
The Chicago Bears won't be playing on Thanksgiving for once, as they take on the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday this year.
The game will be on the road at Lincoln Financial Field and poses a tough challenge for Chicago. The Bears have beaten just one team with a winning record all season, the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday by a score of 31-28.
Justin Fields was still the quarterback in Chicago when the Bears faced the Eagles in 2022. The Eagles handed the Bears a 25-20 loss at Soldier Field that season and went on to lose the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35.
The Bears get another shot at Jalen Hurts and company in Week 13, and here's how they could come out with a win:
Even though Chicago was able to win on Sunday, the penalties came up once again.
The Bears were flagged seven times for 83 yards in the win, and that can't happen against a team like the Eagles.
The importance of helping yourself on the road, especially against a quality team like the Eagles, can't be stressed enough.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has the challenging task of stopping one of the hardest plays in football to prevent, the tush push.
Many have tried before him, but not many have had success.
However, at a press conference earlier in the week, he said he believes the best way to stop it is not to let the Eagles get into short-yardage situations on third and fourth down.
There's a reason Philadelphia has the best red-zone scoring percentage in the NFL at 77.7%. If Allen's defense can limit their chances, it could make things interesting.
There was an excellent indicator for the return of Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from injury on Wednesday, as both were full participants.
Johnson (groin) and Gordon (calf) have both been on the injured reserve. With Johnson, Gordon and Jaquan Brisker on the field together in 2023, they allowed 195.1 passing yards per game in 15 games played together that season.
Stopping Saquon Barkley will be a problem on its own, especially since the Bears allow the third-most yards per carry this season at 5.2. Keeping the Eagles from having success through the air would be huge.
Chicago arguably has its toughest test yet against Philadelphia. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. CT on Prime Video.