The defending Super Bowl champions Philadelphia Eagles head to the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears in the NFC wild card game on Sunday at Soldier Field.
The Eagles finished the 17-week regular season with a 9-7 record to place second in the NFC East. Meanwhile, the Bears won the NFC North by a wide four-game margin.
The Philadelphia Eagles’ title retention bid has been anything but easy. But after Nick Foles took over once against from Carson Wentz, he weaved the same magic that enabled the Eagles to win the championship last season. Philadelphia won its final three regular season games to sneak in and enter the wild card game via the backdoor.
Foles has thrown for 1,413 passing yards with seven touchdowns this season. In the last three games which he started, Foles has thrown a total of six touchdowns and racked up passing yards of 270, 471 and 221 in those games. Zach Ertz leads Philly with 1,163 receiving yards and 8 touchdown passes caught. Josh Adams has rushed for 511 yards with three touchdowns.
The Chicago Bears had one of the most impressive runs this season but it has been largely unnoticed as they have been flying under the radar all season long. But with the playoffs about to start, everyone suddenly realizes that Chicago is in the postseason for the first time since 2010 after finishing with a 12-4 regular season record.
Defense has been Chicago’s calling card this season. A trade for Khalil Mack last September turned what was an above average defense into the #3 defense in the NFL. The Bears were impressive at home this season, going 7-1 SU at Soldier Field. But perhaps more than that, it’s the fact that Chicago was 10-2 SU against NFC rivals that makes the Eagles worried about this game.
Philadelphia is 5-1 SU in their last six games played and the Eagles are 4-2 SU in their last six games on the road. Chicago is 9-1 SU in their last 10 games played and 5-0 SU in their last five home games played. Head to head, The Eagles are 6-4 SU in their last 10 meetings.
The Philadelphia finished strong behind last year’s Super Bowl hero Nick Foles who led the team to a 3-0 record in their final three games. The offense came to life, scoring 28.7 points per game on 420 yards of total offense after scoring just 21.62 points per game and accumulating just 352.7 offensive yards per game in the first 14 weeks of the season.
I must admit I like Nick Foles because of what he accomplished last season and what he did to close out the current regular season. But the magic may be about to run out. Offense vs offense, I think the Eagles and Bears matchup very well but on the other end of the field is where the big difference lies. While Philly’s defense has likewise improved as of late, it isn’t at the level of Chicago’s defense.
The Bears are 9-1 SU and ATS in their last 10 games while allowing just 14.9 points per game over that period. I think it’s that defense and the way the Bears have played that defense that is the difference maker here. We’re picking the Chicago Bears to beat the Philadelphia Eagles on 1/6/19
The Eagles are 5-9-1 ATS in their last 15 games played and 4-2 ATS in their last six games on the road. The Bears are 9-1 ATS in their last 10 games played and the Bears are 5-0 ATS in their last five home games played. Head to head, these teams are at an even 5-5 ATS..
Chicago is 5-0 SU and ATS in their last five home games with an average winning margin of 9.4 points per game. The Bears are 6-0 ATS in their last six games after allowing fewer than 90 rushing yards in their previous game and 7-0-1 ATS in their last eight home games against teams with a winning road record. I like how good the bears have been at home. Prediction: Bears -7
The total has gone over in 16 out of the last 24 road games played by the Eagles while the total has gone under in five out of the last six games played by the Bears. Head to head, the under is 5-4-1 in the last 10 meetings between these two teams.
When you look at season averages, the Eagles’ road games had an average combined score of 46.25 while the Bears’ home games had an average combined score of 45.63 points. However, Chicago’s last four games have netted a combined average score of just 29.75 points per game and Philadelphia’s opponent red-zone TD scoring percentage of 44.4% is the best in the league so if you like current form, the under is for you as it is for me. Prediction: Under 41
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