The Chicago Bears are heading into their biggest game of the year, one that can dictate what the rest of their season will entail. Caleb Williams stepped up to the plate last week versus the Steelers; he will have to do it all over again versus the Eagles. I think Caleb will deliver, but he will not do it all alone. He will have his best playmakers step up big time for him and the Bears.
Here are my five expectations for the Bears versus Eagles on Friday:
Caleb Williams will be the best quarterback in this game
Jalen Hurts and this passing offense have struggled this season, and a big part of the blame has gone to Jalen Hurts’ play. Jalen Hurts has a tough matchup, missing his best receiver this season, Devonta Smith, and the most important pieces of his dominant offensive line. I think Jalen Hurts will struggle in this game, and the Bears’ defense will get two costly turnovers off of him. Caleb Williams, on the other hand, will build off of his great performance last week. The Bears’ offense keeps getting better; this unit is just waiting for the game in which they put it all together. It will be tough sledding for the Bears’ run game with the Eagles’ dominant front. Just like last week, the pressure was high on Caleb to step up in his case and carry the Bears’ offense to success. This week will be no different, and I think Caleb will be up to the challenge. I can see Caleb throwing for 3 passing touchdowns and around the same amount of passing yards. This game will be the I have arrived game for Caleb Williams.
Colston Loveland will lead the Bears in receiving yards
Colston Loveland is a tough cover verus any defensive player that matches up against him. He has the speed to run right past linebackers, and he is way too physical for smaller defensive backs. He will be the perfect weapon for the Bears to utilize in this game. Over the last few games, he has built more and more confidence and connection. His connection with Caleb has also gotten better and better after each game. The Eagles’ defense is suffocating, but when Caleb gets in trouble, I think he will look to Love to save him. I expect a game similar to the game Loveland had verus the Bengals. He may not necessarily have a long game-winning touchdown, but I think he will post 100 yards receiving and a touchdown for the second time this season verus Philadelphia.
Rome Odunze will post over 80 yards and get a touchdown
Rome Odunze started the season leading the NFL in receiving touchdowns, but since that nice stretch of games, he has been disappointingly inconsistent. Against the Eagles’ defense, the Bears will need multiple playmakers to step up. While I think Loveland will lead the Bears in receiving, I think Caleb’s number one target will show up big for him. Rome needs to work on being more reliable on a consistent basis, but in clutch moments, he has shown up for Caleb. Rome will demonstrate that against the Eagles. I think Rome will at least touch 80 yards receiving, and he and Caleb Williams will connect on a game-winning touchdown.
Montez Sweat will dominate Fred Johnson
The Eagles will be without Lane Johnson once again, and Fred Johnson has been solid in a relief role. Montez Sweat is turning back into the pass rusher Ryan Poles, and this franchise hoped he would be. Sweat has had 6.5 sacks in the last 6 games. A matchup against Fred Johnson should be one in which Sweat should be able to continue his dominance. Sweat is coming off a 2 sack game against the Steelers, and I think Sweat can have a similar output Friday. The Eagles have been a team known to dominate in the trenches; they simply have gotten away from that. The Eagles also have three of their starting five offensive linemen dealing with injuries, two of which will miss Friday’s game. Sweat is the heartbeat of the Bears’ defense line, and he will ignite this pass rush to have a solid performance versus Philadelphia.
Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will show up big in their return
The Bears are getting reinforcements back this week with their star corners returning versus the Eagles. The Eagles’ passing attack has struggled this season just as much as the Bears, if not more. With the Bears’ ability to get takeaways at a high level, even prior to the return of their star corners. If the Eagles are missing Devonta Smith in this game, it will be an elite secondary that just has to prioritize keeping a disgruntled A.J. Brown in check. AJ Brown has had a disappointing season, and he has made it clear he is not happy about that. Brown looked good against Dallas, but I think the Bears have enough manpower to keep him in check. Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon will both make their presence felt. I can see Kyler Gordon getting a sack in this game and making a couple of nice stops. It will be fun to watch him and C.J. Gardner-Johnson share the field together. Jaylon Johnson, on the other hand, I think he will get an interception in his first game back. He will more than likely take on the A.J. Brown matchup and will add another game to Brown’s disappointing season.
This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Caleb Williams will have to be at his best to beat Eagles on Friday
Reporting by Micah Huff, Trojans Wire / Trojans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
