The Chicago Bears have been one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season, and they continued their ascent on "Black Friday" with a 24-15 win on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. This victory pushes Caleb Williams and Co. to 9-3 on the season, which helps them leapfrog the now 8-4 Eagles for the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Chicago's latest win was spearheaded by a historic explosion out of the backfield. Both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai topped 100-plus yards on the ground in the contest while also rushing for a touchdown. In all, the Bears tallied 281 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the winning effort. That success running the ball was felt early and often as Chicago began the game with three straight double-digit play drives, which gave them a commanding time of possession advantage in the first half. It also helped them dominate on third down, converting seven of their 10 opportunities in the first half. Meanwhile, it was a sluggish start for Philly, managing just a field goal through the first two quarters.
That early success by Chicago made a 10-3 halftime lead feel much larger than a one-score advantage. The Eagles would, however, make a push in the second half. Jalen Hurts and A.J. Brown connected on the first of two touchdown passes midway through the third quarter. That looked like it'd knot the game at 10 apiece, but a missed extra point by Jake Elliott kept Philadelphia trailing by one.
On the next possession, Jalyx Hunt picked off Caleb Williams and, again, felt like momentum was shifting toward an Eagles comeback. That was particularly true after Saquon Barkley rushed them inside the red zone on that ensuing possession, but a fumble by Hurts on and third-and-1 tush push was recovered by Chicago and eliminated Philly's best chance of taking the lead. The Bears took that turnover and drove 87 yards down the field for a touchdown to pull away and keep the Eagles at arm's length the rest of the way.
From here, the Eagles will pick up the pieces and head out to the West Coast for a Monday night matchup with the Los Angeles Chargers. As for the Bears, they'll be in Green Bay for a massive NFC North showdown with the Packers in Week 14.
For more on how this game unfolded, check out our main takeaways below
It was utter domination by the Bears on the ground in this game, and both Kyle Monangai and D'Andre Swift ran their way into the record books. They became the first Bears duo to each rush for at least 100 yards in a game since the 1985 season, when Walter Payton and Matt Suhey accomplished that feat. Moreover, they became just the third duo in franchise history to ever rush for 100 yards apiece and each score a touchdown, joining Payton and Suhey (1983) along with Rick Casares and Bobby Watkins (1955).
Zooming outside of Bears history, Monangai and Swift became the first teammates to rush for 125-plus yards and a touchdown in a game since Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick did it in 2014. No Chicago duo has accomplished that in the franchise's history, which is quite remarkable given their storied history at the position.
The quintessential swing in this game was when Jalen Hurts was stripped on his tush push attempt in the third quarter. Even after Jake Elliott missed his extra point attempt and prevented the Eagles from drawing even with the Bears, the momentum was moving in Philly's direction, especially after the defense picked off Caleb Williams. The offense then drove into the red zone when it faced with a third-and-1 situation at the Chicago 12-yard line. In typical Philly fashion, the Eagles lined up for a tush push, but corner Nahshon Wright came around the line and was able to rip the ball free from Hurts' hands. The Bears recovered, and the offense responded with an 87-yard touchdown drive that helped put the game away.
It might get lost when you look at the box score and see Jalen Hurts with two passing touchdowns, 230 yards passing, and 31 yards rushing, while A.J. Brown went off for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 10 catches, but the Eagles offense still looks off. At the very least, they are inconsistent. While they are capable of exploding on a given play, there are far too many times when their offense goes silent and is totally out of sync.
After their initial field goal drive in the second quarter, the Eagles next four drives consisted of three three-and-outs and an interception. Those lulls drastically lower their capability to win games and has become a concerning trend when you pair it with their collapse against the Cowboys last week.
| Eagles last two games | First half vs. Dallas | Last three halves |
|---|---|---|
Points scored | 21 | 15 |
Opponents points scored | 7 | 41 |
Turnovers | 0 | 4 |
With their lead in the division narrowing, they need to find some sort of consistent rhythm as soon as possible.
This victory for Chicago does more than simply clinch its first winning season since 2018. They have now leapfrogged the Eagles for the No. 2 seed in the conference and keep the Green Bay Packers (who they play next week at Lambeau Field) at arm's length for first place in the NFC North. As for the Eagles, they have currently dipped to the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff picture. While they still sit in first place in the NFC East, their lead has dwindled rather rapidly. Over the course of the last six days, Philly's division lead went from 3.5 games to 1.5 games with Dallas surging behind them.
Tremendous day for the Bears, who move to 9-3 on the season. As a team, they've rushed for 281 yards and two touchdowns, headlined by Kyle Monangai (130 yards, TD) and D'Andre Swift (125 yards, TD). While Caleb Williams wasn't the most efficient, he made plays when he needed to. The same can't be said for Philly, who still look disjointed offensively.
The Eagles have cut into the deficit with another A.J. Brown touchdown, but the failed two-point conversion still keeps this a two-score game. While it's been largely a sluggish day for Philadelphia, Brown in turning in quite the performance, logging nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns so far.
The Bears are pulling away. Chicago holds a 24-9 lead over the Eagles after Caleb Williams delivered a perfectly layered ball to Cole Kmet for a 28-yard touchdown. Insane throw rolling to his left.
Chicago's running game will not be denied. In the first half, it was Swift who found the end zone, and now it's Kyle Monangai's turn. The rookie burst through with a four-year score to help make it a 17-9 lead for the Bears. They are up to 257 yards and two touchdowns as a team tonight.
Both D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai are over 100 yards rushing so far today. This is the first time that the Bears have had multiple 100-yard rushers in a game since 1985, when Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did it. This duo is also the first visiting player to both run for 100-plus yards in the same game against the Eagles since Jim Brown and Bobby Mitchell on Sept. 25, 1960.
After the interception, the Eagles offense couldn't cash in. As they typically do when faced with a short down-and-distance, Philly lined up for a Tush Push. Instead of converting, Jalen Hurts was stripped, and Chicago recovered the fumble. Wild turn of events, and a heads-up move by Bears corner Nahshon Wright.
The Eagles may be down, but it feels like the momentum has shifted in their direction. Linebacker Jalyx Hunt picked off Caleb Williams, and now Philadelphia is deep in Bears territory.
Don't count out the Eagles quite yet. Jalen Hurts connects with A.J. Brown for a 33-yard touchdown. The offense looked much better on that possession, but weren't able to knot the game up at 10 apiece after Jake Elliott missed the extra point attempt. Chicago still leads, albeit just 10-9.
With Jalen Hurts flushed out of the pocket, he tried to get A.J. Brown deep down the right sideline and was picked off by Kevin Byard III. That's Byard's sixth interception of the season.
It doesn't look like things are changing for the better for Philadelphia. The club went three-and-out to begin the third quarter with a couple of miscommunications in the passing game, particularly between Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley on first down.
Chicago holds this lead because of their dominance on third down, converting seven of their 10 opportunities in the first half. Meanwhile, the Eagles offense hasn't been able to string plays together and has tallied just two first downs over the opening two quarters. That's the fewest first downs in a half by Philly since Week 17 during the 2022 season.
The story of this game so far has been the success on third down. Chicago has converted seven of its nine opportunities, while the Eagles have moved the chains just once on four tries.
Chicago is averaging 12.3 plays per drive so far today. This is the first time they've begun the game with three-straight 10-plus play drives since Week 4 of the 2014 season.
Caleb Williams' scramble on third-and-4 was sensational, and it highlights how dominant the Bears have been this afternoon on third down. So far, they've converted seven of their eight third-down opportunities.
The Bears rushed for 84 yards in the first quarter, which is the most in any quarter this season. That was also the most rushing yards allowed by the Eagles in any quarter this season.
Philadelphia is on the board with a Jake Elliott 44-yard field goal, but the offense probably has a bitter taste in its mouth. Specifically, Jalen Hurts likely wants his third-down throw to DeVonta Smith back as he threw the ball behind the receiver, which led to it falling incomplete. Had Hurts hit him in stride, not only would that have moved the chains, but Smith may have scored.
Chicago now leads 7-0 over the Eagles thanks largely due to a stellar ground attack. D'Andre Swift was able to punch it in for a three-yard score, but the 78-yard scoring drive was dominated by the running game. Seven of their 11 plays on the drive were runs, which included a 23-yard run by Swift to help get the Bears on the doorstep of the red zone. So far, Swift is up to 43 yards rushing, while Kyle Monangai has 38 yards rushing.
As we noted below, Chicago opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 and, upon further review, was not able to move the chains. That led to an 11-play, 42-yard drive that got to the Philadelphia 25-yard line, resulting in no points.
While most NFL teams are aggressive on fourth down these days, both the Bears and Eagles could go for it in key situations more often on Friday. That's due to the severe winds at Lincoln Financial Field. Chicago was looking at a fourth-and-1 situation from the Philly 24, and opted to go for it, likely in part because of the winds making a field goal attempt much more challenging.
