The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles will square off in a Black Friday showdown, a matchup of two top teams in the NFC who are trending in opposite directions. Coming off their 21-point collapse to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 12, the Eagles have a short week to put it behind them and they’re facing a Bears team that has won four straight games for the second time this season.
Although they’re the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Eagles have made headlines for all the wrong reasons, mainly with their offensive stars AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts seemingly at a disconnect and causing adversity in the locker room. To say Brown is disgruntled is one thing, to say the Eagles are lost offensively is a bit more accurate to what they’ve shown over the past few weeks.
Regardless of the temperature inside their locker room, the Eagles are no easy challenge, and the Bears are going to have their hands full in this matchup. For Chicago, they’re a team that has proven to be on the rise, sooner than expected, and a team that has won four straight games by 5 or fewer points.
Here are the top reasons for optimism as the Bears hit the road to take on the Eagles this Friday.
Dysfunctional Eagles team
After blowing a 21-point lead to the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday, Philadelphia has to work to put it behind them quickly on a short week. All momentum was taken out of their locker room after Dallas scored 24 unanswered points, but they also only scored 26 points in their two previous games before that. Quarterback Jalen Hurts spoke after the loss to the Cowboys and said he hoped it would ignite a fire under the team, which comes off as quite the concerning statement entering Week 13. The reigning Super Bowl champions shouldn’t be considered flawless, but there seems to be more questions than answers entering a pivotal NFC matchup.
Rushing attack
Following their Week 5 bye earlier this season, the Bears have shown a significant improvement in their rushing game and it’s one of their biggest strengths. Ranking second in the NFL with 142 rushing yards per game, Chicago has also scored 13 rushing touchdowns this season, and are only behind the Buffalo Bills who have James Cook and Josh Allen leading their ground game. With D’Andre Swift getting a revenge game against his former team in the Eagles and rookie Kyle Monangai finding his footing with three straight weeks of scoring a touchdown, the Bears may have the advantage on the ground, even with Saquon Barkley being the Eagles’ superstar running back. An even bigger point of emphasis, the Eagles defense gives up over 115 rushing yards per game.
Success on the road
One year after they won just one game on the road last season, the Bears have had much better success as the visiting opponent in their first 11 games this season. Chicago has gone 4-2 on the road this season, and if they can go into Philadelphia, with a boisterous fanbase looking for answers, the Bears could silence them quickly on the field. This season, the Bears have defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders, Cincinnati Bengals, and Minnesota Vikings on the road, and all four of those games have come in one score games. Not only have the Bears proven to win as visitors, but they’re able to do so in crucial closing moments that has given them plenty of confidence throughout the season.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 reasons for optimism as Bears battle Eagles on Black Friday
Reporting by Mike Pendleton, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
