First-year Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has dealt his share of adversity in getting his team back to playoff contention in 2022 and is facing a monumental challenge in the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. This Week 15 matchup is lopsided on paper, but hopes are high that the Bears can pull out their fourth victory of the season in front of their home crowd at Soldier Field against the NFC’s top team.
Eberflus has a 7-8 record against the Eagles over the course of his career and will look to get that mark back to .500 in Sunday’s matchup. The Week 15 tilt will be the first time he has faced Philadelphia as a head coach, and given the Willis Tower-sized chip on his team’s shoulder, they will certainly be looking to help him in that effort as they seek to secure a signature win against a remarkably capable opponent.
The Eagles have been among the NFL’s best teams all season, and if the Bears can beat them while the playoff race is still in full swing, it would go a long way toward legitimizing Eberflus’ efforts as the team’s head coach. Their three victories this year came against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 1, the Houston Texans in Week 3, and the New England Patriots in Week 7.
Both the 49ers and Patriots are above .500 on the season heading into this week’s slate of games, and a win over the 12-1 Eagles would be the Bears’ most impressive accomplishment to date. Oddsmakers may have Chicago against long odds to pull out an improbable victory in this game, but in the modern NFL, anything is possible.
For his part, Eberflus should focus on getting his team ready for battle against their challenging opponent on Sunday. A return to the .500 mark against this NFC East juggernaut would be the icing on the cake for the head coach, but given that it would only be his team’s fourth win of the year, he clearly has issues to address that extend beyond the scope of his personal record against the Eagles.
