Eagles’ issues extend to defense in wire-to-wire Black Friday loss to Bears

The Chicago Bears brought a piece of the Windy City to Philly and blew the Eagles away.

On a gusty Black Friday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field, the visiting Bears got to work on the ground, pounding their way to a 24-15 victory. Vic Fangio’s defense turned porous as running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 255 rushing yards (130 for Monangai, 125 for Swift).

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni and coaches struggle again as Eagles lose second straight with poor focus and fundamentals

The Eagles offense, meanwhile, sputtered too frequently, going three-and-out on four possessions and committing two turnovers (one interception, one fumble). Kevin Patullo’s unit finished with just 51 plays (317 yards) to the Bears’ 85 (425 yards).

Jake Elliott also struggled, missing an extra point attempt in the third quarter and a 52-yard field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the fourth.

Here’s our instant analysis from the Eagles’ fourth loss of the season, and second straight:

The Bears won the time of possession game, especially in the first half, with their offense on the field for 21 minutes compared to just nine for the Eagles.

Chicago’s offense dominated early, thanks to its running game, headlined by a running back duo of former Eagle Swift and Monangai. They combined for 7.2 yards per carry in the first half (129 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries).

Swift was particularly efficient on the ground, averaging 8.8 yards per carry through the first 30 minutes of the game. The St. Joseph’s Prep alumnus put the Bears up, 7-0, with just over a minute and a half remaining in the first quarter on a 3-yard touchdown run.

He also was adept at forcing missed tackles, especially on the first play of the Bears’ third possession of the afternoon. Swift took a handoff from an under-center Caleb Williams, then scurried to the right for a 17-yard gain, leaving Adoree’ Jackson in his wake.

“We’ve just got to be more violent,” Nakobe Dean said of the Eagles’ shortcomings against the run. “We’ve got to get off blocks. We’ve got to fit the run and like I said, that happens. And that’s with all 11, not just the D-line, not just the linebackers, not just the DBs. Everybody’s got to fit the run better.”

Williams contributed on the ground, too, scrambling on third-and-5 to pick up a first down on the Bears’ third possession. However, the Bears got away from the running game briefly in the red zone, as Williams threw three straight incomplete passes. Chicago settled for a 30-yard Cairo Santos field goal and pulled ahead, 10-3.

The Bears got back to the running game in the fourth quarter, as Monangai added another rushing touchdown to put Chicago up, 17-9. The running game became a focal point because both quarterbacks had their share of misses in the passing game.

Williams went 17 of 36 (47.2%) for 154 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while Jalen Hurts went 19 of 34 (55.9%) for 230 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

Williams sealed the Eagles’ fate with his 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet late in the fourth quarter that made it 24-9.

» READ MORE: Eagles grades: Jalen Hurts has two turnovers; run defense porous vs. Bears

While neither team thrived in the passing game, the Bears could at least run the ball. Saquon Barkley had some solid early runs, averaging 6.3 yards per carry in the first quarter, but the Bears defense tightened up and limited him to 4.3 per carry by the end of the game. Barkley finished with 56 yards on 13 carries.

The Eagles’ passing attack couldn’t compensate for the lack of explosiveness on the ground. Hurts wasn’t always on the same page with his receivers, including a third-down incompletion to DeVonta Smith on a slant that forced the Eagles to settle for a 44-yard field goal.

Hurts’ pass for Smith was slightly behind the 27-year-old receiver as he ran across the middle of the field. After the game, Hurts called the missed connection “two guys on two different pages.”

“That’s a bit of the issues that we’ve kind of been having,” Hurts said. “We weren’t detailed enough in that. I wasn’t detailed enough in instructing him what to do, have him prepared, and making myself clear on that. So I’m trying to find as many particulars as I can when it comes to the level of execution we have and that’s a group effort that has to be there.”

The field goal made it 7-3 in favor of the Bears. In the first half, the Eagles mustered just two first downs and 83 total yards, while the Bears amassed 16 first downs and 222 yards.

Ex-Eagle Kevin Byard’s third-quarter interception of Hurts continued the negative trend, but the Eagles offense showed a spark on the next possession — with a foolish Bears penalty helping the cause.

Bears defensive lineman Gervon Dexter was flagged for a late hit on Hurts, moving the Eagles up 15 yards to their own 40. On the following play, Hurts had a rare designed run for 23 yards, bringing the Eagles to the Bears’ 33-yard line. On the ensuing play, Hurts hit A.J. Brown for a 33-yard touchdown pass, but Elliott missed the extra point to make it 10-9 Bears.

That spark wasn’t enough. The next two Eagles possessions ended in a Hurts fumble and a three-and-out. They eventually turned it back on, reeling off a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter, capped by a 4-yard Brown touchdown catch and an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.

Entering the game, the Eagles led the league with just six turnovers lost this season. The Bears, meanwhile, had forced a league-best 24 turnovers.

The Bears won Friday’s turnover battle. Byard picked off Hurts early in the third quarter after the quarterback rolled out to his right while being pressured and launched a pass deep down the right sideline for Brown. Byard undercut the pass and snared his NFL-best sixth interception of the season.

“I saw Kevin coming over and I knew there was a chance he was going to be able to make a play on the ball,” Hurts said. “Just was trying to give him a chance and throw it to the sideline where A.J. could try and make a play on it, and I wasn’t able to connect with him.”

Luckily for the Eagles offense, the Bears failed to capitalize on Byard’s efforts. Williams was under duress up front on second and third downs, scrambling for no gain and throwing an incomplete pass intended for Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze to go three-and-out.

Later in the third quarter, Jalyx Hunt picked off Williams and returned the ball to the Bears’ 36-yard line. His play gave the Eagles offense excellent field position to try to pull ahead while they were down, 10-9.

However, on third-and-1 at Chicago’s 12, Hurts fumbled on the Tush Push, a play that Bears head coach Ben Johnson previously denounced. Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright recovered the fumble, ending the Eagles’ attempt to go ahead. Hurts said he had hoped that his progress was stopped before the fumble, but the officials “didn’t blow the whistle as soon.”

“That’s not to point the finger at anyone else,” Hurts said. “I’ve got to hold on to the ball.”

This time, the Bears made the turnover count, as Monangai punched in a 4-yard rushing touchdown to cap a 12-play, 87-yard drive and put Chicago up, 17-9, early in the fourth quarter.