Upon reading this game preview’s title, one may immediately receive the “joke” that was intended to be delivered: The Bears are going to be “hunted” by the Eagles in Chicago this week. However, there is also another, more significant meaning to the clever headline (at least I thought it was clever). Not only are the Eagles going to go on a fictitious hunt for a team with an animal that is commonly hunted representing their logo and nickname, but Philadelphia is also beginning their hunt to keep pace in their division, and even establish a path to the postseason. Against a slumping but talented Bears squad, the Eagles will really have to execute on given opportunities, and more importantly, create a balanced game plan that will allow the offense to succeed consistently and the defense to perform with dominance. The team has done both on several occasions, but hasn’t done it on a regular basis, hence their two consecutive losses in which passing has virtually been the entire offensive strategy, and the defense has allowed too many early scores. Despite the Bears’ 4-5 record, they should not be taken lightly, just as the Chargers should not have been last week, and the Cowboys should not have been the week before. As long as the Birds can take advantage of what they’re given, we should once again be in for some more thrilling football action.

Week 11 Opponent: Chicago Bears

2008 Record: 9-7

Last Meeting Between Teams: Week 4, 2008: PHI-20 CHI-24

Game Location: Soldier Field (Chicago, Illinois)

Evaluation: The Bears–after apparently having enough of the fan base’s criticism for the lack of a solid Quarterback, and realizing their need to get back to the Super Bowl–acquired one of the game’s top young passers in Jay Cutler over the offseason period, but thus far, the former Bronco has looked no better the team’s previous options at the position. In fact, the QB they traded away to Denver as part of a package deal for Cutler–Kyle Orton–appears to be on pace for a remarkably better season than Jay, and overall, things just aren’t looking too bright in Chicago. High expectations was indeed on the mind of the organization following the Cutler acquisition, especially since the Bears also hold one of the better young runners in Matt Forte, and a typically consistent defense led by longtime MLB Brian Urlacher. But Forte is rushing for low totals, Urlacher is hurt, and Cutler is on track to throw a horrid 30 interceptions. Lately, the “Windy City warriors” have had trouble finding an offensive balance (sound familiar?), and have been unable to keep up when their opponents take a lead. Although they are certainly beatable, the Birds cannot play this game without a smart strategy, for if they do, they may just let the game slip away as they’ve done before.

Key Matchups:

• RB LeSean McCoy (PHI) vs. MLB Nick Roach (CHI): If someone were to list this as one of the key player matchups prior to the season, one might be tempted to burst out in laughter or enter into a slight state of shock. While it was expected McCoy would see some time as a rookie in the offense, not many projected him to be the bearer of full duties at the RB position, and of course, it was fully expected that Pro-Bowl LB Brian Urlacher would be in the Bears’ lineup, but the veteran dislocated his wrist in the opening game of the year, requiring season-ending surgery. Roach, playing in his 3rd season, was originally a rookie free agent addition of the Chargers, but has since grown into a reserve and special teams role for the Bears. When he has been thrust into a starting spot, Roach has done a quality job, though, and his performance might very well change the momentum of the Eagles’ running game.
• DE Trent Cole (PHI) vs. OT Orlando Pace (CHI): Cole has overall been one of the most consistent and productive of the Eagle defenders, racking up 34 tackles, 7.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. After recording at least a half of a sack in the first six games, Cole has managed only one–to go along with 7 tackles–in the last three. Despite his recent slump, if it can be called that, the Pro-Bowl defensive lineman remains a threat each and every week, and this time, he’ll face one of the most experienced Offensive Tackles in the league–Orlando Pace. Formerly a longtime Ram, the 6′7″, 325 lb. beast of a player has seen his ups and downs this year after signing with the Bears in the offseason free agency session. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t been impressive either. The amount of pressure Cole is able to place on Pace (and therefore on Jay Cutler as well) may determine how well the Bears’ offense flows, and that is obviously a key factor if this game.
• MLB Joe Mays (PHI) vs. RB Matt Forte (CHI): As stated in a previous section of the article, Forte has struggled carrying the ball this year, and thus far has gained only 482 yards off of 143 touches (a mere 3.4 average per carry). Despite his low rate of success, the Eagles will likely be starting a new man in the middle this week–2nd-year LB Joe Mays. This may not seem like much, but with a new leader at the heart of the defensive unit, the Birds will truly need the young Mays to perform with at least a hint of success. He has shown aggressiveness, but has also proven to be tentative at times when trying to determine what he should be doing on the field. This could perhaps be a bigger player battle than expected, depending on the amount of times the Bears attempt to run the ball up the middle.
• WR DeSean Jackson (PHI) vs. CB Charles Tillman (CHI): Jackson has been the Eagles’ go-to guy on big plays this year, and despite recording a quality amount of yards and total touches as of late, hasn’t been involved in many explosive opportunities lately. Of course, not many players have, considering the offense has been out of their rhythm over the past few weeks, but Jackson is definitely nagging at the chance to make another highlight. In his rookie campaign of 2008, he scored his first touchdown against the Bears, and this week, he’ll face them again, primarily matching up with CB Charles Tillman, who is experiencing arguably his best season in several years. Through 9 games, he has notched 41 tackles, 5 pass deflections, 3 forced fumbles, and a pair of interceptions. His speed allows him to keep up with fast receivers like Jackson, so we should be in for a great matchup here, that might decide how effective the Eagles’ passing attack is.

What to Watch For…

• The Eagles have been recorded as winless when they play in front of a national audience on Sunday evenings, so although statistical facts like this don’t really have an actual effect on the contest, they are factored in as intriguing trivia at the conclusion. Hopefully that number will receive it’s first victory mark tomorrow, and the Sunday night curse will be broken.
• Eagles’ starting QB Donovan McNabb was born in Chicago, and is therefore playing tomorrow night’s game as a sort of homecoming. Again, facts like these don’t provide true factors to the game, but be sure to keep an eye on McNabb and how he performs in his hometown, especially after throwing an astounding 55 passes last week in a loss to the Chargers.
• CB Sheldon Brown, who injured his hamstring last week, threatened to make the Eagles’ secondary extremely thin with the possibility of sitting out because of pain, but has since stated several times that he plans on being out on the field and performing at his best despite his injury. Without Brown, the Eagles would have been forced to push young backup (and relatively new roster addition) Ramzee Robinson into a starting role. However, Brown is intent on playing, and there shouldn’t be as many worries within the defensive backfield as a result of him likely to suit up.

Injury Report (Eagles):

RB Brian Westbrook (concussion) Out

FB Leonard Weaver (ankle pain) Probable

WR Jeremy Maclin (recurring foot pain) Probable

WR Kevin Curtis (surgery; sprained knee) Out

OT Jason Peters (sprained ankle) Probable

OG Nick Cole (knee pain) Probable

DE Victor Abiamiri (sprained knee) Probable

DT Antonio Dixon (foot pain) Probable

DT Mike Patterson (bruised wrist, toe pain) Probable

OLB Akeem Jordan (hyper-extended knee) Out

OLB Chris Gocong (strained hamstring) Probable

CB Sheldon Brown (strained hamstring) Questionable

FS Macho Harris (blurred vision) Probable

FS Quintin Demps (sprained ankle) Out

Projected Team Lineups:

(picture source)