Matchup Edges for Bears Against Eagles

Bears coach Matt Eberflus takes his team against two powers of the NFL in the next two games, the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.

The Bears coaching staff wants to use it as a measuring stick.

"We look at it as an opportunity and a great challenge to be able to see our guys match up individually and also as units, to be able to match up against these guys," coach Matt Eberflus said. "We're going to play two of the best defenses in the league over the next couple of weeks and obviously two of the best offenses.

"Both really good quarterbacks. Both are really solid and really good on special teams. So it's going to be a big challenge for our football team."

One man's measuring stick is another man's reason to crawl up into a fetal position and cry "mama."

The Eagles are tearing up the league and it's very difficult to actually find individual matchups where the Bears will own good advantages. Punter would be one, but Arryn Siposs is injured and Philadelphia will bring in a new short-term punter, 36-year-old former Titans punter Brett Kern. Kern averages a career net of 32.9 yards.

While it looks bleak, remember, the worst team in the NFL, the Houston Texans, very nearly beat the Dallas Cowboys last week in Dallas.

There are a few questionable Eagles spots and they revolve around a defense that stands second in the league in yards allowed.

Bears Tight End Cole Kmet vs. Eagles LB Kyzir White

White isn't on the field at all times but has played 75% of defensive snaps and is rated the 47th best linebacker by Pro Football Focus. It's not in the passing game where White is at his weakest, but defending the run and screen game at 216 pounds. Kmet's greatest improvement this season has been at run blocking but he stepped up last game after Darnell Mooney's season-ending injury and became a go-to receiver with a season-high six catches for 72 yards. He has 35 receptions and is off pace to reach last year's total of 60 but is averaging a career-best 11.7 yards a reception.

Bears WR Chase Claypool vs. Eagles S Marcus Epps

The best way to attack the Eagles is deep and get their safeties involved. Sadly for opponents, the pass rush rarely allows this. Epps is an excellent run defender who has struggled all year when challenged individually in coverage. Pro Football Focus rates him 86th among 89 safeties in pass coverage and 72nd among 89 overall. His passer rating against when targeted, according to Sportradar, is 137.4 and he has given up five touchdown passes. Claypool is starting to get more involved now in the passing game and the extra week between games meant more chance to catch up on what he didn't know about the Bears offense. They found him twice for nice gains against Green Bay but he fumbled one. The trick is getting the 6-foot-4 Claypool isolated on 6-foot Epps downfield.

Bears WR N'Keal Harry vs. Eagles S K'Von Wallace

Harry showed what he can do in jump ball situations last week with a 49-yard catch. This is another situation where the Bears can pick up big chunks of yardage if they could get him isolated in a jump ball with any of the Eagles defensive backs but especially Wallace, who is a backup. Normally it would be Chauncey Gardner-Johnson starting at safety, the former Saints player who punked Anthony Miller and Javon Wims into ejections in 2020. Gardner-Johnson and his mouth are out this week with an injury and the Eagles are so depleted at safety due to injuries that they signed Anthony Harris, a former Eagles player who had been cut by the 3-10 Broncos. But it's Wallace who has been there as a backup and his playing time has been limited. He gave up one TD pass and in limited targeting, has allowed 75% completions and has a 154.2 passer rating against. The Bears need time to exploit either of those passing matchups with Eagles safeties and getting that against the team leading the NFL in sacks will not be easy.

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