Preview: Eagles shoved back under the national spotlight for a Black Friday showdown with the 8-3 Chicago Bears

The Eagles do not get to lick their wounds in private. After coughing up a 21 point lead in Dallas, they are shoved right back under the national spotlight for a Black Friday showdown with the 8-3 Chicago Bears.

While Eagles fans try to shake off their turkey comas, the hope is that the offense finally wakes up too. This offense has not looked right all year, the run game that crushed teams last season has completely vanished and the offensive line looks shaky at best.

Pair all that with the play-calling being overly predictable and there are some serious issues. Jalen Hurts is clearly handcuffed in a simplified version of the offense and Saquon Barkley, who carried the team on his back for 482 touches last year, does not look close to the same explosive runner.

Credit to Saquon Barkley, though. He is doing what leaders do by shouldering the blame and refusing to point fingers even though he is far from the biggest problem.

Now Barkley is also on the injury report with a groin issue so there’s a good chance that we’ll see a good amount of Tank Bigsby tomorrow, who has shown real burst every time he has touched the ball.

Tank is averaging more than 9 yards per carry and theres definitely a case to be made that he deserves real work. There is no better opponent to test that theory than Chicago.

Bears Defense

The Bears are allowing 138 rushing yards per game, which is near the bottom of the league. They also might be without both starting linebackers and possibly their next two backups as well.

Tremaine Edmunds is on IR. T.J. Edwards is banged up. Noah Sewell is hurt. Ruben Hyppolite is hurt. Chicago might be forced to roll out their fourth and sixth linebackers. If the Eagles cannot run on this team, at home, on a short week, then the issues are much deeper than anyone wants to admit.

Chicago gets burned by tight ends every week, and with C.J. Gardner Johnson playing a lot in the slot, the Eagles should be able to create red zone opportunities for Dallas Goedert. He needs to be involved early instead of disappearing for long stretches.

Eagles Defense

The bigger challenge is on the defensive side. Chicago actually looks like a real football team again. Caleb Williams has taken a major leap under Ben Johnson. This is not the messy version of Williams from his rookie year.

This is a controlled offense with real structure, smart design, and a quarterback who can improvise like a veteran. He throws on the move, he escapes free rushers, and he turns broken plays into massive gains.

Behind Enemy Lines: Black Friday preview from a Chicago Bears fan living in Philadelphia

If the Eagles allow this game to turn into a backyard scramble fest, the secondary is in trouble. Drew Mukuba is out. Reed Blankenship might be out. Sydney Brown struggled badly when asked to play single high in Dallas.

The Cowboys immediately tested him down the field and he could not get over the top in time. You can guarantee the Bears saw every second of that film. Fangio has to protect him with better coverage structure. If not, Chicago will hunt mismatches all afternoon.

The Bears spread the ball around extremely well. Rome Odunze is a problem. D.J. Moore is a reliable chain mover and red zone threat. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden attack soft spots in coverage. This offense forces defenses to defend every blade of grass, something the Eagles have struggled with all season.

Philadelphia will test a new traffic plan after Black Friday’s Bears-Eagles game

Up front, Chicago invested heavily in their offensive line and it shows. Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman form a powerful interior group. The tackle spots, however, are where the Eagles can win. Darnell Wright is strong but can be beaten by speed.

The left tackle spot, whether it is Theo Benedet or rookie Ozzy Trapilo, is vulnerable. This is where Jalen Carter, Jaelan Phillips, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and Jordan Davis need to take over. If Williams is allowed to wander around and extend plays, it will be a long day.

This game is not complicated. The Eagles need their offense to show signs of life. They need to run the ball on a weak Chicago front. They need Hurts to settle in early. They need Goedert to be featured. On defense, they need to keep Williams in the pocket and avoid letting the secondary get exposed.

The record says the Eagles are 8-3. The film says the Eagles are hanging on for dear life. Black Friday will either be the moment they snap out of it or the moment the slide becomes real.

We find out at 3 p.m. at The Linc.

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