What we know (and don’t) about the Eagles entering Week 13 vs. the Bears

Time and time again this season, the Eagles seem to provide fleeting promise on offense, only for that glimmer to be extinguished in a matter of drives.

The offense followed that familiar formula in the Eagles’ 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, going up 21-0 in the second quarter and never scoring again. The Cowboys’ 24 points were tied for Dallas’ fourth-lowest total of the season, so naturally, it is not the Eagles’ defense but the offense that will spend continued time under the public microscope in the aftermath of the loss.

Was the deflating defeat to the Cowboys a sign that the Eagles are beginning a slide similar to the one they suffered in the second half of the 2023 season? Or, perhaps more rationally, was it just a sign that this Eagles team isn’t bound for Santa Clara, Calif., and Super Bowl LX in February?

» READ MORE: Nick Sirianni says the Eagles are ‘searching for answers’ on offense, but Kevin Patullo will call plays

There’s plenty of football left in the Eagles’ schedule, starting with the 8-3 Chicago Bears on Black Friday. The Bears are on a four-game winning streak, most recently posting a narrow 31-28 victory over the Aaron Rodgers-less Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon.

Here’s what we know (and what we don’t) about the Eagles going into their Friday the (Week) 13th matchup against Chicago:

After the Dallas game, Nick Sirianni characterized the Eagles’ 14 penalties as “uncharacteristic.”

However, at this point in the season, the Eagles’ mistakes have become very characteristic.

Going into Monday night, the Eagles ranked sixth in the league in penalties against at 84, according to nflpenalties.com. Their infractions have cost them 721 yards, which also ranks sixth in the league. Their opponents have been called for 64 penalties by comparison, which is tied for fifth fewest in the league.

What was notable about the Eagles’ penalties against the Cowboys was that they often wiped out big plays. For example, in the third quarter, Dallas Goedert had a 20-yard reception that would have put the Eagles in Cowboys territory, but Matt Pryor’s illegal formation penalty while lined up as the sixth offensive lineman in the jumbo package negated Goedert’s play.

The Eagles couldn’t overcome that 5-yard loss, ultimately forcing them to punt.

That sloppiness must be reversed if the Eagles want to have long-term success into the playoffs. They can’t keep beating themselves, especially seeing as one of the NFC’s best, the Los Angeles Rams, have incurred a league-low 51 penalties.

» READ MORE: Book it: The Eagles’ loss to Dallas will put their coaches under Jeffrey Lurie’s microscope

But the good news for the Eagles going into Friday’s game? There are few teams that have been as undisciplined as the Bears this season.

Chicago has been called for 87 penalties, which is tied for fourth in the NFL. The Bears’ opponents have incurred 61, which is tied for the second-fewest in the league. It’s worth acknowledging that the Bears have been flagged more frequently on the road (49 on the road, 38 at home), just like the Eagles (47 on the road, 37 at home).

It’s becoming increasingly clear that the Eagles can’t thrive offensively if they don’t have a running game to fall back on this season.

The running game fueled their 2024 Super Bowl run. It powered their 2021 offensive turnaround that reversed their 2-5 start to the season and earned them a playoff berth. But the Eagles can’t lean into the running game this year because of their lack of efficiency for the majority of the season.

Saquon Barkley averaged a season-low 2.2 yards per carry against the Cowboys. After the game, left guard Landon Dickerson partially attributed that inefficiency on the ground to the Cowboys’ five-man front.

He suggested that the Eagles were not fully prepared for that wrinkle even though the Cowboys had deployed five-man fronts in the weeks leading up to the game, especially the previous week against the Las Vegas Raiders. That was the Cowboys’ first game since acquiring defensive tackle Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets at the trade deadline.

The Eagles should be able to run on this Bears defense. But will they? Over the last three weeks, the Bears have conceded 470 rushing yards, third highest in the league among teams that have played three games in that span. They’ve allowed 5.3 yards per carry in that time frame, also third in the league.

Three starters in the Eagles’ secondary — Reed Blankenship, Adoree’ Jackson, and Drew Mukuba — were hurt against the Cowboys and did not return to action, putting their statuses for Friday’s game in question.

Mukuba, the rookie safety, was spotted after the game using crutches and not putting any weight on his right foot, which sported a boot. Sirianni said Monday that Mukuba, who sources confirmed to The Inquirer will need leg surgery, will be “out for some time.” Jackson entered concussion protocol, just five weeks after suffering a concussion in the Week 7 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

If Blankenship (thigh), Jackson, and Mukuba can’t play, the Eagles’ questionable secondary depth is going to be tested again, this time by Caleb Williams and a Bears passing offense that has scored seven touchdowns (no interceptions) in their winning streak.

Jackson was the first player to go down in the third quarter. Cooper DeJean moved to outside cornerback and Michael Carter, whom the Eagles acquired from the Jets at the trade deadline, took over at nickel cornerback. DeJean had a tough time on the outside, allowing four receptions on five targets for a team-high 148 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.

When asked about Mukuba, Sirianni listed a number of potential candidates to play at safety against the Bears, including Carter and Sydney Brown, who took over for the injured Blankenship in the third quarter. Sirianni also noted that Blankenship is “still manning everything back there” in his response to a question about personnel going forward, so he may have the best chance of playing Friday out of all the injured members of the secondary.

Based on Sirianni’s response, DeJean may not be a candidate to move to safety. He had some experience playing the position during training camp. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could also look to the practice squad and tap Andrè Sam to start at safety.

It’s been an inconsistent year for the Bears’ passing attack. Williams’ 59.2% completion rate ranks last among 29 quarterbacks who have had at least 238 drop backs this season, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, the Bears have generated the sixth-most explosive passing plays of at least 20 yards (39) this season.

Rome Odunze, the Bears’ No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Washington, is leading the way. He’s had a team-high 13 explosive receptions for a total of 330 yards this year.

If the Eagles’ secondary depth becomes an issue on Friday, scrutiny might intensify against the Bears given their familiar defensive personnel.

The Bears have a pair of former Eagles defensive backs on the roster in Kevin Byard and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Byard, the 32-year-old safety, joined the Eagles in 2023 at the trade deadline after spending the first eight years of his career with the Tennessee Titans. That was a disastrous season for the Eagles defense as a whole, as Sean Desai was demoted and Matt Patricia took over as defensive coordinator over halfway through the season.

Byard moved on to the Bears that offseason. He has been a bright spot in Chicago’s defense, tying for the NFL lead in interceptions with five.

But Byard’s departure from the Eagles isn’t as notable as Gardner-Johnson’s. The 27-year-old defensive back has bounced around the league since his March trade to the Houston Texans. The Texans cut him in September. The Ravens signed him to the practice squad and cut him in a span of a week in October.

Then, in late October, Gardner-Johnson found a home with the Bears, whose defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, is his former head coach with the New Orleans Saints. The Bears have been a strong fit for Gardner-Johnson so far, as he has started three of the last four games at nickel cornerback, notching three sacks in that span.

His presence has been particularly important for the Bears, who are navigating injuries to three of their top linebackers, including former Eagle T.J. Edwards. With the Bears utilizing nickel and dime packages more often lately, Gardner-Johnson has seen his playing time increased over his last three starts. He was on the field for 98.6% of the defensive snaps in Week 10 against the New York Giants, 100% in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings, and 90.3% in Week 12 vs. the Steelers.

The Eagles replaced Gardner-Johnson with Mukuba this offseason. But he was technically available in October to serve in a depth role for cheap if the Eagles wanted him. While hindsight is always 20/20, the timing of Gardner-Johnson’s return to Philly is interesting nonetheless.