Gameday – PHI at CHI

Posted: December 18th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Gameday – PHI at CHI

Discipline seems to be the word of the day, as in the Eagles defense must play with great discipline to contain Justin Fields. Players must be in the right gap and they must play under control. Give Fields an opening and he’s gone.

Facing Daniel Jones last week was a good primer for today. The Eagles had to be careful with how they played Jones since he is a good runner. Fields is explosive, which makes him all the more dangerous. He’s doing amazing things as a runner.

Ideally, this would be a game to have a pair of good safeties who can come down in the box and help on run defense. CJ Gardner-Johnson and his backup Reed Blankenship are out. The Eagles signed Anthony Harris to the practice squad. We assumed he would be added to the roster for today but that didn’t happen.

This means that K’Von Wallace will get the start alongside Marcus Epps. Why not go with Harris today? It feels like the Eagles think they can win this game with Wallace. Save Harris for a more dangerous offense or more critical game. You never know what is going to happen the next few weeks.

Wallace struggled in coverage last week, but was effective against the run. Sticking with him today does make some sense. The Bears have a limited passing attack. Wallace might be good enough in this matchup.

Elliss is up to keep the STs performing at an improved level. Kern is up to be the punter and holder.

Give Goedert a bit more rest and save him for next week’s showdown with Dallas. Backup TEs Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra have come alive in recent weeks so playing without Goedert isn’t as big a deal in this game. Save him for when you need him.

It is a cold day in Chicago (as you would expect in December). The Eagles have been pretty weather-proof so far this year. They’ve dealt with rain and wind and handled it all well. Nick Sirianni sends the right message to his team about how to handle weather.

I think the Bears lack of a good pass rush means Jalen Hurts will be able to sit in the pocket and get the ball to his receivers. The question is whether the Eagles focus more on a ball control passing attack or throw downfield.

If the Eagles are able to build a lead, expect them to run the ball a lot in the second half. The Bears struggle with run defense.

In some ways, this feels a lot like last week. The Bears have the same weaknesses as the Giants and a similar type of offense. We saw what the Eagles did. I can’t promise another blowout. Crazy things do happen in the NFL. Still, this is absolutely a game the Eagles should win.

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