The Philadelphia Eagles will be going up against a brick wall this Sunday in the Chicago Bears defense. Revenge might be on their mind after having a solid 2018 campaign that took them to the playoffs, but got iced by Doug Pederson and missed their potential game-winning field goal attempt.
The Bears still have one of the top defenses in the league, with playmakers like defensive end Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson. The Eagles offense will certainly have their hands full to keep themselves in this game.
The one thing the Eagles have going for them is their run offense has improved drastically this year compared to 2018. Jordan Howard is fresh off his most rushing yards in a single game this year with 96 yards against the Buffalo Bills, and Miles Sanders added 74 yards of his own on just three carries (one of which went for a 65-yard touchdown). They will need to bring that thunder and lightning duo to wear down this tough defense. I look forward to seeing Howard showing his old team what they lost out on, and I suspect he will have a field day.
If the running game shows up, maybe quarterback Carson Wentz and company will have time to find their rhythm to make a well-rounded offensive effort on Sunday. One thing that will certainly help is having wide receiver DeSean Jackson potentially back after being without him since Week 2. The Eagles can’t rely on him to win the game himself though, because it's very doubtful that he is back at 100% health. Doug Pederson have to get creative with the passing game to give the running backs more chances to bring the heat to light this offense up. Maybe some RPOs are in order.
With all honesty, there are a lot of Bears defensive players that I would love to have on the Eagles. Just because they are not as dominant as they were in 2018, doesn't mean you can take them lightly. Time and time again their defense has changed games and put their offense in a position to win those games (although their offense has faltered with those opportunities). This game will be a test for both teams, and both have their fair share of playmakers. This game might come down to which offense has the ball last and can make a play.
