The Philadelphia Eagles are on the road for the second week in a row, this time to take on the Chicago Bears.
In order to preview this Week 3 Monday Night Football matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Windy City Gridrion. The bright Bill Zimmerman kindly took the time took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers.
[For my answers to Bill’s questions about the Eagles, stay tuned to WCG.]
1 – Although the Bears have yet to rule him out as of
me typing this sentence, it doesn’t seem like Caleb Williams will be able to play on Monday night. What’s the confidence level in Tyson Bagent if he has to start? To what extent do you expect the game plan to look different with him starting instead of Williams? UPDATE: Or if Case Keenum has to start since Bagent is dealing with a concussion?
Alright, let’s dive into the QB situation. We can start briefly with Caleb Williams, who Ben Johnson has called week-to-week. In my experience, week-to-week is Johnson-speak for “he won’t play.” Once he upgrades Caleb Williams to day-to-day, that’s when he has a chance to play. So I agree, it’s not going to be Caleb Williams on Monday.
As for Tyson Bagent, he remains in concussion protocol at the time of my answering this question, so I don’t think he will play on Monday, but you can’t say he is definitely out, especially with the extra day of rest. Bagent is what you want in a QB2. He has some mobility to get out of issues; he can operate an offense efficiently, and he doesn’t make a ton of mistakes. But make no mistake, he isn’t a starter. He doesn’t have a strong arm and doesn’t have a lot of dynamic attributes. There is a pretty large percentage of Bears fans that adore Bagent and think he can step in and the offense will barely miss a beat. I am not of that school. The offense takes a significant hit without Caleb Williams, but it shouldn’t be inoperable with Bagent.
As for Case Keenum, that’s one hell of a wild card. Keenum has only thrown 140 regular-season passes this decade and has a yards-per-attempt under 6 in that time. That would tell you that Keenum would be awful if he has to play, especially when you consider the last pass he threw was in 2023. However, I think there’s a decent chance that Keenum can operate well in Ben Johnson’s system. I understand they are exhibition games against 3rd-stringers, but he looks like an All-Pro when he plays in the preseason. This past preseason, he was 25 for 40 for 354 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs. That’s a passer rating of 107.7. He had similar preseason success last year as well. Does it matter? Probably not, but I just bring it up that he does look far better with Ben Johnson than he did previously in Houston and Cleveland.
Will Keenum look like a solid veteran QB in Ben Johnson’s system or the player that looked cooked three years ago and show why he’s basically an assistant QB coach as the team’s QB3? Your guess is as good as mine.
2 – The Bears lead the NFL in yards per rush attempt. What makes their run game so hard to stop?
It’s a combination of talent and scheme, but it starts up front. The Bears offensive line is what makes this run game go. The right side of the offensive line can dominate in the run game with Darnell Wright and Jonah Jackson. Garrett Bradbury is probably the weakest link right now at center, but Joe Thuney still is an elite guard on the right, and the left tackle continues to be “good enough” whether it’s been Braxton Jones or Theo Benedet. But it’s not just the talent of the offensive line; it’s how Ben Johnson puts his linemen in positions to succeed.
The scheme works in such a way that when linemen need to scrape and get to the second level, they are in a great position to wall off the linebacker rather than chase them. They did a great job neutralizing Derrick Brown in week one, and you saw what they did against the Eagles’ front last November. But it’s not invincible. Brian Flores did a great job scheming up defensive fronts that gave the Vikings the advantage, and I’m sure Vic Fangio has learned some things from last year, and I’m sure he’s been watching the Flores tape from last week and getting some ideas as well.
But I don’t want to discredit D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. They are both quality running backs. A lot of Bears fans, myself included, were mostly out on Swift, but he’s been a different player since Johnson has arrived. He’s not the same guy in Detroit that seemed to avoid contact. He runs downhill and runs hard when he does it. Monangai is the perfect RB2 in this system. He doesn’t have elite speed, but he takes great angles and has the ability to break tackles when need be.
With Caleb Williams out, the running game is going to be crucial.
3 – Through two games, the Bears have allowed the third-most yards per play in the NFL. What are the issues on defense?
The issues are a lack of talent. I hate to just make it that simple, but that’s what it comes down to. I know the Vikings only had 9 points, but the field was insanely wet, and it rained hard for the entire game. So I’m not ready to say the defense figured anything out, especially when it’s an offense led by Carson Wentz.
In the secondary, Kyler Gordon and Coby Bryant were two key pieces, and they are both injured. Jaylon Johnson does not look like the same player he was a couple of years ago, and Tyrique Stevenson can make plays, but he also gets torched multiple times per game. Rookies Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad have both been bright spots for the team so far.
The linebacking group was supposed to be a strength, but Devin Bush has been a non-factor. He’s been getting lost in traffic and hasn’t been able to utilize his speed to make plays. TJ Edwards is slow and can still be effective in the run game, but he’s not good in coverage.
The defensive line is also a major concern. Last offseason, they signed Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo, and both of them have been hugely disappointing. [Former Eagle] Kentavius Street, who was on a practice squad last year, is starting as their other defensive tackle. That’s never good. Austin Booker continues to improve as an edge player but still isn’t a game changer. Montez Sweat is easily the team’s best defensive lineman, but he just doesn’t have much help around him.
I expect the Bears to massively overhaul this defense in 2027 when they can get out of a few of these contracts, but for 2026, it is what it is.
4 – What’s the biggest matchup in the Bears’ favor and the biggest matchup against their favor?
Well, I think the easiest one is the biggest disadvantage, and that will be the Eagles offensive line vs. the Bears defensive line. I understand Landon Dickerson is out, and the Eagles offensive line isn’t quite what it used to be, but it’s still a strong unit, and the Bears defensive line just isn’t. If the Philly OL can’t control the line of scrimmage, that would be rather surprising.
I think the biggest advantage for them is the fact that the Eagles are struggling to stop the run right now, and the Bears block it extremely well.
Maybe it’s a cliché, but I think this game is going to come down to controlling the line of scrimmage. Both teams have strong offensive lines and have a chance to control the line when they have the ball. I think the Bears need to really have long drives and keep their defense off the field. Can they do it without Caleb Williams? We will see on Monday night.
5 – Who wins this game and why? With the Eagles currently listed as 3.5-point road favorites, what’s your score prediction?
This comes down to Caleb Williams. If he were healthy, I would be picking the Bears, but he isn’t, so that makes it difficult to do so. I think the Eagles will be able to score points against a Bears defense that I expect to struggle. I think the Bears will be able to do a little offensively, but I don’t think it will be enough.
I have this one: Eagles 27, Bears 17.
