In 2025, no team in the NFL gave the Philadelphia Eagles a tougher time than the Chicago Bears.
Taking the field in the rare end-of-week Black Friday afternoon contest at Lincoln Financial Field, the Eagles entered the game coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Dallas Cowboys – which loss to Big D isn't? – and promptly took a good old-fashioned NFC North beating from the Bears, with the 24-15 score looking far closer than the actual game felt.
Saquon Barkley only rushed for 56 yards on 13 attempts, Jalen Hurts threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns but turned the ball over twice, and even a big game from AJ Brown, catching 10 balls for 132 yards and two touchdowns, did little to provide cohesion to Kevin Patullo's offense.
And on defense? Well, Ben Johnson absolutely gave it to Vic Fangio on the ground, with two running backs, Kyle Monangai and old pal D'Andre Swift, picking up over 100 yards on the ground while Caleb Williams overcame a pick to lead his team to victory.
While there were already concerns that the Eagles weren't as good as the season prior, the Bears' loss sent most fans into certified panic mode, and even if Philadelphia still made the playoffs, the idea of heading to Chicago after beating the San Francisco 49ers turned the Wildcard Round into a darned if I do ya, darned if I don't situation. Mercifully, the 49ers didn't let that happen, effectively ending the Patullo-era on January 11 with a 23-19 score, but even still, when the Bears showed up on the 2026 schedule, most fans grimaced at the thought of another ugly outing against Johnson, especially with it scheduled for Soldier Field.
With Bears week officially here, the Eagles' 2-0 record will be tested no doubt by one of the best offensive minds in football. But in a rare taste of the Football Gods looking down on the City of Brotherly Love favorably, not only is Caleb Williams unlikely to play after suffering a dramatic hamstring injury in Week 2, but his backup, Tyson Bagent, is in concussion protocol too, leaving the Bears likely to start QB3 Case Keenum against the reigning NFC East Champions.
Could the odds shift back in Chicago's favor, be that with Williams earning a clean bill of health or an injury of their own? Absolutely, but if the Eagles do get to play a severely limited Bears' offense, they'd better capitalize on it with some scoring of their own, which comes down to firing up the Hurts-DeVonta Smith connection that won them Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles need to beat the Bears through the air in Week 3
For a team that put up 261 passing yards in a 59-37 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, the Bears have somehow allowed more passing yards than they've surrendered, allowing 480 combined to Bryce Young and Carson Wentz versus just 424 by Williams and Bagent.
The Eagles, to their credit, have actually out-thrown the Bears so far this season despite their commitment to a near-50-50 run-pass ratio, with Hurts completing 40 of his 62 passing attempts for 434 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions. Sure, there have been a few passes Hurts would like back, namely his end-zone near-pick-6 against the Titans and all of those poorly executed screen passes to Makai Lemon in Week 1, but for the most part, the Eagles' offense operated through the air instead of the ground, where they still can't seem to consistently move bodies in the trenches.
And the centerpiece of this offensive attack? Well, that would be the Hurts-Smith express, bypassing the drama of last season for a finely tuned aerial assault that is equally comfortable attacking either side of the field from all three levels.
After a relatively quiet but impactful debut against the Washington Commanders
catching three of the six balls thrown his way, Smith turned in a signature effort in Week 2, catching 10 of his 13 targets for 117 yards and a touchdown. Smith showcased his elite route running, found ways to pick up extra yards after the catch, and, when the game was on the line, hauled in a sideline toe-tapper just outside of the end zone to set up a Darius Cooper touchdown with single digits on the clock.
How many 117-or-more-yard games did Brown have in Midnight Green? That would be one, against the Commanders on October 1, 2023, but hey, who's counting?
To make matters all the more impressive, the Eagles have found a new WR2 who has more than made up for promoting Smith to the big time, with Dontayvion Wicks filling the Brown role on offense but with far less concern about his actual pitch count and, as a result, he's been able to turn in career numbers, averaging 73.5 yards on five targets per game while catching a touchdown for his troubles in Week 1. After never playing more than 586 yards in any of his seasons with the Packers, Wicks already has 97 offensive snaps and could have 600 before Thanksgiving.
Factor in the return of Zach Ertz after Dallas Goedert was placed on IR with a knee injury, and the Eagles' offense has the potential to do some serious damage in Week 3.
Regardless of who is under center for the Bears in Week 3, it will absolutely be a challenge to go into Chicago and get the win, as Johnson's run game remains elite with Swift and Monangai leading the show. But because the Bears have been largely unable to slow down the pass in 2026, and both of their perimeter cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson, have sub-50 defensive grades from Pro Football Focus, the Eagles need to focus on their bread and butter in Week 3, which has largely revolved around Hurts and Smith making magic on the outside.