questionable for Monday, meaning Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo will again carry the load up front against a Chicago team built to run the ball.

Slowing Chicago’s Ground Game Is Imperative

Regardless of who plays quarterback for the Bears, the identity of their offense runs through D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. The pair combined for 291 yards and six touchdowns on the ground in the Week 1 throttling of Carolina, with Swift adding 124 yards and three scores and Monangai chipping in 100 yards and a touchdown of his own in his first game back from a hyperextended knee. It was the first time since 1980 that two teammates each had over 100 rushing yards in a season opener.

That two-back attack has been a hallmark of the offense by second-year head coach Ben Johnson, finished third in the NFL in rushing yards last season, and it becomes even more central to Chicago’s plan with a backup under center. The Eagles’ run defense has already shown cracks through two games, and containing Swift and Monangai will be far more important Monday than whichever name is starting at quarterback for the Bears.

After Chicago, the schedule does not get easier for the birds. The Eagles will face the Los Angeles Rams, travel to London to play the Jacksonville Jaguars, and host the Carolina Panthers in three of their next four games. Taking care of business at Soldier Field is the first step toward being ready for that stretch, and it starts with an offensive line finding its footing before the last drive of the game.

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