The Eagles (2-0) are heading to Chicago to face the Bears (1-1) at Soldier Field for Monday Night Football. Here are our predictions: Reuben Frank (2-0) This game scares me because of the matchup between the Bears’ powerful running game and the Eagles’ shaky run defense. The Bears are t he first team with 425 rushing yards, a 6.1 average and six rushing TDs through Week 2 since the 1980 Lions, and after watching the Bears stomp the Eagles for 281 yards on the ground last year and watching the Eagles allow 254 rushing yards the first two weeks of the season – 24th-worst in the league – it’s fair to wonder if the Eagles can stop or even slow down Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift. Now, without Caleb Williams and the threat of a big-time passing attack the Eagles should gain a little bit of an advantage defending the run. I do think the Eagles can do some damage against the Bears’ defense, especially through the air. If they can start piling up some points early it could make the Bears one-dimensional with a back-up quarterback, which would play into the Eagles’ hands. On the road in prime-time against a dangerous team, this would be a heck of a win to get the Eagles to 3-0. The Eagles are 15-9 in prime-time under Nick Sirianni. I’m torn about who to pick, and if Caleb Williams were starting I’d probably lean Bears. But I like to think the Eagles can find a way to beat a backup quarterback.  Eagles 29, Bears 28 Dave Zangaro (2-0) This is a tricky game to predict because of the Bears’ quarterback situation. If Caleb Williams was playing in this game, I honestly would have picked the Bears. But the Eagles will take the lucky break and they should be able to take down a Case Keenum-led Bears team (or a Tyson Bagent-led Bears team). The Bears still have an excellent attack on the ground but without Williams, I think it takes some of the luster off that offense. And I think the Eagles will be able to throw against this Bears defense that has question marks at cornerback and doesn’t get a ton of consistent pressure. I actually think special teams could play a role in this game. I’ll go with a precision of a field goal block against Cairo Santos in this one from one of the Eagles’ DTs that takes away points from the Bears. This is probably still going to be a close game; I’m done picking blowouts for a while. But the Eagles find a way to pull this one out and move to 3-0 before a huge game against the Rams in Week 4. Eagles 27, Bears 23 Barrett Brooks (2-0) Monday Night Football was, for me, a great time to play. Everyone in the NFL was watching you play. This game should have been circled for a lot of guys, especially on the defense. The Bears’ offense ran the ball down the throat of DC Vic Fangio’s defense last year. Both Bears running backs ran all over them. That was by far the worst game I have seen Jalen Carter have. He was trying to play with two injured shoulders and OT Darnell Wright manhandled him during the game. The Bears’ OG were able to get up on the LBs with no problem and block them with no problem. This defense must stop the run. The Bears are playing with a backup QB. Stop the run game and make the Bears’ receivers beat our All-World DBs! Jalen Hurts will continue playing effectively whether in the pocket or moving him around with boot and waggle protections. We must have a big game in the run. Our running game has really been inefficient in both games. The OL is the cause. They have played very poorly the past two games. All three interior positions, center and both guards, have to give something more for this team to continue to win. Hurts is winning games, but if we can run the ball and use play action, this offense can be unstoppable. Special teams has been good. I must give K Jake Elliott respect. He seems to be back. Everyone who knows me ,knows P Braden Mann is still my MVP! Eagles 31, Bears 24 Mike Mulhern (2-0) Stopping the run will be at the forefront of Vic Fangio’s mind. Last year the Bears gashed the Eagles to the tune of 281 yards on the ground and enter this matchup leading the league in rushing at 212.5 yards per game. Considering Caleb Williams is out and third-stringer Case Keenum is likely to start under center, the Eagles should be able to throw more bodies at bottling up Chicago’s rushing attack. But they should beware of any tricks Ben Johnson might have up in sleeve. Jalen Hurts’ play through two games in Sean Mannion’s offense has earned him league-wide praise. A big performance in the Monday Night Football spotlight could catapult him into MVP conversations. Hurts has looked comfortable and in-rhythm, and if they can get the run game going with a healthy Saquon Barkley, life will be much easier for QB1. That should be doable against this Bears front. Eagles 24, Bears 13 Ashlyn Sullivan (2-0) I keep hearing heading into this game that the Eagles are catching a break by not having to face the uber-talented Bears quarterback, Caleb Williams. Yes… that’s a good thing for the Birds. But I don’t think the quarterback is the story when you look at this matchup. Chicago third-string quarterback, Case Keenum, will likely get the start. But Joe Schmo could be playing quarterback for the Bears, and the Eagles would still have to focus on stopping the run. Philadelphia’s run defense has gotten off to a concerning start, allowing more than 120 rushing yards in each of the first two games. Meanwhile, the Bears currently have one of the best rushing attacks in the league, averaging 212 yards per game. Something’s got to give. The Bears are running wild right now, and through two weeks, the Eagles have shown they can’t stop the run. That’s why I have the Bears winning a close one. Yes — with their third-string quarterback.  Bears 24, Eagles 17 Ryan Fowler (2-0) Jalen Carter. Jordan Davis. Moro Ojomo. It starts up front Monday night. For Chicago and HC Ben Johnson, they are going to run the football, run it some more, an d attempt to churn clock and win a slow, ugly ballgame.  For Vic Fangio’s group, they don’t need to directly replicate the formula Minnesota used last week along the line of scrimmage, but I’d like to see Fangio deploy some unique fronts and pressure packages with three DTs, stacked boxes, and blitzing guys up and down the line to force communication from Chicago’s front five. Case Keenum won’t be shy in slinging the ball around, but if you limit the run on early downs and force Keenum to beat you on third-and-long, that’s a recipe for success.  On offense, there should be plenty of opportunities to create chunk plays both in the run and pass. Jalen Hurts has been sensational through the first two weeks in putting the group on his back, but it’ll take a full effort on O this week. The run game is due, as is getting the play-action game rolling. Sean Mannion has done a nice job scheming things up so far, and I expect him to get his weapons on the outside going early and often. I think Makai Lemon has a big impact this week, same with our old friend Zach Ertz, who I think gets in the end zone in his first game back as an Eagle. Overall, I still have major questions about the defenses ability to limit the run, and Johnson can scheme up looks as good as anyone in football. Chicago’s offense will absolutely look different without Caleb Williams at the helm, but this isn’t about the QB position. It’s about the overall structure of Chicago’s offense, and they can beat you in a variety of ways and then some. Tight ballgame for me, but I have the Eagles falling in Primetime.  Bears 19, Eagles 14 ...read more read less