The Eagles have started 2-0, but the early record hasn’t exactly come with room to breathe. Philadelphia slipped past the Washington Commanders and Tennessee Titans by narrow margins, and now the schedule turns to a matchup that looks much trickier on paper.
Then again, the picture in Chicago is muddy enough to make this one hard to pin down. Ben Johnson’s Bears erupted for 59 points against the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, then came back to earth in a big way with a three-point home loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. That game also brought a hamstring injury for Caleb Williams, which throws another layer of uncertainty onto Monday Night Football.
FanDuel opened Philadelphia as a 3.5-point road favorite, a number that would likely look different if Williams were expected to play. If he can’t go, Tyson Bagent would be next up for Chicago.
Bagent has only limited NFL experience, but he did get four starts as an undrafted rookie in 2023 and finished those games 2-2. In that stretch, he threw three touchdowns against six interceptions and posted a 73.0 passer rating. He also gave the Bears something with his legs, rushing 23 times for 109 yards and two scores.
Chicago has kept faith in him because of what he’s done in preseason. Over the past three summers, Bagent has totaled 10 touchdowns and two interceptions in exhibition play.
That doesn’t guarantee much once the games count, but it does explain why the Bears are comfortable having him in the mix. There are certainly worse backup options than Bagent.
Andy Dalton was the example given.
Philadelphia, meanwhile, hasn’t cashed in against the spread yet. The Eagles are 0-2 ATS after failing to cover as 5.5-point home favorites against Washington and then missing as seven-point road favorites against Tennessee.
That leaves the betting angle hanging in the balance. The question is whether the Eagles can win by enough to cover this number, and whether they can do it against a Bears team that looked electric one week and flat the next. There’s also the possibility of a statement game for Philadelphia after being embarrassed by Chicago on Black Friday last year.
There’s confidence in Jalen Hurts, but there are still concerns about the Eagles in the trenches. And if Jonathan Greenard is able to return, the defense could get a boost there as well. For now, the lean is toward taking the points, with the door left open to changing that view before next Monday.
In Other News...
Pam Oliver Sparked More Concern During Bears-Vikings Broadcast
Pam Olivers recent sideline work during the Bears-Vikings game quickly became part of a larger conversation that has followed her across NFL broadcasts for years. The Fox Sports reporter has long been the subject of online speculation about her speech delivery, with some viewers jumping to the wrong conclusions even though she has already explained that severe, chronic migraine headaches can affect her voice and make bright-light conditions even tougher.
The chatter picked up again after the Bears matchup and another recent Fox broadcast, pushing the same conversation back into view on social media. For a viewer base used to seeing Oliver on big NFL stages, it served as another reminder of how often a routine game broadcast can turn into a public referendum on something much more personal than football. [Read more 🡒]
Antonio Brown Crossed A Line With Caleb Williams And Fans Pounced
Caleb Williams hamstring injury was already the biggest concern for the Bears, but Antonio Brown turned the moment into something far uglier after posting a homophobic slur aimed at the rookie quarterback on social media. The reaction was immediate, and it had less to do with football than with how quickly Brown managed to drag a serious injury situation into the kind of online mess that has followed him before.
Fans pounced on the post, pointing to Browns long history of controversial behavior and repeated run-ins tied to provocative social media activity. For Bears supporters, it was another frustrating distraction attached to a season already dealing with a setback at quarterback, and it only reinforced how little patience there is left for Browns routine of crossing lines and inviting backlash. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Fans Got Caught In Foxs Most Infuriating Broadcast Mess
Broadcast glitches have become part of the modern NFL viewing experience, but FOX Sports managed to turn Week 2 into a mess that cut across multiple games at once. Viewers trying to follow the action were hearing the wrong commentary for the wrong matchups, and the confusion stretched beyond one telecast as the network juggled audio problems throughout the afternoon slate.
For Bears fans watching the NFC North rival Packers, the timing only added to the irritation as the Packers-Jets game hit overtime and FOX briefly lost the scorebug. The network had the audio issues sorted out by the time the primetime Cowboys-Commanders game kicked off, though not before one on-air comment from Tom Brady slipped through unfiltered and gave the night another awkward wrinkle. [Read more 🡒]