Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Game Preview – PHI at CHI

Posted September 26th, 2026 | No Comments »

Two motivated teams will meet in Chicago on Monday night. The Bears lost 9-3 last week and will be playing with a backup QB. Coach Ben Johnson and his players will want to bounce back from that performance. They will also be driven to show they can win without QB Caleb Williams. The Eagles are looking for revenge after losing 24-15 to Chicago last year. That was an ugly game for all of Eagles Nation.

The Bears ran for 281 yards vs the Eagles in that game. They would love a repeat performance so that would take pressure off whichever backup QB gets the start. Vic Fangio wants his defense to play the run much better than the Black Friday debacle. The Eagles defense was physically dominated in that game. They will be fired up to show that was an anomaly.

Fangio isn’t one who normally loads up the box. He prefers to focus on coverage. This game might be an exception to that. The Vikings put a lot of defenders on the line of scrimmage last week and gave the Bears fits. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles do load the box and if so, how they line up. Limit the run game and the Bears are a very different team.

We don’t know who will start at QB for Chicago. Tyson Bagent practiced on Saturday, but still isn’t out of concussion protocol. It feels like there is a good chance he’ll be cleared by Monday, but you never know with concussions. Neither he nor Case Keenum is a player you fear physically. You don’t need special plans for them like you would for Williams.

While the Bears OL is very good at run blocking, they are less effective at pass protection.

This is another chance for the Eagles front to make plays. Jonathan Greenard practiced on Saturday and is listed as questionable for the game. It feels like he will make his Eagles debut on Monday night. He won’t necessarily start and won’t play a full load, but could have an impact as a situational pass rusher. This would be a good time for Jalyx Hunt to have a big game. Chasing mobile QBs limited his production in the first two games. He won’t have that challenge this time out.

The Bears may focus on quick passes to try and offset protection issues and the lack of a mobile QB. The Eagles will need to tackle well and limit yards after the catch. Tackling will also be a critical part of the run defense. That was a problem last week and Chicago has better skill players than Tennessee. Marcus Epps admitted he played poorly vs the Titans and knows he needs to be much better this time out to keep his starting job.

I think Ben Johnson will be able to get his team to have some offensive success even with a backup QB. He’s a brilliant play-caller and still has some good weapons to work with. The Eagles must be smart and disciplined. They also need to make plays when they have the chance. The Bears have turnovers in each of the first two games. This would be a great week for the Eagles to get their first takeaway of 2026.

Another area where the defense needs to improve is in the red zone. They are giving up too many TDs. That will come back to bite them if they don’t tighten things up. The Eagles are Top 12 in both points and yards allowed. They are 8th in yards per play. Those are good numbers. They are 20th in red zone defense and that kept the first two games closer than they should have been.

Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense will be facing a defense that has some issues. CBs Tyrique Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson have both given up big plays. Johnson is really struggling this year. Double moves and play-action passes give him problems. I would try to get DeVonta Smith on him as much as possible. Dontayvion Wicks can also get the best of Johnson.

I expect Zach Ertz to play this week. He seemed comfortable with the playbook and has a week of practice under his belt. With Dallas Goedert out, the Birds need a TE who is a reliable receiver. Ertz isn’t going to like he did in 2017, but he should still be able to get open and move the chains.

The OL struggled last week. They will have the same five starters in this one and that continuity should help. Cam Jurgens has a better idea of what he’s doing at LG. Drew Kendall got valuable experience last week. It will also help that the Bears don’t have anyone like Jeffery Simmons. He was very disruptive. Chicago’s DL will make some plays, but they don’t have any difference-makers. I thought Kentavius Street flashed at times last week. He is quick off the ball.

Will this be the week that the Eagles run game finally wakes up? Saquon Barkley is healthy and ready to go. I would love to see the Eagles focus on the passing game early and then run the ball. We’ll see what Sean Mannion is thinking on Monday. Chicago may focus on the passing game with Hurts coming off a strong performance and their CBs struggling.

It will be an interesting chess match between both coaching staffs on both sides of the ball.

I don’t think either team has a significant advantage om special teams. PK Cairo Santos missed some time this week with a hip problem, but returned to practice so I assume he’s now good to go. Braden Mann is second in the league in yards per punt.

The Eagles are favored in this game. They are the more complete team and Williams absence changes the Bears. Still, this isn’t anything close to an automatic W. You can argue that the Eagles got out-played in each of the first two games, They won because of a talent advantage. If the Eagles get out-played this week, there is a good chance they lose. Nick Sirianni needs his guys to play with some urgency.

And they must block and tackle better than last week.

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Enemy Intel – The Bears

Posted September 25th, 2026 | No Comments »

Heaven and hell. That would be a good way to describe the Bears season so far. They looked great in the opener, beating Carolina 59-37. Then Chicago lost to the Viking 9-3. Even worse, QBs Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent both were injured. Two weeks and two very different results.

We don’t know the QB situation for sur, but there is a good chance Case Keenum is the starter on Monday. That changes the Bears offense in a big way. Not schematically mind you, but in terms of what they can do. Williams is a gifted athlete who can use his legs as a weapon. He ran for a 29-yard TD in the opener. He can also move around to buy time and let his receivers get open downfield, which can lead to big plays. Keenum is a smart veteran, but he’s not a playmaker. With Keenum, the offense will succeed or fail based on execution.

Chicago still has enough weapons to move the ball and score points. The OL is the foundation, especially RT Darnell Wright.

That OL has five good run blockers. They can open holes and get movement. They ran for 291 yards in Week 1 and you don’t do that unless you dominate the line of scrimmage. The offense struggled vs Minnesota, but still ran for 134 yards. you don’t really stop that run game, you just hope to limit it.

Former Eagle D’Andre Swift is the star RB. He averages 5.0 yards per carry and has run for 3 TDs. Kyle Monangai is a talented backup and averages 7.4 ypc. The k=line gives these guys room to run and they make the most of it.

Rome Odunze and Luther Burden are the key receivers. Burden is very dangerous after the catch. Odunze is averaging 19.0 yards per reception on the year. The Bears have an excellent group of TEs. Colston Loveland is the star. He only has one catch so far this season, but he is a big time talent. Cole Kmet is very good as well and Sam Roush gives them a good #3 TE.

Coach Ben Johnson is going to be pissed off that his team only scored 3 points last week. He will be driven to show the rest of the league that the Bears can win without Williams as the QB. Expect a creative gameplan. Expect the unexpected.

Chicago will need to score points because their defense isn’t great. DE Montez Sweat is the best pass rusher. DT Grady Jarrett can be disruptive, but he’s banged up right now. Devin Bush and TJ Edwards are the LBs. Neither guy is filling up the stat sheet so far this year. They have combined for 15 tackles, 1 TFL and 1 PD.

Rookie safety Dillon Thieneman leads the team with 17 tackles. He has a good combination of size and speed. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson are the corners. Stevenson is second on the team with 14 tackles. He is dealing with a hamstring injury. If Stevenson is out, there could be a shuffle in the secondary.

That wouldn’t be ideal. You hate having multiple guys move spots, but that might be the best use of personnel.

Here is the Bears injury report as of Thursday afternoon. They have some key guys banged up right now.

Kalif Raymond is a good punt returner. The KORs aren’t anything special.

Cairo Santos is 2 for 3 on FGs, but did have one blocked last week.

The Bears are an interesting team. With Williams, they are a Super Bowl contender. I don’t like the defense, but Johnson and Williams have proven to be a dynamic player/coach combination and that makes Chicago tough to beat. They aren’t going to score 59 points on the Eagles. They also aren’t likely to be held to just a field goal. They will be at home and highly motivated. Even down a QB or two, this will be a dangerous team.

*****

The Eagles could have one outside advantage on Monday night.

It will be interesting to see f this trend continues.

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