The Chicago Bears (1-1) are gearing up for a prime-time showdown against the Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) on Monda night, where they're looking to bounce back after a rough Week 2.
The Bears are coming off a brutal 9-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, where Chicago's offensive production dropped from 59 points in Week 1 to a single field goal in Week 2. Ben Johnson was out-coached by Brian Flores and the players continued to commit self-inflicted mistakes that cost them in a close game. To make matters worse, quarterback Caleb Williams suffered a hamstring injury that's expected to keep him out for a little bit. But the defense did have a nice bounce-back outing after an abysmal showing in the season opener.
Now, the focus shifts to a prime-time matchup
where Chicago needs to find a way to clean up their sloppy mistakes and find production without Williams under center. Can the Bears bounce back after a sloppy loss and upset the Eagles on Monday night? Our Bears Wire staff make their game predictions for Bears-Eagles in Week 3:
Alyssa Barbieri (1-1): Eagles 24, Bears 23
Bold prediction: Bears finish with less penalties than Eagles
The Bears' first prime-time game of the season lacks a little bit of the allure it had going into the season with Caleb Williams doubtful to play with his hamstring injury. But fresh off an abysmal offensive showing against the Vikings in Week 2, Ben Johnson needs to have his team ready to respond after sloppy play and self-inflicted mistakes led to their first loss of the season, and I believe they'll clean things up, although the result likely won't be as favorable.
The Eagles aren't as formidable as they appeared last time when the Bears dominated the trenches in a commanding win last season. But with Chicago down to their third quarterback in Case Keenum, it's hard to feel incredibly confident that they can emerge victorious unless everything goes write on both offense and defense. I expect a heavy dose of the run game with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai to take the pressure off presumably Keenum under center.
If the offense cleans up the penalties, the defense looks more like their Week 2 selves than Week 1 and if the offensive line can replicate their performance from a season ago, there's no doubt the Bears can beat the Eagles on Monday night, even with Keenum at quarterback. But I'm not as confident as I would've been had it been Williams, or even Tyson Bagent, getting the starting nod. So I'm predicting a narrow 24-23 win for Philadelphia, leaving the door open for Chicago.
Brendan Sugrue (1-1): Bears 23, Eagles 21
Bold prediction: Bears get at least 4 sacks
All week long, I’ve been picking the Eagles to win this game. Heck, even before Williams went down with his hamstring injury, I believed Philadelphia would come away with a victory. And yet I can’t help but believe in the magic of 38-year-old Case Keenum and a rock-solid rushing attack that was built for games like these.
We’ve seen journeymen quarterbacks like Keenum use their one or two shots to go out and get a win in the past. Guys like Colt McCoy, Josh McCown, Joe Flacco, and Nick Foles. And Keenum gets to operate Ben Johnson’s offense against a defense with a suspect back seven that hasn’t forced a takeaway yet through two weeks. I think Keenum becomes the story of the game with his solid game management while D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai carry the offense.
As for the Eagles offense, Jalen Hurts is off to a fine start, but he’s also under duress quite a bit thanks to a patchy offensive line. Through two weeks, Hurts has been sacked six times, and they aren’t getting much help from their own run game. If Hurts has time, he can pick apart this Bears defense with DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks. Dennis Allen will need to scheme up some heavy pressure to knock Hurts off his game.
The Bears are a far better team than what they showed last week against the Vikings. They had ample opportunities to win that game and nearly did so in the pouring rain. It may have been a wake-up call for players and coaches alike. I do not see them making the same mistakes they did last Sunday. Ultimately Chicago squeaks by with a close win and gets their first home win on Monday Night Football since 2018.
Mike Pendleton (1-1): Bears 24, Eagles 21
Bold prediction: Bears win the game on a defensive takeaway
I’d have less faith in Chicago if the Titans didn’t take the Eagles to the brink in Week 2. Not only did the Titans keep it close, but Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward’s touchdowns came with his legs and not his arm. The ground game feels the best way that the Bears can get this job done, although Philadelphia will certainly remember how Chicago beat them last year.
Saquon Barkley’s injury has him up in the air, and if he is not out there, I feel very confident in the fact that the Bears can keep this game close. A defensive takeaway to force the game-winning field goal and electrify Soldier Field after last week is the perfect recipe for the Bears to get back in the win column.
Vinnie Parise (1-1): Bears 24, Eagles 21
Bold prediction: Bears rush for 200+ yards again
The Chicago Bears are dealing with some injury trouble at the quarterback position. It is still unclear who will be under center, but that player is going to rely heavily on the run game. Ben Johnson loves to run the ball anyway, and this is their chance to go overboard with it.
If the Bears are successful in the trenches, both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai should find success. It is difficult against a good Eagles front, but the Bears offensive line has faced them before as a unit. They can do it again. Chicago’s defense needs to play more like they did against Minnesota than Carolina if they want to keep Jalen Hurts at bay. The Bears hired Ben Johnson to work through difficult times like this, and he is going to make them compete.
Ariana Pensy (1-1): Bears 28, Eagles 24
Bold prediction: Chicago’s defense has at least three takeaways
A win against the Eagles would be a good way to move past their Week 2 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. However, with Chicago’s injuries, it is not going to be easy. Their quarterback situation is uncertain, but Philadelphia also has a top-10 passing defense. So, the passing game is not the way to attack this team anyway. But, the Eagles run defense has been pretty bad, making efficiency from running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai essential for the Bears to win this game.
The Bears also need their defense to contain Philadelphia’s offensive weapons including running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Devonta Smith. Barkley’s status is in question although after being a full participant on Friday, it seems like he is going to play. Smith’s availability is also in question due to a hamstring injury. If Smith is not in this game, I am honestly not very concerned about Chicago’s defense especially after Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts threw two interceptions against the Tennessee Titans. Hurts is also not his best on Monday games, so I am projecting he will have multiple turnovers which will be crucial to the Bears’ win.
Randy Holt (1-1): Eagles 20, Bears 16
Bold prediction: Cairo Santos knocks a pair of 50-yard field goals.
There’s a lot of pessimism going into this pick. The Eagles haven’t looked particularly good this season, but Saquon Barkley appears on track to play and the Bears’ defense won’t have the benefit of the weather conditions that they had in Week 2. While I don’t think they’ll be particularly overmatched this time out, I’m much less confident in this unit’s ability to handle an offense led by Barkley & Jalen Hurts than I was about their ability to handle Carson Wentz. More than anything, though, I think the Eagles’ ability to put points on the board will come largely as a result of the Bears defense being on the field a whole bunch.
While there’s almost no way the run game will look as ineffective as it did against the Vikings, the Eagles will be able to key in on it more than they would if Caleb Williams were healthy. Acting under the assumption that we don’t see either of Williams or Tyson Bagent, it’s very difficult to drum up confidence behind an offense led by Case Keenum in the year 2026. They’ll do enough on both sides of the ball to hang around, but I don’t think we’ll come away from an Eagles game with the same level of buzz that we did last year.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Will Bears beat the Eagles? Our game picks and bold predictions
