Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears Preview
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago
When: Monday, September 19, 8:25 PM ET
Line: Philadelphia Eagles (+3) at Chicago Bears (-3); total 43.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: ESPN
Writer’s Pick: Chicago Bears (-3)
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Betting on the Philadelphia Eagles (+3)
Carson Wentz had probably the best NFL debut he could’ve asked for. The No. 2 overall pick went 22-of-37 for 278 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Eagles to a 29-10 win over the Cleveland Browns. Of course, he was helped by Cleveland’s very bad defense playing to its typically low standards. But the good news for him is that the Bears’ D doesn’t figure to be that much better than the Browns’, if at all.
Meanwhile, the O-line should help the Eagles gain traction against the Bears, who owned the league’s worst run defense last season. Ryan Mathews and the Eagles running game had 133 yards against the Browns.
The Eagles defense limited Cleveland to 288 total yards, and could once again be decisive in Chicago. They have a very good pass rush capable of forcing Jay Cutler into a few mistakes, and their solid secondary can limit any big gains by the Bears receivers.
Betting on the Chicago Bears (-3)
For one half, at least, the Chicago Bears looked pretty competitive against a playoff-caliber Texans team on the road. The Bears took a 14-10 lead going into halftime, but a costly turnover early in the second half proved costly as they eventually succumbed to a 23-14 defeat.
Jay Cutler didn’t have the greatest numbers in the opener, as he went 16-of-29 for 216 yards with a touchdown and an interception, which wasn’t really his fault. The one bright spot for him was his connection with Alshon Jeffery, who had four catches for 105 yards. With Jeffery, Kevin White, and Eddie Royal (4 catches, 57 yards, 1 TD in Week 1), Cutler definitely has the receivers to put up much bigger numbers in their home opener.
Cutler wasn’t help by a Bears running game which finished with just 73 yards on 3.7 yards per carry against Houston. However, they could have a much more successful time running the ball against a subpar Eagles run defense which finished 28th last season per DVOA and coughed up 5.7 yards per carry to the Browns.
The Bears defense, which finished second from bottom last season per DVOA, still has some work to do despite some key offseason signings. But don’t discount that defense from getting some help in the form of mistakes/turnovers from a rookie quarterback who’ll be playing his very first NFL road game.
Writer’s Prediction
The Bears (-3) work out a few of their kinks on both sides of the ball, while Wentz suffers a letdown on the road. The Bears get the 24-21 home win.
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