The Eagles walked into Soldier Field as road favorites and walked out with a 27-7 loss to the Bears on Monday night, a result that turned into a full-team indictment by the time ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” was done.
Case Keenum, 38 and last having started an NFL game in 2023, had a clean night for Chicago. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and posted a 110.8 passer rating. Philadelphia, by contrast, put the ball on the ground, threw it away, and kept shooting itself in the foot with 10 penalties.
That kind of mess tends to create a long blame list, and the Eagles had plenty of candidates.
Marcus Epps was one of the first. He came into the game needing a strong answer after a rough Week 2 against the Titans, but instead he missed two tackles on Chicago’s 66-yard opening touchdown drive.
He later got caught in a rotation with Michael Carter II and never really settled in. There’s a reason why the Eagles signed Kenny Moore.
The defense as a whole never found its footing, and Vic Fangio took the hit for it. Drew Mukuba and Jihaad Campbell both had rough nights, the pass rush didn’t finish enough plays, and Keenum was able to work comfortably against defenders who were often left chasing crossers and open windows.
Fangio also got out-coached again by Bears head coach and play-caller Ben Johnson. Last year, it was Chicago’s run game that wore down the Eagles on Black Friday.
This time, it was the passing game.
Makai Lemon landed on the losers list too, though not because of his own effort. He made a couple of nice catches and showed some of the talent that made him a first-round pick.
The problem was how Sean Mannion used him. Through three weeks, the side-to-side swing passes simply have not worked.
Andy Dalton’s lone pass attempt was another ugly moment in a bad night. Forced into action when Jalen Hurts entered concussion protocol, Dalton threw one of the worst interceptions you’ll see on a third-and-goal from the 2-yard line. Coming after Keenum’s strong outing, it only sharpened the contrast in how rough the Eagles’ QB2 situation looks.
Then there was Nick Sirianni. Late in the fourth quarter, down 13 points, Philadelphia faced fourth-and-1 at the Bears’ 49-yard line and chose to punt.
The Eagles first tried to draw Chicago offside, then took a delay of game before punting anyway. Needing one yard to keep a crucial drive alive while trailing by two scores, they gave the ball away.
Statistically, it made no sense.
Still, the Eagles did have a few bright spots.
DeVonta Smith was one of them. His 30-yard contested catch helped spark the touchdown drive that closed the first half, and it was the kind of play that reminds everyone what he can do when the ball is in the air.
Saquon Barkley also gave Philadelphia something to hang onto. After leaving last week’s game with a stinger, he returned with the cowboy collar and ran well, finishing with 82 yards on 15 carries for a 5.5-yard average. He had a couple of long runs wiped out by penalties, but the Eagles’ ground game at least showed life after struggling badly through the first two games.
Quinyon Mitchell earned his place among the winners, too. Chicago found ways to scheme things up, but testing Mitchell in big moments was a mistake.
He broke up a fourth-and-goal pass in the first half and later knocked away a third-and-5 throw in Philadelphia territory. Both came on out routes.
Both were covered cleanly.
For Philadelphia, that was the theme of the night: a few individual standouts, but far too many failures everywhere else.
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