Eagles vs. Bears: Four player props for Sunday’s matchup in Chicago

Two of the NFL’s most electrifying young quarterbacks will be on the frozen tundra of Soldier Field on Sunday. So of course both quarterbacks — Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Chicago’s Justin Fields — are among our four pack of Eagles vs. Bears props predictions.

Can Hurts put up another two-touchdown passing day? And will Fields deliver another big game with his legs?

All signs point to … yes and yes.

And here’s why you should believe in that prognostication: We went 4-for-4 with our Eagles-Giants props last week, then nailed three of four prop predictions in Thursday’s 49ers-Seahawks clash.

(What about Monday night’s Patriots-Cardinals props? Eh, let’s not talk about those.)

Led by Hurts and Fields, here are our Eagles vs. Bears props predictions, which also feature a Philadelphia running back who is on a roll and one of Chicago’s few healthy pass catchers.

Note: Odds updated as of 4:30 p.m. ET on Dec. 16.

From Week 1 to 5, Hurts had just one multi-touchdown passing day — he threw for three scores in a 24-8 win at Washington in Week 3.

In fact, Hurts only had one additional passing touchdown in those first five games (against Minnesota).

Since then? Hurts has 18 touchdown tosses in eight games, including at least two in every contest but Philadelphia’s 17-16 Week 11 victory at Indianapolis. In that one, Hurts had a passing TD for the Eagles’ first score, then added a game-winning rushing TD in the final minute.

After the Colts game, Hurts threw for two scores against the Packers, three against the Titans and two last week against the Giants.

In what we expect to be a high-scoring game, there’s no reason to think the NFL MVP front-runner won’t throw for multiple touchdowns again Sunday.

True, the Bears’ secondary has been decent, allowing 204.2 passing yards per game and 16 total passing TDs. But that secondary has faced only fours offenses — Vikings, Cowboys, Dolphins, Lions — that are anywhere near as explosive as Philadelphia’s.

In those four games, Chicago allowed seven passing TDs. Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Detroit’s Jared Goff each only had one. But Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa had two and three, respectively.

And just two weeks ago, the Jets’ Mike White threw for three TDs in his first start of the season.

If White can burn the Bears for three scores, Hurts can get at least two — and likely before halftime.

Play this one Over at FanDuel.

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Fields has looked like the second coming of Michael Vick over the past two months.

The Bears’ second-year quarterback has compiled 711 rushing yards in his last seven games after running for just 194 yards in his first five contests.

During the seven-game outburst, Fields has been held under 70 rushing yards just once: He had 60 in a 49-29 loss at Dallas in Week 8. (He also barely got past this prop last week against Green Bay, rushing for 71 yards).

On Sunday, the former Ohio State star will try to elude an Eagles defense that has been much better at stopping the run lately. Philadelphia has allowed 103.8 rushing yards per game the past four weeks after surrendering 144.4 ground yards per contest in the previous five.

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However, last week, Giants quarterbacks Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor combined for 66 yards on six carries against Philadelphia (nearly one-third of that total came on a late-game Taylor scramble).

And in their only other game against a mobile quarterback, the Eagles held Arizona’s Kyler Murray to 42 rushing yards. But Murray only took off four times, so he averaged 10 yards per tote.

Fields had 12-plus carries in five of his last seven games, and he had at least 82 rushing yards in all five. The exceptions: Dallas (eight carries) and Green Bay (six).

As the only true weapon Chicago has at this point, Fields figures to me on the move a lot Sunday. And even if he just matches his 8.3 yards-per-carry average over the past seven contests, we’ll only need nine carries to cash this FanDuel prop.

Sanders has had double-digit carries in every game but Week 8 against the Steelers — and even then, he finished with nine.

So automatically, it’s a safe bet that the Eagles’ No. 1 running back will be in range of this prop number. Why should you wager on him clearing it? Two words: Game flow.

We expect Philadelphia to jump out to an early lead, then lean on Sanders to bleed the clock. That expectation is rooted in the fact that the Eagles have a massive game at Dallas on Christmas Eve and have one fewer day to prepare for it.

Coach Nick Sirianni wants his troops as healthy as possible for the Cowboys showdown. The best way to do that is to build that comfortable lead and keep the ball on the ground.

Since Week 2, Sanders has eclipsed 14 carries in eight of 12 games. That includes Week 12 against Green Bay (21 for 143 yards) and last week in New York (17 for 144 yards).

Sanders also has at least 13 totes in all six road games, getting to at least 15 on four occasions.

Remember how we said Justin Fields is Chicago’s only true weapon? Here’s what we meant:

The Bears’ leading rushing Khalil Herbert (643 yards) is on injured reserve. And David Montgomery (641 rushing yards) missed practice early this week because of an illness.

Also, wide receiver Chase Claypool — who was acquired from Pittsburgh earlier this season — has been ruled out with a knee injury. He’ll join Darnell Mooney (injured reserve) on the sidelines.

Mooney and Claypool rank 1-2 for Chicago in both receptions (84 combined) and yardage (915 combined).

That leaves tight end Kmet as Fields’ top target. Kmet actually leads the Bears with five touchdowns. He’s also third with 35 catches (just nine behind team-leader Claypool), and his 408 yards also rank third.

A 2020 second-round pick from Notre Dame, Kmet’s role in the offense has been increasing. He was targeted three or fewer times in seven of the first eight games. But in five games since, Kmet has seen 30 total targets (six or more in four of those contests).

Last week against the Packers, Kmet had a season-high six receptions, giving him 21 in the last five games. He topped this prop number in only three of those outings, but landed right on three in the other two.

Again, with his options likely limited, Fields might not have much choice but to fire the ball in Kmet’s direction early and often. If at least four of those balls are on target, Kmet will deliver a winner on this FanDuel prop.

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