Every week during the season, we’ll scout out the Eagles next opponent. This week, that opponent is the Chicago Bears.
The Opponent: The Chicago Bears, a.k.a. Lovie Smith would like to challenge that timeout he just called.
Record: 4-3
The Line: Eagles by 8.
Last Game: A 24-18 win over the Bucs in swinging London. The Bears picked off Josh Freeman four times and Matt Forte continued his "contract year rampage" with over 180 combined yards.
The Coach: Lovie Smith. What a treat it will be to see Lovie Smith match wits with Andy Reid. I can't wait to see who call the first needless timeout. Lovie might call timeout before the game even starts.
The Offense: Jay Cutler is still taking a beating out there, sacked 21 times on the year already. And that's bad news, considering that the Eagles' pass rush showed a lot of life against Dallas the other night. Mike Martz's offense is predicated on having the QB drop deep and throw deep timing patterns down the field. It's a nifty little offense, except when the quarterback is getting murdered. Plus, you get the sense that Cutler has had just about enough of being Martz's crash test dummy. In other news, Matt Forte is averaging over five yards per carry and has become the Bears' primary receiving threat. He's essentially being used the same way Martz used Marshall Faulk during the Rams' glory days -- and stopping him is the key to everything.
The Defense: Stats show the Bears have actually had a disappointing season thus far defensively. They're giving up tons of yards through the air and are relying almost exclusively on turnovers to stop the opposition. Again, the Eagles will have to run LeSean McCoy a lot so that Mike Vick won't feel pressured to make something happen and turn the ball over as a result.
Key Matchup: Mike Tirico vs. Lovie. Whenever Lovie screws up, it's always fun to hear Tirico let him have it up in the booth. He gets so testy with him!
