1. Beat the Eagles through the air. Philadelphia ranks in the top 10 in rushing yards per game (90.5) and rushing yards per play (3.9), and is sixth in rush defense DVOA. Their defensive line is playing much better as of late, especially All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, so this may be a game where Matt Nagy would actually be smart to not heavily commit to the run.
That means, though, the onus for the Bears’ offense will be squarely on Mitch Trubisky. He’s going against an Eagles’ secondary that hasn’t been anything special this year (16th in pass defense DVOA), but enters Sunday fully healthy for the first time in 23 games — essentially, since Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run.
This is a tall order for Trubisky, who hasn’t put a complete game together in 2019. Also concerning: The Eagles rank ninth in interception rate (2.8 percent), so Trubisky will need to find a balance between being smart and aggressive to avoid the sort of backbreaking turnover that could cost the Bears dearly on the road.
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Realistically, the Bears will need a big game from Allen Robinson to hang with the Eagles, though the matchup between Anthony Miller and Avonte Maddox in the slot could be one for Trubisky to try to exploit. Trubisky had some good moments against the Chargers that were largely wiped out by his fourth quarter mistakes; eliminate those late turnovers and hit the downfield throws he did last week and that would be a recipe for success against the Eagles.
2. Find a way to start fast. The Bears have managed only three touchdowns in the seven first quarters they’ve played this year — one each on offense, defense and special teams. The Eagles aren’t much better, though, with just four touchdowns in eight first quarters. Neither team, then, has been particularly strong early in games.
The upshot has been the Bears' defense has rarely been able to play with a lead early in games. The Eagles’ offense is good, and it starts with a rock-solid offensive line, but the Bears need to figure out a way to get their defense on the field with a lead early to sap some energy from Lincoln Financial Field. Also: Doing so could help take away what the Eagles do best, which surprisingly is running the ball (more on that in Key No. 3).
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So this does not mean settling for field goals — it means converting drives in Eagles territory into touchdowns, especially those that reach the red zone (or goal line). The Bears scored 11 first quarter touchdowns in 2018; this year, they're on pace for six or seven. It doesn’t matter how they score, though — however they do it, getting the first touchdown of Sunday’s game would go a long way toward the Bears taking control of the afternoon.
3. Bottle up Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard.
Only four teams have allowed more receptions to running backs than the Bears’ 49 this year, per PFF. Meanwhile, Sanders — a second-round pick — has receptions of 25, 36, 40 and 45 yards this year, and has averaged 8.4 yards after the catch. The good news for the Bears: Roquan Smith played his best game of 2019 last week against the Los Angeles Chargers, since they’ll need his instincts and sideline-to-sideline speed to keep a lid on Sanders as a pass catcher.
But this also extends to the Eagles’ run game, which coach Doug Peterson has largely committed to in 2019 — even with a former No. 2 pick in the first year of a mega contract as his quarterback. The strategy is working, too, with the Eagles’ offensive line playing like a strength and Sanders and Jordan Howard forming a lightning-and-thunder partnership.
Stopping the run and limiting Sanders’ receiving effectiveness could force the Eagles’ offense out of the identity they’ve established this year. But a wrinkle would be if deep threat DeSean Jackson returns on Sunday — his presence might make the Bears more reticent to load up the box against the run.
Prediction: Eagles 26, Bears 16.
The Eagles have been an ultimate Jekyll-and-Hyde team halfway through their season, beating the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills on the road (combined record: 12-3) yet losing to the Falcons and Lions (combined record: 4-10-1), with that loss to Detroit coming at home. Still, the thought here is the Eagles that showed up last weekend in Buffalo, beating the Bills by 18 points, is closer to the team the Bears will face than the one that lost to Atlanta in Week 2.
And that’s not good news for a Bears team that’s found so many different ways to lose over its last three games. A win at Lincoln Financial Field would be a major prove-it marker for the Bears; unfortunately for Nagy's crew, they’re out-matched by the Eagles. And that’ll be enough to extend this team’s losing streak to four.
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