Frustrations among fans boiled over on Friday evening as the Philadelphia Eagles floundered in prime time against the Chicago Bears. While the Eagles struggled to find any sort of success on offense, the Bears were able to overpower them throughout the first half.
There was no more telling example than the disparity between the two rushing attacks. The Eagles totaled just 27 yards on the ground in the first half, while they allowed 142.
As if this game wasn’t already enough of a beating, that sets the mark for the most rushing yards allowed by the Eagles in a half in the last decade.
Eagles horrific first half vs. Bears sets the wrong kind of history
Ben Johnson’s offense may have only put up ten points in the first half of the NFL’s Black Friday game, but they were rolling on the ground. The dynamic running back duo of D'Andre Swift (a former Eagles’ flameout) and seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai was seemingly unstoppable. Swift had nearly 100 yards by halftime, breaking off a few explosive runs in the process. Meanwhile, Monangai handled the short-yardage work, consistently picking up extra ground after contact.
The Bears used a simple formula to pick Vic Fangio’s defense apart. They alternated between horizontal runs off motion looks with their receivers and downhill carries with their running backs. Despite the elite talent on Philadelphia’s defensive front, the Eagles were helpless against the Bears’ attack for most of the game. Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams was unable to get anything going early, missing multiple open receivers in key moments. If he had hit just a couple of those passes, the halftime score could have quickly become much more lopsided than it was.
On the other hand, the Eagles’ offense was stagnant yet again. Barkley found no room behind Philadelphia’s beat-up offensive line, and Jalen Hurts was a non-factor in the rushing attack. The Bears took what was supposed to be the Eagles’ strength and used it against them.
The Bears’ inability to finish drives allowed the Eagles to get back into the game in the second half, but this is an issue that can’t be ignored. The Eagles have been able to lean on their defense throughout this season to carry them to a competitive record. If other offenses can replicate the formula that the Bears just put on display, this could quickly turn into a season-defining problem for Philly.