Three Takeaways from Bears' win over Eagles |
Dustin Riese
· · 1 hour ago
No matter what happens from here on out, the Chicago Bears can safely say they will finish the season with a winning record for the first time since 2018. Oddly enough, that was also the last time that this team made the postseason, bowing out in the Wild Card round against the Eagles on the infamous double doink.
Everyone knew this team had the potential to be one of the most improved in the league this season, but no one saw how quickly things would fall into place. With their win, the Bears are now 9-3, having won nine of their last 10 and five straight. They continue to lead the NFC North and have surged into the No. 2 seed in the NFC, pushing the Eagles down to No. 3. At this point, it's hard to argue that Ben Johnson isn't the coach of the year, as he has taken this franchise by storm and turned them into an instant playoff contender. That aside, the Bears can't afford to take their foot off the gas as things won't get any easier for them next week, or the rest of the way, for that matter.
Here are some takeaways from another massive win:
It all starts with the ground game
One of the biggest reasons for the Bears' turnaround this season has been their ability to run the football consistently. Sure, an improved offensive line helps with that, but even then, it took a while for this line to find its rhythm as a team.
Now that they have, the Bears aren't just rushing the ball, but they are running the ball right down the throats of their opponents, and for the most part have made it look easy. Take Friday, for example, against the Philadelphia Eagles, who, oddly enough, have one of the league's best defenses against the run.
Not only did the Bears gash them for 281 yards, but they had 142 yards at the half, which was one off their season average for yards per game. They were also nearly 60 yards above where the Eagles typically are, as Philadelphia had no answers for how to stop this team. Friday also marked the first time since 1985 when two Bears topped 100 yards rushing in the same game, with Kyle Monangai finishing with 130 and D'Andre Swift adding 125.
Accuracy issues need to improve
As good as things were on the ground for the Bears, their passing game struggled as Caleb Williams continues to take his lumps. Sure, the second-year man had a pair of touchdown passes, but he also had one interception on the afternoon, ending his streak of games played without a pick.
Turnovers haven't been the problem for Williams this season; instead, it's been his accuracy, as he completed less than 50% of his passes on Friday. That makes seven straight games with a completion percentage below 60%, and that alone isn't going to get it done in today's NFL.
For the most part, Williams has been able to get by with his strong running game and aggressive defense, but that can only last so long. At some point, Williams is going to have to get his accuracy under control, or that will haunt the Bears later in the season. However, with a 9-3 record, Chicago will take these struggles now as long as the wins keep coming.
Statement win
All week leading into this game, the talk was about the Bears and just how good they were as a football team. Despite an 8-3 overall record heading into Friday's play, the Bears had only one win all season against a team with a winning record, leading many to believe this team was more of a fluke than anything.
The best way to get teams to start taking you seriously is by finding a way to win against some of the best teams in the league, and the Bears certainly did that on Friday when they knocked off the Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 at Lincoln Financial Field. That is what you call a statement win, but doing it on the road makes this the statement win of all statement wins.
Even with this win under their belt, you can be the Bears still won't get the love and respect they deserve up until they play the Packers in week 14. Win that game at Lambeau Field next week, and no one will be able to question how good this team actually is and how good they can be.
