Bear Digest

Bears vs. Eagles prediction: Can Chicago pull off a statement win in Week 13?

Despite their first-place standing in the NFC North, the Chicago Bears are still searching for a signature win in 2025. Will it come in Week 13 against the Eagles?
Bryan Perez|
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The Chicago Bears (8-3) and Philadelphia Eagles (8-3) take center stage on Black Friday in a battle between two teams competing for the top seed in the NFC playoffs entering Week 13.

Bears fans probably said a few extra words of gratitude during Thanksgiving dinner for such a remarkable turnaround under Ben Johnson in only his first season as head coach. While improvement was certainly expected in 2025, this kind of Bears season is an incredible surprise.

But if there's been one thing preventing unconditional excitement from spreading throughout Bears Nation, it's the lingering feeling that Chicago hasn't really had a signature win in 2025. Sure, their one-sided victory over the Dallas Cowboys is looking better by the week, but anxiety over whether this Bears team should be taken seriously remains.

That could all change during Black Friday's game against the Eagles, who, despite not having an optimal season either, are still the defending Super Bowl champions and one of the powerhouse teams in the NFC.

Friday's matchup will be a fantastic challenge for Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is one of the best in the business. He'll find ways to confuse Williams, even if Johnson dials up a good play call. And it's in those moments that we will find out if the Bears are the real deal.

If Caleb Williams delivers a signature performance en route to a Bears' win on (sort of) national television, the narrative around this team will flip from a nice rebuild season with upside to a viable Super Bowl contender.

Just... don't get your hopes up.

The problem in this game won't be the Bears' offense. Instead, it's the defense that remains the primary concern. Chicago won't have their top three linebackers again, and rookie LB Ruben Hyppolite is out, too. That means the Bears' defense, a unit that's charged with stopping Saquon Barkley, will do so without the top four linebackers on their depth chart.

Yikes.

It's the kind of injury mess that can -- and will -- have a massive impact on the game. The Bears struggled to contain Kenneth Gainwell and Jaylen Warren in Week 12. Barkley is in another stratosphere of game-wrecking ability. I just don't see how they will contain him, let alone stop him.

If there is any good news for Chicago's defense, it's that Dennis Allen will get back his top two cornerbacks, Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon.

Gordon is especially important for Week 13. He's a good run defender; perhaps he can help against Barkley.

If the Bears were fully healthy, I think they'd have a legitimate chance of beating the Eagles. But that's just not the case on Friday, and as a result, I believe it will be Saquon Barkley who has his signature game of 2025, preventing Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears from escaping their own shadow for at least one more week.

Final Score: Eagles 30 Bears 20

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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