Eagles vs. Bears: Predictions, odds, injury updates, and why people are talking about kickoffs again

Once again, the way the Eagles interpret a rule and how they use it to their advantage, is under the microscope.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported Friday that special teams coordinators were meeting Friday to clarify a rule “that some teams are believed to have misunderstood — or found a loophole in — through the first two weeks of the season.”

Did you notice Braden Mann on the field holding for Jake Elliott on kickoffs in Week 2? It was really hot in Nashville, but it wasn’t windy. Special teams coordinator Michael Clay watches every snap of special teams play on Monday mornings. He noticed the Atlanta Falcons using a holder in Week 1 and decided to have the Eagles work on it.

Mann angled the ball a certain way, and Elliott liked the way it looked in practice enough to use it in the game. The Eagles allowed 30.8 yards per kick return on five attempts in Week 1 and 25.3 on four returns in Week 2.

“I’m sure it’s different for every kicker, but just the way I was able to make the ball move in the air, I liked what I was able to accomplish with that,” Elliott said Friday.

Now, apparently, there’s an effort to make sure the 12th player on the field acting as the holder puts the ball on a tee and not the ground.

Elliott said he didn’t think adding a tee to the equation would impact Mann’s ability to angle the ball for him to kick.

“There’s a lot of attention surrounding it because there are nuances,” Elliott said. “And because they’re changing the kickoff rules so much, we’re obviously all trying to figure out what the best way to manipulate that is and kind of trying to figure out the best way to attack that and what gives us an advantage.”

The Eagles have some experience with this kind of thing (see Push, Tush).

Nick Sirianni was diplomatic when asked about it Saturday. “Everything we’re doing is within the rules of the game, and we’ll continue to do the things that we need to do that give us the best chance to win each and every game,” he said.

— @Jeff_Neiburg

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The Eagles and Bears kick off 8:15 p.m. Philadelphia time. The game will air on ESPN and 6abc. The normal Monday Night Football crew will call the game. That means the polarizing Joe Buck on play-by-play with Troy Aikman as the analyst and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge doing the sideline reporting.

Aikman is continuing to call games while his future remains unclear. The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand talked about that on his latest sports media podcast.

Of course, the pomp and circumstance of MNF means viewers will have their fix of Jason Kelce, Pat McAfee et al. during the pregame and halftime shows.

Like the old-school experience of listening on the radio or syncing up your television with the hometown call? Merrill Reese and Mike Quick will have you covered there on 94 WIP as usual.

Looking to watch the game somewhere in the city with fellow Eagles fans? Here’s our latest list of places to watch.

Will Jonathan Greenard make his Eagles debut? It’s possible.

The edge rusher was listed as a full participant Saturday for the first time since joining the team and said he was optimistic. If he plays, he’ll likely be on a snap count.

Eagles

Out

Questionable

Bears

Out

Questionable

Who plays quarterback for the Bears? That was the biggest storyline of the week, and the picture got a bit clearer on Saturday, when the Bears ruled out Caleb Williams and made Tyson Bagent questionable.

All signs pointed toward third-string quarterback Case Keenum getting the call, but Bagent, who was concussed in his brief relief of Williams last week, was upgraded to a full participant Saturday and may play Monday.

Surely Vic Fangio has been preparing all week as if Williams wouldn’t play. And the Eagles have plenty to worry about in their own building, too, after narrowly escaping Weeks 1 and 2 with victories.

They got some good injury news themselves when Saquon Barkley (stinger) progressed to a full participant Friday and said he was “good to go” for Monday night’s game.

Speaking of Eagles injuries, life without Dallas Goedert (sprained MCL) begins this week. The Eagles brought back Zach Ertz, who was “nervous” for his first practice on Thursday and could provide the team with an immediate impact on Monday if he plays. That decision, he said Saturday, is up to the coaches.

What can we expect from Zach Ertz? What’s unexpected about the way the Eagles got to 2-0? Those answers and more are in this week’s Gameday Central pregame show.

Jeff McLane: Eagles 27, Bears 24

Jeff Neiburg: Eagles 24, Bears 11

Olivia Reiner: Eagles 24, Bears 17

Ryan Novozinsky: Eagles 28, Bears 3

Check out the reasoning behind our picks and McLane’s keys to the game. As for the rest of the country, here’s a look at the national media predictions for Monday.

32nd

That’s where the Eagles rank in success rate on first and second downs, according to Sportradar. As a reminder, there are 32 NFL teams.

The Eagles average a league-worst 2.6 yards per play on first down. The Dolphins rank 31st at 3.2 yards. That is not the company you want to keep.

The Eagles have survived, however, because they have been one of the best teams in the NFL on third and fourth downs.

In fact, according to SumerSports, the Eagles have the largest difference in success rates between early downs and late downs to start a season since 2022.

“We’re really close on a lot of our things on first and second down,” offensive coordinator Sean Mannion said Wednesday.

We’ll see how close on Monday night.

There are other numbers worth paying attention to, too.

The point spread was up to 4½ points in the Eagles’ favor earlier in the week, but FanDuel and DraftKings had them as 3½-point favorites as of Saturday afternoon. The over/under at both books was 42½.

Given the quarterback situation, oddsmakers aren’t expecting Bears pass catchers to make a big impact vs. the Eagles.

Here’s what our columnists are saying this week, starting with Mike Sielski, who wrote about the intriguing coaching matchup between Nick Sirianni and Ben Johnson.

Sielski: “Sirianni-Johnson might be the most compelling comparison and matchup Monday night. There are no two more polarizing coaches in the NFL for their demeanors and personalities, and neither appears in any hurry to apologize for who he is.” Read more.

David Murphy: “With teams increasingly relying on nickel and three-safety defensive packages, and with defensive coordinators prioritizing versatility, tight end is a position that can decide which team has the matchup advantage on any given play. The question isn’t how close Ertz is to the player he was. It’s how close can he be to the players the Eagles suddenly need.” Read more.

Marcus Hayes: “Since 2021, the year he was drafted just ahead of DeVonta Smith, Ja’Marr Chase has been targeted at least 10 times in 38 games. Justin Jefferson has been targeted at least 10 times in 39 games. CeeDee Lamb, 37. … Smith: 16. … The Eagles must feed Smith the way the Bengals feed Chase, the way the Vikings feed Jefferson, and the way the Cowboys feed Lamb.” Read more.

Imagine you’re Case Keenum. You haven’t started a game since 2023. You’re the third-string quarterback behind Caleb Williams and Tyson Bagent. You’re in a fun offense with a fun coach on an ascending team. You’re 38, live in a great city, and there’s no pressure.

Then imagine being Keenum this week, potentially thrown into the fire for a key early-season national television game, and the opposing defense has Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and others.

“Up front, those are some of the best two guys up front that are playing the game right now,” Keenum said Wednesday. “I think all over the board you look at playmakers that they have on the defense. So we got our work cut out for us.”

Keenum, however, can take some solace in knowing that he’s 3-0 against Vic Fangio’s defenses.

That’s if he ends up playing. With Bagent listed as questionable, it remains possible the No. 2 gets the nod.

Keenum on facing Fangio: “They play tricks on your eyes. They do a really good job pre- and post-snap, and there’s not a lot of just tells to tell you what coverage it’s going to be in beforehand. So you have to be on your P’s and Q’s because they’ll mix up the pressure and simulate some pressure.”

Read more about what the Bears are saying heading into Monday’s game.

Jalen Hurts has carried the Eagles over the first few weeks, and others are noticing.

“My overall expectations for the Eagles’ offense will remain tempered until I see the line and the running game return to form,” Ben Solak wrote for ESPN, “but if Hurts can use his arm to guide them to wins through September and into October, they’ll have time to iron out their rushing issues.”

Meanwhile, all Nick Sirianni does is win.

He is now the fifth coach in NFL history — with a minimum of 50 games coached — to hold a career winning percentage of .700 or higher, joining Guy Chamberlin (.784, 1922 to 1927), John Madden (.759, 1969 to 1978), Vince Lombardi (.738, 1959 to 1967 and ’69), and George Allen (.712, 1966 to 1977).

The Athletic’s Mike Silver on Sirianni: “It’s time for some Eagles fans — and Nick Sirianni haters everywhere — to give up on the fiction that he’s a glorified gym teacher whose success is solely due to a talented roster.”

Thanks for reading. The weekly Eagles newsletter will be back on Saturday next week ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game vs. the visiting Los Angeles Rams.