8-3 vs. 8-3; Can the Eagles Reclaim Their Dominance?
The Philadelphia Eagles return to Lincoln Financial Field this week with a lot on their plate. Following their game this past week, they are taking on a new challenge for the remainder of the season. Their 24-21 loss to Dallas last Sunday was a jarring reminder that dominance in the NFL is fragile when detail and discipline slip, but it also bookmarked an even bigger point about the 2025 season: talent wins debates, adjustments win games. Now, tied with the Chicago Bears at 8-3 in the standings, they are slowly rising and becoming the league’s sudden Wild Card antagonist. With that, the Eagles must claim dominance more than ever right now.
Philadelphia’s first half against Dallas showed what this roster looks like when everything is aligned, explosive, confident, and imposing. Unfortunately, the second half exposed what it looks like when opponents adjust, and Philly hesitates to answer in return. This type of energy against the Bears can be fatal, considering the Bears aren’t winning games because they out-talent opponents. They’re winning because they out-detail them.
The Eagles in this game must prioritize possession more than ever. As we have seen throughout the season, the Bears love ripping the ball away from their opponents, helping them make bigger plays. Jalen Hurts cannot afford the lazy glances or the casual window throw that Chicago corners are waiting to bait him into. If the Eagles want to truly flip momentum early, it begins by protecting the ball, even if it means shorter gains at first. We saw firsthand when possessions get sloppy, plays are incomplete. Notably, Chicago will happily recreate the same situation for the Eagles as the Cowboys did last week if allowed to.
A lot of changes need to be made entering this game. The Bears enter this week riding the momentum of consistent wins, playing like a team that now expects to control games, and their defense won’t hesitate to test Philadelphia’s rhythm the same way Dallas did last Sunday. Philadelphia’s defense must therefore adjust simply by doing what champions are supposed to do: pressure early, pressure cleanly, and pressure without blowing their own spacing. That means the defensive front needs to collapse the pocket with discipline, not desperation, forcing Caleb Williams to throw the ball sooner than he wants and into windows tighter than he trusts. If the Eagles get home with a four-man rush and keep their edges contained, receivers like D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze become far less threatening, not because of a lack of talent, but because a quarterback out of rhythm can only speculate instead of deliver.
Offensively, the Eagles must adjust in a manner just as simple. It starts by protecting the football and committing to variety, not decoration. Saquon Barkley should still be the centerpiece, but the run game has to shift tempos and directions often enough that Chicago’s linebackers can’t guess correctly before the mesh point. Instead of letting the defense feel what’s coming, Hurts must push the offense downhill on early downs, layer in counters, and weaponize motion to move leverage, not expose the play. Hurts, too, doesn’t need reinvention; he needs decisiveness. Quick reads, faster releases, and controlled aggression will keep Chicago’s secondary reacting late instead of jumping early. When Hurts and Barkley connect with early-down efficiency and change-up looks in later possessions, the Eagles’ offense regains its edge not just in yards but in momentum, allowing drives to finish with points instead of disappointment and predictable outcomes.
The talent is there for the Eagles; they just need to execute. In a season that has been the most shocking, Philadelphia’s flaws were never personnel; they were about timing, detail, and the dangerous illusion of predictability. The loss to Dallas showed that no lead, no matter how emphatic, matters unless a team keeps control of the ball and the moment that surrounds it. The Chicago Bears are going to test the Eagles’ rhythm and make them work for this win. It all just comes down to execution in the moments that matter most.
