Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) at Chicago Bears (0-1); Analysis, Injury Report, Prediction
Source: Inquisitr
The "Carson Wentz Show" reaches the prime-time stage tomorrow night, when the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Soldier Field to wage war with the Chicago Bears. The Birds are soaring high, fresh off of a 29-10 victory against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday, while the Bears are limping home after a 23-14 loss at the hands of the Houston Texans. This is a pivotal game for both teams, as the Eagles play host to cross-state rivals Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, while the Bears travel down to Texas, to take on the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. While this game is important for the Eagles, it's a must-win for the Bears, as they could be looking at the possibility of an 0-3 start after Sunday, should they drop this game.
The first two weeks of the NFL season have been a blood-bath for the players, as there have been a plethora that have fallen victim to significant injury. That being said, let's take a look at those that will sit out of Monday's game, in addition to the "walking wounded" that will fight through the pain, and take the field.
INJURY REPORT:
Chicago-
CB Kyle Fuller: Questionable with a Knee Injury
Philadelphia-
CB Leodis McKelvin: Out with a Hamstring Injury
TE Zach Ertz: Out with a Rib Injury
Overview:
In my opinion, this is one hell of an unpredictable game. Both offenses are extremely unpredictable, and neither defense is exactly a lock-down unit. That said though, each team has shown that they are capable of putting on a show -- on both sides of the ball. The Eagles are in the midst of a full-fledged makeover, with Carson Wentz being handed the keys to the franchise, following the trade of former starter Sam Bradford. Wentz got off to a great start against the Browns, finishing 22-37 for 278 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Surprisingly, the Eagles run game was able to get going as well, tallying 133 yards last week, between five runners. All told, the Eagles got a little something from all aspects of the game last week. On the flip-side, the Bears' 2016 debut was not impressive. Chicago failed to surpass 260 total yards, and could only muster up 13 points. As a team, they converted on less than 33 percent of their third-down attempts, and possessed the ball for a measly 23:41. Jay Cutler was taken down five times, as the Texans defense practically ran roughshod over the Bears offensive line.
As you can see in the above injury report, each team could be missing a key-player for this game. Chicago might be without top cornerback Kyle Fuller, while the Eagles will be without tight end Zach Ertz, and cornerback Leodis McKelvin. The good news for the Bears though, is that Fuller could still play, but at less than 100 percent. For the Eagles, it's a pair of a significant blows. Ertz was the second-most targeted Eagle last week, and the most-accurate receiver, catching six-of-seven targets for 58 yards. The bigger loss comes with McKelvin though, as the Eagles will be forced to roll with three cornerbacks for this game, a tough task considering the fact that they will be facing two explosive receivers in Alshon Jeffrey and Kevin White. Rookie Jalen Mills will draw the start, opposite of Nolan Carroll, with Ron Brooks getting the nod in nickel packages.
The Bears offense if highly unpredictable, and relies heavily on the effectiveness of Alshon Jeffrey. Given that Jim Schwartz comes from the NFC North, I'm certain that he's spent the last week game-planning for Jeffrey, and will be sufficiently prepared for him tonight. Kevin White is the name that scares me. The former West Virginia standout was taken seventh-overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, but missed all of last season with an injury. He caught three-of-seven targets last week for 34 yards, but has the ability to become a matchup nightmare. The Eagles secondary will be tasked with stopping a dangerous duo.
On the flip-side, the Eagles offense is just as unpredictable. Last week, they put out a very good showing, against a mediocre Browns squad. Carson Wentz looked NFL-ready, and seemed very comfortable in the pocket. He didn't make any poor decisions, and protected the ball. The run game surprised a lot of people, as Ryan Mathews was able to deliver a solid 77-yard performance against the Browns. Jordan Matthews was the team's strongest receiver last week, going over 100 yards with a touchdown. With Zach Ertz missing tonight's game, and Bears corner Kyle Fuller possibly sitting out, I'd venture a guess to say that we'll see a lot more of J-Matt tonight. Maybe even a Dorial Green-Beckham sighting in the red zone.
Keys to The Game:
1.) Shut Down Alshon Jeffrey
> This is a difficult task to ask of any team. Houston has a formidable secondary, yet they still surrendered 104 yards to Jeffrey last week. Naturally you can understand how truly difficult of a task this will be for the Eagles, who will be without their top corner in Leodis McKelvin for this game. Jeffrey stands 6-foot-3, and is certainly one of the more physically imposing receivers in the league, at 218 pounds. Jeffrey's a dangerous, game-changing receiver -- although, his health has proven to be his Kryptonite. Despite missing nearly half of last season with an injury, he still finished with over 800 yards and four touchdowns. He tallied at least 75 yards in seven of the nine games, although he struggled mightily in those two other games. It's a daunting task for sure, but if Jeffrey doesn't factor much into the pass game, the Eagles chances of winning soar.
2.) Feed Jordan Matthews
> The Birds are gonna be without Zach Ertz on Monday. That will leave them with a receiving corps of Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, Dorial Green-Beckham, Josh Huff, Bryce Treggs, Brent Celek, and Trey Burton. Of those names, Matthews is their only truly reliable pass-catcher. Sure, they've got Darren Sproles, although Sproles is more of a situational player. The rest are hit-and-miss, red-zone threats, or a one-shot deep threat. Last week, the Eagles targeted Matthews 14 times, and he walked away with seven grabs, resulting in 114 yards and a touchdown. Wentz seemed comfortable feeding Matthews the ball, and looks to have developed a connection with the second-year receiver out of Vanderbilt. With Chicago possibly without top corner Kyle Fuller for this contest, the team's top priority should be getting Jordan Matthews the ball. Continuing to build on that relationship is a major key to not only an Eagles victory this week, but their long-term success.
3.) Rush the QB
> Last week, the Eagles had a tough time getting pressure of Robert Griffin. If I remember correctly, it took them nearly three quarters of the game, just to record their first sack. Unlike Griffin, the Bears have a quarterback that could actually make the Eagles pay for allowing him too much time to find an open man. Not only is Jay Cutler an overall better quarterback that Griffin, but he is surrounded by a better cast of weapons, one that could really do a serious amount of a damage. Cutler doesn't handle pressure well, though. If the front-four can get at Cutler, and get hands in his face, his decision-making ability will become impaired. The Birds are going to have to force Chicago to heavily-utilize the run game, in this one.
4.) Keep a Healthy Balance
> The Eagles ran 73 offensive plays last week. 37 of those were passing plays, while 34 were run plays. The two outlier plays were both Carson Wentz fumbles. As seen in the number of plays, the Birds held a healthy balance between the run and pass games. It proved to be successful, as the run game was able to open up the pass game, and vice-versa. Philly will face a tougher defensive assignment this week, and it will be vital for them to get both aspects of their offensive working, if they wish to leave Chi-Town with a victory.
Prediction:
> I hate making predictions for Eagles games, because I have to keep my bias in check. This week, the Birds are thrown into the spotlight. Carson Wentz will be pushed into the second-level of the fire, playing his first game on national television. Soldier Field's not going to be a very-friendly stadium tonight, so he'll need to weather an early defensive storm. If he can withstand the first five minutes or so, I'm sure everything in his game will fall into place. The offense will find success in tonight's matchup, but the issues will begin to show on the defensive side. I'm not very confident in their ability to keep a lid on both Jeffrey & White, nor am I willing to bet that they can stop Jeremy Langford on the ground. In essence, I'm saying that I feel their only two chances to win this game, is if they put on an offensive showcase -- or -- they show an ability to rattle Jay Cutler, and force him to make bad decision, after bad decision. Unfortunately, I see this becoming a shootout -- one that the Eagles do not come out on the winning side of.
Chicago 31, Philadelphia 27
