Unexpected Weaknesses in Bears and Eagles Defenses Could Change Everything This Season

Black Friday shopping lists? Check. Grocery run? Check. But what about something to actually watch while the crowds dodge carts and deals? Enter the NFL’s late-morning saving grace: Bears versus Eagles at 3:00 ET. Now, I gotta ask—have you ever seen a team sneak into first place against all odds quite like the Bears? Eight and three, leading their division? That’s the kind of storyline that makes you wonder if it’s all smoke and mirrors or just plain luck in disguise. Meanwhile, the Eagles, battered by rumors and questions around their stars—AJ Brown’s mood swings, Saquon Barkley’s mystery, Jalen Hurts’s doubters—still hold the cards in their playoff destiny. This clash might not be shiny and perfect, but it promises intrigue, especially with Chicago’s linebackers sidelined and Philly’s defense looking to mend after last week’s blown lead. So, can Barkley break loose on one of the league’s worst run defenses? Will the Bears hold on without their backbone? And hey, if this game turns sour, at least your Black Friday haul might be a bit less crowded. Curious how it all shakes down? LEARN MORE.

Bears vs. Eagles, 3:00 ET

What do you have to do on Black Friday? Personally, I’ll do a bit of online shopping, maybe go to the grocery store, and then I really don’t know what else. Thanks to the NFL, at least during the middle of the day, I’ll have something to watch. And, if the game is a disaster, I’ll have quieter than normal stores for the busiest shopping day of the year. We are treated to a nice Black Friday game as the Bears take on the Eagles.

If you had the Eagles coming into this game at 8-3, I think most people would’ve agreed and understood. If you had the Bears coming into this week with an 8-3 record and being in first place within the division, I’d have to guess most people would’ve said that was wishful thinking. Here we are, in Week 13, with the Bears having a winning record. Now, I’ve discussed this a few times, and last week I got a push on my play with them. But the Bears are probably a fraudulent winning team. They have won eight of their last nine games, but realistically, this team could have lost all but two of those games. I won’t harp on it forever because the team won the games, and there is value in that, and it deserves acknowledgment. Last week, the team won the game without all three of their starting linebackers. That’s a unique accomplishment as well. All three of those linebackers are still on the injured list as of Wednesday, and I am not expecting them to play. There is a much bigger game on the horizon for the Bears, and I expect the team to hope their guys can be healthy and ready to go for that one.

The Eagles are good, but certainly flawed. There are a number of rumors about how happy AJ Brown is in this offense. There are a bunch of rumors about what is going on with Saquon Barkley. There are thoughts that Jalen Hurts just isn’t a good quarterback. Whatever the reason, and whatever the truth is, the team still has a winning record, still controls its destiny, and still isn’t a team you want to face in the playoffs. The defense for the Eagles is still pretty good, but dropping more toward the bottom half of the league in yards allowed than closer to the middle or top. It isn’t like the Bears do anything especially well on offense, so I’m not sure that it matters all that much, but Philadelphia won’t be able to completely shut them down. Last week, the Eagles gave up a 21-point lead to their division rival Cowboys, so they should come in looking for adjustments and to make a statement on defense. This could be a chance for Barkley to break loose a bit as well as because the Bears are one of the worst running defenses in football.

I don’t see a path for the Bears winning this game if their linebackers are injured. Neither of these teams are all that impressive overall, despite their record. However, if the Bears are on the road, against an Eagles team that is flawed, but still full of winners, and Chicago has no linebackers, how can they cover the -7? I don’t think they can. I expect Barkley to have a big game, and I expect this one to go over the total of 44.5. Back the over.

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