It's a Springtime in Philly kind of night…but there will be no hay to put in the barn, as the Dallas Cowboys overcame the Washington Redskins earlier today, 24-23.
That means next Sunday in Dallas is the battle for the NFC East division title, as the Cowboys are now 8-7. Whether the Eagles win or tie tonight against the Bears, they will still have to beat the Cowboys next week.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Lincoln Financial Field
8:30 P.M. EST Sunday Night Football
TV- NBC Radio- 94.1 WIP FM
CHICAGO BEARS (8-6) vs. EAGLES (8-6)
Mild temperature, some moisture… 65 degrees F.
Here's the classic 3-Minute Drill:
Bears keys to victory:
- Turnover Free Cutler: Last week against the Browns, the Bears and Jay were the opposite of turnover free. They turned over the ball 3 times (2 INT’s/1 fumble/2 returned for TD’s) but still managed to get a victory. If Jay turns the ball over to Nick Foles and the Eagles offense, they’ll find themselves in a hole. No team wants to get behind the eight ball against a Chip Kelly offense. Ditching your game plan and chasing points is never good for any offense, especially if that offense is quarterbacked by a gun-slinging Jay Cutler.
- Force turnovers: Last week, the Bears finally forced a couple turnovers for the first time in what seemed like forever. The vintage Bears defense needs to come out to play against the Foles led offense. Make Nick uncomfortable in the pocket and force him into making bad decisions (something that has not happened all year for Foles). This would give the Bears and Cutler extra possessions that could end up being a huge difference maker in a game like this.
- Classic Devin Hester: Devin had a solid game last week and made a huge difference in the field position battle against the Browns. This is something the Bears will need again against Philly. Considering punts will be few and far between in this defenseless battle, Hester will need to make plays on these punt returns. Winning the field position battle usually works out in your favor. Devin will get a decent amount of chances on kick off returns (there will be A LOT of scoring in this game), breaking one of those will make things that much easier for Cutler and the Bears.
Eagles keys to victory:
- Get LeSean rolling: McCoy rushed for 38 yards against the Vikings last week, which was not acceptable whatsoever for this Eagles offense. Feed LeSean the rock and get him rolling against this shaky Bears run defense. This will open up the play action passing game for Nick Foles.
- Pressure Jay Cutler: It’s pretty much a well known fact that putting pressure on Jay Cutler ends up working out well for any defense. Jay has a knack for forcing throws under pressure. This is something the Eagles need to do. With an explosive offense like the Eagles have, extra possessions usually turn into points.
- Exploit the Bears secondary: The Bears secondary isn’t very good, and besides Tim Jennings, it’s actually pretty bad. Foles has the weapons to do major damage to this defense. With Jackson and Cooper stretching the field, and McCoy, Avant, and Celek getting it done across the middle, Foles should have no problem picking apart this Bears defense.
Bottom Line:
Both teams have shaky defenses and very solid offenses. If you’re a defensive guy, you should not watch – as not much defense will be played. Expect this game to be very high scoring and the winner could easily be the one who wins the turnover battle.
Time's yours….
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