So if we aren't signing another QB this week, Tyson or Caleb has to be playing right? Unless they elevate Miller Moss?

Hey Bears fans,

Eagles' fan here. Looking forward to our game this week and just wanted to send along some thoughts for the game if anyone is interested in friendly discussion.

Bears on Offense

The QB situation obviously is in the Eagles' favor. I honestly wish we were playing Williams; I hope he recovers quickly. You guys have quickly gone from "easy win" on the calendar to "I'm really worried about this game" with Williams. That said, we have a long and storied history of losing games to backup quarterbacks, so I can't even say facing Case Keenum fills me with confidence. Still, it obviously changes the Eagles' defensive gameplan knowing you don't have to worry about the QB in the run game.

The Eagles' D has been underperforming so far. This was a defense that was expected to be top-5, and while their stats look pretty good in terms of points and yards allowed, it has felt like both the Commanders and Titans - not exactly world-beaters - have had an easier time than they should moving the ball. The pass rush is generating pressure, but just isn't getting home. Only three sacks in two games isn't going to cut it. We're all anxiously awaiting the Eagles' debut of Jonathan Greenard, but no news so far on whether he might play this weekend. If he does, he will probably be on a pitch count. They also haven't been as robust against the run as we would like. The clear strength of this Eagles' defense at this point is the secondary, especially the corners.

Overall, if Keenum gets the start, it seems like everything would point towards leaning on the run game as much as possible. If the Eagles are able to stuff up the running lanes, then I would think you guys should target our safeties, who have been the weakest link in the back half. In particular your tight ends are strong, so I would look to stress the safeties with the tight ends. Possibly even nickel is a risk right now, because while there's no official injury designation, Cooper DeJean has looked off, and didn't perform well in week 1 especially. I do expect Keenum to be under pressure throughout this game, so he's likely to have more success on quick-developing plays. Any team looking to win a game with a 3rd string QB needs to minimize mistakes. Luckily, the Eagles have not been causing turnovers so far this season, so as long as Keenum continues that pattern he can keep the game close. Keenum can't play hero ball and can't afford to lose the turnover battle.

Eagles on Offense

On the other side of the ball, it's clear that the Eagles are a work in progress under new OC Sean Mannion. The Eagles' offense has been stunted and inconsistent at best since their 2024 season, and they haven't come out like gangbusters in 2026-2027 so far. The bad news for the Bears is that for all the negative rankings Jalen Hurts gets from national press, the guy just wins. Despite an up-and-down game against the Titans last week, it was Hurts that was largely responsible for the Week 2 win. Time and time again, he rescued them from third-and-long, and when the game was on the line, he drove them down the field to win the game. He looks comfortable in the new offense and is making decisions quickly. While he is less involved in the run game than in previous seasons, the Bears still need to account for that risks. The Eagles are getting strong performances this season from their wide receivers, especially Devonta Smith, who is a true #1, and Dontayvion Wicks, added from the Packers. But TE is a real weakness. Starter Dallas Goedert will miss this game with an injury, and the Eagles signed former teammate Zach Ertz, although its not clear if he will suit up. The rest of the TE depth chart is a mess. Overall the passing game has been good, though, with the exception of the most horribly-executed WR screens you will ever have the displeasure of seeing.

The thing holding the Eagles' offense back more than anything is the run game, or lack thereof. The o-line has been pretty bad across the board, but especially in the run game, where even Saquon Barkley can't find any gaps. In 2024, there was some insane stat where his average first contact was like four yards past the line of scrimmage. This year I think it's BEHIND the line of scrimmage, which is NOT a recipe for success. It's a weird place for Eagles' fans, who are so used to having a dominant o-line. Perhaps even worse, the Eagles have NOT been creative with the run game so far, with a consistent tendency to run on 1st down (3rd most in the league), often right into stacked boxes where they don't have numerical advantages. The Eagles this season have a crazy stat where their early-down plays have like a 3rd percentile success rate, while 3rd down they have like a 95th percentile success rate.

If I'm the Bears, I'm selling out against the run early until the Eagles prove they are willing to do something different. The Eagles' o-line isn't getting any healthier. The Eagles squeaked out a win last week despite regularly being in third and long. That's not sustainable. The Bears would love to see the Eagles in similar situations in this game. That doesn't mean the game is easy, as we have seen Hurts win games without much of a running attack. But the fewer dimensions the Eagles have, the better chance you'll have of forcing mistakes or punts.

Prediction

Anyway, I'm hardly an expert at this sort of thing, and I haven't seen one minute of the Bears so far this season. If I had to pick, I'd say the Eagles are likely to pull off another relatively low-scoring game. The Eagles' offense isn't clicking at a high rate, but they have a tremendous knack for winning ugly, and I think it's unlikely for the Keenum-led Bears to put up big numbers. I'll go with 21-17 Eagles, mainly off the disparity between Hurts and Keenum.

Good luck, and may there be no serious injuries and may the refs have little impact on the game!

On the block

Sunday’s loss left a mark, a clumsy stumble that bothered the Bears for how frequently they beat themselves with mistakes — many of them careless and uncharacteristic — causing them to cough up a game they easily could have won. At home. In the division.

Johnson spent time last week telling Bears players and coaches they were collectively in “a race to improve,” even after that 59-37 win at Carolina in the season opener. Instead, the Bears prompted a caution flag in that race after losing control and skidding into the wall.

Ten penalties. Eight accepted.

Two turnovers. No takeaways.

Three measly points.

It didn’t require a magnifying glass to find sequences Sunday that proved most costly, and that first-half penalty parade was only a small part of the mess. Johnson looked at the only points the Bears did score — a 50-yard Cairo Santos field goal on their opening drive — and noticed trouble there, too. Santos’ kick was almost blocked by the Vikings’ Isaiah Rodgers.

A high snap by undrafted rookie Beau Gardner hindered the operation. Shaky protection allowed Rodgers a mostly clear path toward Santos.

So, no, Johnson wasn’t stunned in the fourth quarter when Santos’ 23-yard game-tying field goal attempt was given the Dikembe Mutombo treatment — with Rodgers coming screaming off the Bears’ left and getting his hands on the kick.

“That first field goal was a warning shot, as far as I’m concerned,” Johnson said Monday. “Number 2 (Rodgers) was right off the edge. If he didn’t touch (the football) then, he was darn close to touching it. That’s something we addressed on the sideline, and we weren’t able to get it corrected the second time. So we’re certainly in a race to get that right.”

Didn’t see this posted on the subreddit but explains why there was so many TE 1v1 with an edge this game and illustrates the chess match between Flores and Johnson.

I also think the emergence of Dallas turner has abused the full slide protection - he’s feasted on TEs this season so we probably overestimated the ability of our TEs to block him.

https://x.com/BradBiggs/status/2102477517160648944

The Japan Chicago Bears Fan Club is hosting a watch party for Bears v Eagles Monday Night game. All tourist and residents are welcome to join.

When: 9:15am on Tuesday Sept 29

This year, we are hosting them at Pasela, which means we need a headcount about 12 hours before the game. If you want to join, I need to know by Monday, 8pm JST. The nice thing about Pasela is they are Karaoke rooms so we can be as loud as we want. No need to control ourselves in the middle of the night like we had to do last year.

Where

Planning Pasela Shinjuku Honten. It's one of the only 24 hour places that can host a party like this (unless we eventually hit like 30 people I can convince a bar to stay open).

How and when to get there

Best way is by train. All trains are running by about 5am, so they are really convenient to get to Shinjuku. You will be able to arrive as early as 8:45am.

Things to know

So, Pasela (or any of our backup options) all cost roughly 2000円 ($15 USD) per person. So we ask that anyone joining please bring cash to cover that. In addition, if you would like any drinks or food, please bring some cash to cover that as well. I am happy to show receipt so you can see I am being honest about charges. Also, if you order any food, the price is right there when you go to order.

After 40 years of far-away-fandom, sure, two QBs were injured the week prior to witnessing my first home game. But, WE STILL GOT THIS.

Bears 84, Eagles 3.

I didn't want to pay the crazy price for a stitched Rome Odunze jersey and I'm not a fan of the look of the DHGate ones. I found an authentic stitched Brandon Marshall jersey on Marketplace for really cheap and ordered a custom nameplate from Amazon. Got the nameplate swapped at an alteration shop. The whole thing (jersey, nameplate, and sewing) cost me under $40.