The Chicago Bears (3-11) suffered a narrow 25-20 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (13-1), which marked their seventh straight defeat of the season.
The Bears defense came to play, keeping a high-powered Eagles offense in check all afternoon. Philadelphia, the league’s top scoring offense, managed just 25 points against one of the worst defenses in the league. While the offense wasn’t able to get much done, Justin Fields had a valiant effort (with a limited and injury-depleted supporting cast) that makes it easy to see why he has a bright future.
Chicago was able to keep the game competitive up until the final drive. It was a testament to their effort — especially in the midst of a slew of injuries. But, ultimately, the talent gap won out in favor of Philadelphia.
There were no shortage of standout performances — both good and bad — in this loss. Here’s a look at our studs and duds from the Bears’ loss to the Eagles.
STUD: CB Jaylon Johnson
Jaylon Johnson had his best game of the season against a talented wideout in Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown. For most of the afternoon, Johnson was able to keep Brown in check, including notching three pass breakups in key situations, including preventing a touchdown on second-and-17 and forcing a field goal on fourth-and-6. Unfortunately, Johnson suffered a rib injury that knocked him out of the game in the fourth quarter.
DUD: LG Cody Whitehair
Cody Whitehair didn’t show up to play against the Eagles, and he was easily the worst offensive lineman out there. Which is saying something considering the Bears lost their best in Teven Jenkins and allowed six sacks. Whitehair allowed three of those sacks on Fields, where he was continuously worked over by Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave.
STUD: CB Kyler Gordon
Kyler Gordon made his return to the lineup after missing the last two games in concussion protocol. And what a return it was. Gordon accounted for two of Chicago’s three takeaways on the afternoon, including an interception of Jalen Hurts and a fumble recovery that led to a Bears touchdown. Gordon added four tackles and one pass breakup on the afternoon. While Gordon had his struggles earlier this season, we’re seeing him improving each week.
DUD: WR Velus Jones Jr.
With the Bears’ top receivers down (Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, N’Keal Harry and later Equanimeous St. Brown), Velus Jones Jr. had an opportunity to make a statement on offense. Unfortunately, his struggles with protecting the football continued. After Chicago’s defense forced a three-and-out, Jones fumbled on Philadelphia’s 40-yard line, wasting a valuable opportunity for the Bears offense. Jones has been a huge miss for GM Ryan Poles so far in this draft class.
STUD: QB Justin Fields
If there’s anyone doubting whether Justin Fields is *the guy* after this game, then you haven’t been paying attention. Fields put up a valiant effort against arguably the league’s best defense — with a limited supporting cast where he was down his top receivers and offensive lineman, Teven Jenkins. Fields completed 14-of-21 passes for 152 yards with two touchdowns, and he added 95 yards on 15 carries. Fields set the Bears’ single-season rushing record by a quarterback and then later eclipsed 1,000 rushing yards, only the third QB to ever accomplish the feat. While Fields adds another loss to his resume, there’s no denying the Bears have found their guy.
DUD: RT Alex Leatherwood
Is the Alex Leatherwood experiment already over? Leatherwood was solid in 10 reps two weeks ago against the Packers. The former first-round pick once again rotated in at right tackle with Riley Reiff, but it was a much different story for Leatherwood. Leatherwood allowed two of the six sacks on Fields, and he was getting blown up repeatedly in pass protection by Haason Reddick in pass protection. His best play of the day was when he recovered an offensive fumble to save a drive.
STUD: RB David Montgomery
With the Bears down four top receivers on offense, David Montgomery stepped his game up both on the ground and in the passing game. Montgomery accounted for 91 total yards, including 53 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards, and two touchdowns. He carried the workload for Chicago in this game, perhaps for the final time this season, as Khalil Herbert is expected back, perhaps as early as next week against the Bills.
DUD: K Cairo Santos
What is going on with Cairo Santos? Santos has been synonymous with consistency over the last couple of seasons, but he’s been hit-or-miss when it comes to connecting on extra points. After the Bears scored their first touchdown in the first quarter, Santos missed the extra point. It was his fifth XP miss of the season. Later, with the Bears on the Philadelphia 31-yard line, they opted to punt rather than attempt a field goal. According to the FOX broadcast, Santos indicated he didn’t think the wind conditions were ideal to attempt the kick. Hence, the punt.
STUD: DT Mike Pennel
Mike Pennel quietly had a really good game for the Bears, especially as their front seven did a solid job against a really talented Eagles offense. Pennel had two tackles and one pass breakup, as well as forced a key turnover. Pennel stripped a ball from running back Miles Sanders after a short completion, and it was recovered by Kyler Gordon. That takeaway led to a Bears touchdown.
DUD: Bears pass protection
The Bears’ pass protection has struggled all season, allowing 42 sacks heading into a contest against the top-ranked Eagles pass rush. Chicago allowed six sacks of Fields, including five in the first half alone. Whitehair and Leatherwood allowed five of those six sacks. But overall, Chicago’s brutal pass protection against the Eagles was another indicator that GM Ryan Poles needs to address the offensive line this offseason. Protecting Fields should be priority No. 1.
