6 Eagles Who I Think Will Have A Big Game Monday Night Against the Bears

The Philadelphia Eagles snuck out of Nashville with a come-from-behind victory thanks to late-game heroics by Jalen Hurts, the Eagles now prepare for a battle with the Chicago Bears in the Windy City in their first primetime game of the season on Monday night.

There are still some concerns after two weeks of play about the offensive line play, rushing attack and the defense that uncharacteristically struggled against an inferior opponent in the Titans last week. However, they get an extra day to prepare and clean the issues up ahead of their Week 3 contest.

Here are five players and a position group I think will have a big game on Monday:

DeVonta Smith

Smith put together his first WR1 type game last Sunday hauling in 10 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. Last season Smith had just two, 100-plus yard receiving games in the regular season with the first one not taking place until Week 5.

Now as the new alpha wideout on the team, Smith is seeing more downfield targets, averaging 14.7 air yards per target this season, his highest mark since his rookie season (14.8) per NextGen Stats. His 33.3% share of the team's targets is also a career-best, ranking sixth in the NFL.

He should have plenty of chances come Monday night against a Bears secondary that features Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson. Johnson, a Pro Bowler in 2023 and 2024 has not been the same after being limited to just seven games last season and has struggled so far to open up 2026, allowing a 114.8 opposing passer rating allowing eight catches on 11 targets for 168 yards per NextGen Stats. Stevenson, who is on the team's injury report with a hamstring injury has had his share of troubles as well allowing a 137.5 opposing passer rating allowing five receptions on nine targets for 107 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Expect Smith to have a chance to make it back-to-back weeks with a big game.

Jalyx Hunt

Looking to take even a bigger step forward this season, Hunt has 11 pressures so far this season which is tied for eighth-most in the NFL. It will be a tougher task against a solid Bears offensive line that has the likes of former first-round pick Darnell Wright, Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson while Chicago hopes their starting left tackle Ozzy Trapilo can return from a torn patellar tendon he suffered in the playoffs last season.

With the strong secondary play of the Eagles likely forcing tough decisions to be made by either Tyson Bagent (concussion protocol) or third-string journeyman Case Keenum, whoever is available to start, it should allow Hunt time to get past through the offensive line at times to continue to generate pressure and disrupt the Bears passing attack.

Dontayvion Wicks

Similar to the reasons for Smith, Wicks could be in store for another solid game as the second option for Jalen Hurts. So far this season, the first-year Eagle has 147 receiving yards on seven catches and a touchdown. The most impressive part about his start is that all seven of his receptions have resulted in a first down or a touchdown, becoming a reliable and clutch target for Hurts. Expect him to deliver with timely catches in primetime.

Jalen Hurts

Hurts has played very well through the first two weeks of the season and he will need to do the same on Monday night to get the Eagles to a 3-0 start. He has been extremely successful throwing the ball downfield this season, completing 68.2% of such passes so far, good for the fourth-best mark in the league per NextGen Stats.

Will that continue in Chicago? It very well could. The Bears have allowed the fourth-highest explosive pass rate in the league at 22.4%, including 45%, the ninth-highest on downfield passes going 10 or more yards in the air according to NextGen Stats.

Hurts should have plenty of chances to air it out in this one.

Saquon Barkley

It hasn't been the start to the season the running back nor the Eagles were hoping for. Barkley had a mediocre game in the season-opener before missing most of Week 2 due to a stinger in his neck. If healthy, Barkley could be staring at an advantageous matchup against a Bears defense that has allowed 122 yards per game so far, 11th-most in the league. In back-to-back weeks, they allowed Chuba Hubbard to average nearly five yards per carry in their Week 1 win while letting Aaron Jones rush for over 100 last week in their 9-3 loss to Minnesota.

Barkley and the running game need to get going to help balance out an offense that has been successful through the air with Hurts playing well, but adding that other dynamic on the ground can open up the playbook entirely for Sean Mannion.

Eagles Secondary

I'm going to include the group due to the fact that they will either face Tyson Bagent who hasn't practiced all week while being in concussion protocol or Case Keenum, the 38-year-old journeyman who last took a snap in a regular season game in 2023.

Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen have been very good so far on the outside for the Eagles while Cooper DeJean seemingly bounced back after a tough season opener. I think this is the game where the defense forces its first takeaway of the season and it will be an interception from one of the three corners.

Bagent has not played much since appearing in five games and making four starts as a rookie back in 2023, but during that year he had six INT's compared to three touchdowns, posting a 4.2% interception percentage. Keenum has thrown 51 career interceptions in 80 games including three in two starts with Houston back in 2023. Both are primed to make a mistake against this strong cornerback trio and I think one of them will get the defense's first takeway in 2026.

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