The Eagles head to Soldier Field on Monday night trying to keep their unbeaten start alive, and Week 3 already comes with a pile of moving parts on both sidelines.
Philadelphia is 2-0 after surviving Tennessee 24-20 on a last-second touchdown, while Chicago comes in at 1-1 after a rough 9-3 loss to Minnesota in the rain. With both teams looking for an early-season jolt, this one carries plenty of urgency even before kickoff.
The game is set for Monday, September 28 at 8:15 p.m. EST and will air on ABC/ESPN. Joe Buck will handle play-by-play, Troy Aikman will be on color, and Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will work the sidelines.
For the Eagles, the biggest concern starts with Saquon Barkley. He’s dealing with a stinger, and there’s no clear word yet on how serious it is.
Barkley tried to return against the Titans after getting hurt on the first play, but he couldn’t finish. If he’s unavailable, Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley would split the workload.
Dallas Goedert is already ruled out after spraining his MCL against Tennessee near the start of the second half. Philadelphia brought in Zach Ertz to help fill the gap.
Jalen Carter is also worth watching after wrist trouble appeared to bother him against the Titans. He looks like a player who could suit up, but it’s still something to monitor through the week.
Andrew Mukuba played through a knee injury last week, though he didn’t seem fully himself. His status will become clearer once the first injury report drops.
On top of that, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard is still working back from a pectoral injury that has kept him out of all of training camp and the first two games. His return status is unknown, but this could be the first chance for him to get back on the field.
Chicago has its own quarterback mess to sort through. Caleb Williams left late in the fourth quarter against the Vikings with a hamstring injury and is not expected to practice this week.
He hasn’t been ruled out yet, but the expectation is that he won’t play. Backup Tyson Bagent is in concussion protocol and was not in the building on Wednesday.
If neither can go, Case Keenum would start.
The Eagles’ offense is still searching for cleaner answers, especially on the ground. The passing game has flashed, but the rushing attack has been uneven, and Barkley’s injury only adds to the uncertainty. Philadelphia’s line has also made things harder than expected, leaving the run game looking far less dangerous than it did before the season.
That puts more on Jalen Hurts, who has to keep this offense moving when the easy stuff isn’t there. He showed against Tennessee that he can do that with the ball in his hands, and the Eagles can lean more heavily on the passing game with DeVonta Smith and Donatyvion Wicks in the mix.
The offensive line remains another major question. Losing Landon Dickerson has had a bigger effect than expected, with Drew Kendall at center and Cam Jurgens at left guard.
The setup didn’t work especially well last week, though Philadelphia still found a way to win. For now, it looks like the Eagles will stick with it, and Kendall and Jurgens need to show more against a better Bears front.
There’s also a chance Philadelphia’s recent additions make an early impact. Zach Ertz was brought in to help the tight end group, while Kenny Moore was added to stabilize a shaky safety situation.
Ertz should be able to help the passing game quickly, even if his snap count stays limited. The Eagles could keep Marcus Epps and Andrew Mukuba in the starting mix, but Moore gives them another option if the back end starts to wobble.
In Other News...
Jalen Hurts' Mom Said What Eagles Fans Already Believe
Jalen Hurts has spent the first two weeks of the season giving Eagles fans plenty of reasons to feel good about the quarterback spot, and his mother just added a little social-media fuel to the conversation. In a TikTok video using a face filter, she jokingly made the case that her son is more clutch than other quarterbacks, a playful bit of family pride that lands especially well when the on-field evidence is already trending in his favor.
Hurts has been effective in late-game, one-score situations, exactly the kind of moments Philadelphia leans on its quarterback to handle. The comparison cases around the league include names like Tyler Shough and Josh Allen, but the bigger point for the Eagles is simpler: Hurts has started this season with the kind of fourth-quarter composure that turns a lighthearted TikTok into a talking point. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Have Found A Cheap Answer At WR2
The Eagles did not have to pay a premium to add Dontayvion Wicks, but the early returns have looked anything but ordinary. After coming over from Green Bay in a trade for future draft picks and landing an extension, Wicks has made an immediate case for a bigger role in Philadelphias offense, giving the team a cost-effective option alongside its established passing game.
Through the first two games, Wicks has caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, production that has already helped him earn Jalen Hurts trust. For a team always balancing star power with roster value, the appeal is obvious: if Wicks keeps this up, Philadelphia may have found a much cheaper answer than most teams get at wide receiver two. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Mekhi Becton Decision To Make
The Eagles offensive line depth has gone from a strength to a concern in a hurry, with Landon Dickerson now on injured reserve and the interior of the unit looking shaky in recent games. Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall have not settled things down, and for a team built around protecting the quarterback and keeping the run game on schedule, that kind of uncertainty is hard to ignore.
Mekhi Becton suddenly sits in the middle of that conversation. He played a useful role for Philadelphia during its 2024 Super Bowl run before leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers, but his season since then has been marked by injuries and uneven play. Even so, the idea of a second chance is hard to dismiss when the Eagles are searching for answers up front and know exactly what Becton looked like when things were working here. [Read more 🡒]