The Eagles may boast the No. 1 run defense in the NFL these days, but that ranking will be put to the test by the Chicago Bears on Sunday (see matchups to watch).
"If we can't stop the run, it's going to be a long day," Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins said this week. "Let's not get that mistaken."
Few teams are as committed to the ground attack as the Bears, and even fewer are more productive. Since rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky became the starter in Week 5, Chicago ranks seventh in the league in rushing attempts. For the entire 2017 season, the offense is fifth with 131.8 rushing yards per game.
The Eagles are limiting opponents to nearly half that total at 71.0 yards per game. They've also faced only a smattering of backfields as talented as Chicago's, if any. Plus, many offenses have abandoned the run - a strategy the Bears aren't likely to attempt regardless of the score.
"We know they're going to run the football," said Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham. "They even run the football a lot of times on third-and-long. It's something they're going to do.
"There's a reason why they're fifth in the league in rushing."
Given the nature of their passing attack, the Bears' best shot at pulling off an upset at Lincoln Financial Field is to keep the Eagles' offense on the sideline.
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"Even if it's not getting you a whole lot, if you can slowly move the chains and control the game, I think that's something that they'll continue to do," Jenkins said.
Chosen with the second-overall pick in the draft, Trubisky has begun making strides in recent weeks. He completed 60.0 percent of his passes and avoided throwing an interception in each of the last two games, both one-possession losses. In fact, the Bears haven't lost any of Trubisky's six starts by more than eight points, and are 2-4 since he's taken over.
Trubisky wasn't asked to throw the ball much in those two victories, either - a combined total of 23 pass attempts. Instead, Chicago was able to lean on running backs Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen.
"It's kind of like a thunder and lightning situation, kind of what we had here at the beginning of the season with (LeGarrette Blount) and (Darren Sproles)," Bradham said.
Howard is the workhorse back, and is often overlooked as one of the NFL's bright, young stars due to the quality of his team. The 23-year-old was the runner-up to the rushing champion as a rookie in 2016 with 1,313 yards. Ten games into his second season, he's up to 841 yards with a 4.4 average and five touchdowns.
A fourth-round pick from FCS school North Carolina AT&T in 2017, Cohen has immediately emerged as one of the league's scariest change-of-pace/receiving backs. The 5-foot-6, 181-pound ball carrier has 537 total yards from scrimmage and leads the team with 33 receptions.
The duo is featured prominently in just about everything the Bears do on offense.
"They put both backs on the field at the same time a little bit, too," Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. "Sometimes it's two-back sets, sometimes it's one.
"Traditionally there's a fullback back there in two-back sets, but not so much with the Bears. They can put two guys back there. It spreads you a little bit thin. You have to be very assignment-sound. It'll test us in the run game."
Cohen in particular has caused defenses some problems because, much like Sproles for the Eagles, he can line up all over the formation. Some teams have even opted to roll coverages to his area of the field, though that might be as much about Chicago's dearth of receivers as it is respect for the 22-year-old.
Whatever the case, Jenkins doesn't expect the Eagles to roll coverages, adding that's not something they've done all season. Regardless, with three run or pass plays of 35 yards or more this season, Cohen is a home-run threat - although the Eagles aren't giving up many home runs.
"He's definitely a matchup issue, and they put him all over the place," Jenkins said. "He's at receiver, he's in the backfield, he's in the slot. Everybody is going to have to hold up. Whether he's on a linebacker or a safety or a corner, we've seen him make plays at every position.
"He's running post routes on corners and making the play. Then they're able to line up and run the ball at pretty much anybody, so we'll have our hands full with that."
Howard is a threat to rip off long gains on the ground as well, with three runs of 50 and over. Then Trubisky is capable of taking off, too, with 163 yards rushing.
"His ability to make plays with his legs has been a positive," Jenkins said. "He's a mobile guy. When all else fails, he can escape the pocket and extend the play.
"Whether it's scrambling for a first down, or scrambling to get somebody open, that's always tough on the defense."
Up until last week, it was beginning to look like there may not have been a running game in the league that the Eagles needed to fear. Then the Dallas Cowboys posted 112 yards last Sunday - tied for the most the Eagles have allowed all se on, and the most since Week 2. And Dallas was without All-Pro running back Ezekiel Elliott, who is suspended.
Then again, if the Bears are only able to muster 112 yards rushing this week, the Eagles might consider that a victory in itself.
"I think we set that bar awful high," Schwartz said. "Some people might get a pat on the back for that.
"It's a tribute to the players in the locker room that that's a poor performance for them, and they consider it a poor performance."
To put those numbers in perspective, exactly half of the league is allowing more than 112.0 yards rushing per game this season. In other words, the Bears are probably going to have to fare a lot better than that to knock off the Eagles.
