How The Eagles Stack Up Against The Bears

With the midpoint of the Eagles’ season waiting just beyond Monday night’s sunset, it is not too early to label games as must win. Perhaps, with the exception of the three remaining divisional games, the Chicago Bears are the final NFC team the Eagles will likely play that has a winning record. That means that Monday’s meeting could directly impact the Eagles hopes of a wildcard playoff berth.

The Bears will enter Monday night’s game with a modest 4-3 record. Their three losses all came against teams, that if the season ended right now, would be playoff bound. With a very manageable schedule remaining, and victories already against the Falcons and Buccaneers, a Bears win would put them in a position to control their own destiny.

It is a bold statement for a week nine match-up, but for two teams that are not in the same division this game could not be more important.

So is that good news or bad news for the Eagles?

Well, it is hard to tell. In the last four meetings the Bears have won three of them. That being said, the largest margin of victory in any of those games was just five points. The teams clearly know each other well.

Here is what Andy Reid had to say:
“I think they know us and we know them, and every time we play each other each of us adds a new little wrinkle. I’m sure they feel the same way. They have a pretty good grasp on what we do, and likewise with us.”

Not so fast coach. This Eagles’ team has proved to be different thus far in 2011. The main wrinkle has been the emergence of a running game that ranks number one in the league.

The Eagles will take this new weapon and their number one ranked offense to The Linc Monday and play what could easily become a chess match against the Bears’ defense.

Although the once prolific Bears’ defense has fallen off slightly this year, the team’s twenty-third ranking can be deceptive. Chicago yields only twenty-one points per game.

The Bears run defense appears to have aged but still remains a very respectable thirteenth in the league, giving up just four rushing touchdowns this season. On the other hand, Chicago’s twenty-eighth ranked pass defense has struggled mightily, surrendering over 270 yards per game.

This could provide a great opportunity for the Eagles to unleash their full passing arsenal and get the offense going full motion. Thus far the Eagles have thrown for 1,886 yards, which is good for ninth in the league. However, with names like Maclin, Jackson, Avant and Smith on the roster, a top five finish is expected. Look for the Eagles to run plenty of three wide receiver sets Monday night.

On the other side of the ball, things get a little more complicated.

The Bears’ offense has been very pedestrian this season and ranks sixteenth in the league. They are headlined by Tulane graduate Matt Forte who is putting together a career year. Thus far, the fourth year back has rushed for 672 yards and an average of 5.4 yards per carry.

Jay Cutler has played much better this year compared to seasons past. He is completing nearly sixty percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. Much of Cutler’s success this season is due to the consistency of his wide receivers that now go four deep.

Devin Hester appears to have finally staked his claim in the starting lineup while rookie Dane Sanzenbacher has contributed with three touchdowns. However, the star of the league’s seventeenth ranked passing offense is Matt Forte. Forte’s thirty-eight receptions and 419 yards lead the team.

The Eagles and their eleventh overall defense have shown much improvement over the last few weeks and appear to finally have both chemistry and a game plan.

Last week, Juan Castillo’s unit held the Cowboys to only seven points and the Redskins to thirteen two week’s prior. However, neither one of those teams boast a game changing running back like the Bears.

This week’s challenge will be how effective the Eagles’ linebackers can contain Matt Forte. Currently the Birds give up 117 yards on the ground each game but have not allowed a back eclipse the century mark since week five. In last year’s 31-26 Bear’s victory, Forte accounted for 139 yards of total offense.

The other aspect of the Eagles defense to watch is the defensive line. It is likely that on running downs (first and second down) the Eagles will trade pressure for containment and stray away from the wide nine.

Ultimately, Monday’s night’s game will come down to one player – Matt Forte. If the Eagles stop the dangerous Chicago halfback, they should have the game more than in hand. If not, look for the Bears’ domination of the Eagles to continue for another year.

You can follow Keith on Twitter @kzubrow