The Eagles got into the playoffs in dramatic fashion, but if they want to keep their season alive, they're going to have to take down the Bears on the road Sunday.
The Eagles are the sixth seed in the playoffs after putting together a 9-7 record this season. And the Bears are the third seed after their 12-4 campaign.
But none of that matters right now. These are the matchups that will determine which team keeps their season alive:
Lane Johnson, Jason Peters vs. Khalil Mack
Simply put, Mack is one of the best players in football. If he's not the best defensive player in the NFL, he's damn close. The Bears traded for Mack before this season in a mega-deal that involved a couple of first-round picks, and it's been worth it. He had 12 1/2 sacks this regular season and has made this Bears defense downright scary.
The Eagles held Mack in check last Christmas Day when he was still a member of the Raiders. Lane Johnson had a dominant performance that night. But the Bears use Mack differently than the Raiders did. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio moves Mack up and down the line trying to find ideal matchups. Johnson will still likely see the most of Mack, but it'll take more of a team effort to stop him. The Eagles desperately need Jason Peters to stay healthy in this game.
Philadelphia Eagles
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Nick Foles has had that magic over the last few weeks, but he's also taken two pretty serious hits and suffered injuries in the last two games. If the Eagles want to win, they can't afford to let Foles take any more hits like that. They've got to keep him upright.
Eagles run game vs. Bears run defense
The Bears boast the NFL's best rushing defense after allowing just 80.0 yards per game in the regular season. Meanwhile, the Eagles were the NFL's 28th-best rushing team this season.
The big question here is if the run game isn't working (very likely), how early will Doug Pederson abandon it?
He admitted there might come a time where they have to make that decision if the run game simply isn't working. The problem with that is that's exactly what the Bears want. They want to make teams one-dimensional so their pass-rushers can get after the quarterback. As Pederson said this week, there's a balance to this. They're going to have to find it Sunday. The more realistic expectation is for the Eagles to focus on their short passing game and allow Foles to get rid of the ball quickly.
Tarik Cohen vs. Malcolm Jenkins
Jordan Howard is a pretty good running back, but it's Tarik Cohen who probably presents a bigger challenge to this defense. Cohen is a really great dual-threat. He had 99 carries for 444 yards and three touchdowns, to go along with 71 catches for 725 yards and five receiving touchdowns.
Cohen's ability as a receiver out of the backfield is what makes him so dangerous. He's a mismatch for any linebacker, so the Bears desperately try to find those matchups, sort of like what the Eagles do with Darren Sproles. I have a feeling the Eagles are going to try to limit Cohen's effectiveness by getting Jenkins on him more than linebackers. That's pretty high praise for Cohen if he becomes a magnet for one of the Eagles' biggest players, but there's a real possibility that happens.
Kyle Long vs. Fletcher Cox
Chris Long's younger brother returned from the IR for Week 17 after he healed up from a foot injury earlier in the season. The former Pro Bowl right guard played well in his return against the Vikings, which should be a big boost for the Bears against the Eagles on Sunday.
It'll be interesting to see if the Bears are happy to let Long get in 1-on-1 situations with Fletcher Cox often. Many teams double Cox, but teams with a Pro Bowl guard sometimes feel comfortable enough not giving them help. I'll take Cox 1-on-1 against just about any guard in the league, even one who has been to three Pro Bowls.
And 1-on-1s are unavoidable, by the way. This is just wondering if the Bears will feel comfortable getting in more 1-on-1 situations against a player of Cox's caliber.
Mitchell Trubisky vs. Jim Schwartz
The one big advantage the Eagles have going into this game is playoff experience. No, it's not quite the same thing as last year, when they were the No. 1 seed and had home field advantage, but these guys have all played in big games. They've played in the biggest games.
Meanwhile, Trubisky is in his second season and is about to play in his first career playoff game. Trubisky put up decent numbers this year, but it's not like he's the reason the Bears won 12 games. He threw for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. The Eagles might be able to force him into mistakes. A lot of that will be up to Schwartz. He is always hesitant to blitz, but maybe a few at the right times Sunday would help.
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