The Bears already came into this game against the Eagles as the walking wounded but as today’s game wore on the Bears would continue to lose players during their 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Early in the 1st quarter, Bears WR Equanimous St. Brown got hit as he was being tackled after a reception. He would miss the rest of the game under the concussion protocol. Minutes later, OL Teven Jenkins went down and had to be carted off with an apparent neck injury. He would not return. LB Jack Sanborn also left the game with an ankle injury in the 3rd quarter and CB Jaylon Johnson injured his abdomen.

With all of these injuries you would think the Bears would have been blown out by the Eagles but the Bears hung tough with the team that possessed the league’s best record. The Bears actually had opportunities to either expand on a lead earlier in the game or take the lead later in the game. The Bears inability to convert on third downs(the Bears were 5 for 13 on 3rd downs) and their futility in pass protection played a large part in Bears offensive drive.

In a duel of must see QBs, Jalen Hurts & Justin Fields showed why they will be two of the premiere QBs in this league. Jalen Hurts finished his day with 22 for 37 passing for 315 yards and 2 INTs. He also added 17 rushes for 61 yards and 3 TDs. Justin Fields completed 14 of 21 passes for 152 yards and 2 TDs. He also added 15 rushes for 95 yards and became just the 3rd QB in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season joining Michael Vick & Lamar Jackson. Fields also added to his highlight reel with the most ridiculous 40-yard scramble I may have ever seen.

The Good, Bad & Ugly

The Good: Justin Fields added another record to his resume and now needs just 207 rushing yards over the last 3 games to own the single season record for rushing yards by a QB. He also used his legs to set up some throws including the 39-yard TD pass to Byron Pringle to give the Bears a shot to come back. Kudos to the defense who forced 3 turnovers against the Eagles. David Montgomery was his usual dependable self with 91 all-purpose yards and 2 TDs. Props to Jaylon Johnson who battled AJ Brown all game long. Kyler Gordon also had an INT and fumble recovery today.

The Bad: As hard as the defense fought today, they still gave up 421 yards to the Eagles and had a hard time getting off the field as the Eagles converted on 9 of their 16 third down attempts. Special teams also didn’t have a good day as Cairo Santos missed an extra point, declined on attempting a 48-yard FG and then the special teams unit gave up a long kickoff return that led to an easy Eagles TD to start the 2nd half.

The Ugly: Yes, the Bears OL has been beat up all year and losing Teven Jenkins early on didn’t help matters but that offensive line was just horrific in the 1st half as Justin Fields was sacked 6 times. I felt the coaching staff wasn’t as quick to respond to the blitz packages the Eagles were sending. Also, if your kicker can’t kick a 48-yard FG and the excuse given was that it “out of his range” then you need to find a new kicker. Oh by the way, Velus Jones, Jr. lost another fumble today. Another one. That’s what happens when you have a special teamer playing in an important position. Just terrible.

The Grades:

Offense: The offense was pretty limited to begin without Mooney, Claypool & Khalil Herbert going into the game and then they lost Jenkins & St. Brown. Credit to Justin Fields for staying in the fight and making the game more of a contest than it should have been. The offensive line continued to show why it needs major upgrades. Grade: C

Defense: The defense gave the offense opportunities by forcing 3 turnovers today. Jaylon Johnson and Jaquan Brisker battled and made plays today. Kyler Gordon accounted for two of those turnover with a pick and fumble recovery. They also gave up 421 yards and allowed QB Jalen Hurts to score 3 rushing touchdowns. Grade: C+

Special Teams: A missed extra point, a delay of game penalty to put yourself in a punt situation because your kicker didn’t think he could make a 48-yard FG and a long kickoff return given up to start the 2nd half spells a bad day at the office for special teams. Grade: F

Coaching: The coaching staff was late with adjustments to the Eagles’ blitz schemes in the 1st half. The decision to take the delay of game penalty instead of attempting a 48 yard FG or even going for it on 4th down was also a head scratcher. With players dropping like flies today the coaching staff did all they could today. Grade: C-

670 The Score’s Laurence Holmes offered his thoughts:

Here’s my #DaBears initial reaction: https://t.co/5YrUMcWszW

Originally tweeted by Laurence Holmes (@LaurenceWHolmes) on December 18, 2022.

Up Next: The Bears welcome the AFC East leading Buffalo Bills into town next Sunday. With a win the Bills will lock up the AFC East.

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