Who Wants It More? Bears Overtake the Eagles in 2025 Black Friday Matchup
The Philadelphia Eagles took on the Chicago Bears tonight in the 2025 Black Friday matchup between two 8-3 teams. The final score at Lincoln Financial Field was 24-15 in favor of Chicago, a result that not many could have predicted. The Bears walked away with a road win to advance to a 9-3 record, while the Eagles were left at 8-4 after a nightmare of a game. The matchup was clearly defined by the dominant ground game from Chicago and the blatant imbalance of energy between the teams. Here are my takeaways from 60 minutes of the Bears bullying the Eagles.
The Bears Ran All Over Philadelphia
Over 12 carries in the first quarter, the Bears ran for 81 yards and scored a rushing touchdown. This was the most rushing yards the Eagles have allowed in a single quarter since 2022. By halftime, the Eagles had given up 142 yards to the Bears' offensive attack on the ground. Chicago effectively used the perimeter, mixing between the outside and inside designed runs, and the Eagles simply struggled to defend it. By the last whistle, the Bears had put up 281 yards, with running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai each earning over 120 yards. If this game was defined by anything, it’s the dominance of the Bears through the run, which was the ultimate decider of the Eagles' fate tonight.
Bears Play with Urgency, Eagles Play Sloppily
A major storyline of this game was the level of intensity radiating from each team. The Bears played with urgency and hunger. Every snap, every drive, every quarter, their intensity stayed the same: high energy with a clear desire to win. They truly played until the whistle in every aspect, whether it was fighting for more return yards or stripping Jalen Hurts during the tush-push, they fought to win the ball. On the other side, the Eagles played sloppily. Numerous penalties, missed field goals, an interception, and two fumbles, despite recovering one, do not bode well for a team that emphasizes winning the turnover battle. We have seen the potential of the Eagles when they play like they want to win, but today, they played like they were overlooking the Bears, which clearly didn’t end well for them. The Eagles picked up the momentum late in the fourth quarter, but it was too late to make up the difference. Therefore, the energy from both teams was, in my opinion, perfectly reflected by the final score.
Jalen Hurts Struggled with the Passing Attack
Hurts passing today was subpar. He threw for 230 yards and an interception, but a recurring theme was his inaccuracy. He is typically effective with the deep ball, and many of his now 19 passing touchdowns are on those long completions. However, on multiple occasions tonight, he underthrew his receivers. Even on the 33-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Brown, Brown had to turn around and come to the ball to make the play. Then, early in the fourth quarter, DeVonta Smith had the defender beat and was open for a catch-and-run touchdown to put the Birds ahead, but he had to stop his momentum to come toward the ball, which ultimately led to the incompletion. Hurts’ receivers had to work for almost every pass tonight, and not because the defense was covering them exceptionally well. It also didn’t help that the Eagles went four for 11 on third down conversions. Overall, Hurts showed off his legs a bit tonight, but the passing attack was nowhere near what we have seen earlier in the season.
