I don’t think the Bears game was concerning for the Birds, I just think Philadelphia sports fans have PTSD from the years of bad sports. It happens. But we can still enjoy the 13-1 Eagles for the fact that they still went out and found a way to win against Chicago.

The areas of concern, however, lie in the coaching staff – but not in the hands of Johnathan Gannon. When running the ball worked so well all season long, why abandon the run game? 

We’ll dive into that, but here are the two highs (and two lows) from the Eagles-Bears game.

Reddick. Hargrave. Sweat. Repeat.

The Eagles defense went from “zero-to-hero” in the offense with major upgrades like Haason Reddick and Jordan Davis, among others. In the games following the bye week, the Eagles defense stepped up time over time and made it easier for the Eagles offense to comfortably win. There were lingering issues with Gannon at the beginning of the season, but once all parts of the defense started clicking, they were good to go.

Team adaptability 

Find a way to win and that’s all that will matter. In its simplest form, the Eagles needed a win against the Bears to inch closer to clinching the first seed and NFC East title. It was a hard-fought win, but that’s what happens when you overlook your opponents from a media and athletic standpoint. Even with the sketchy playcalling, the Eagles held their own.

Playcalling

We don’t need to spend much time on this topic since it’s been a pop-up issue throughout the season on both sides of the ball. The team is stacked with young and fast offensive talent which means they should be utilized. The coaching staff always talks about putting the players in the best possible positions to succeed and yet the running backs are succeeding at keeping the benches warm. Let’s change that and continue to utilize them if we’re really going to put them in the best possible position to succeed. Yes, Jalen Hurts can use his legs, too, but there lies the issue of if and when he gets hurt.

Putting Hurts in a dangerous position

This lack of running the ball puts Hurts in the position to think he needs to run. We’ve seen this season that this is one of his greatest strengths, however, versus the Bears this was quite a scary sight. Hurts walked away from the game with a shoulder sprain and is doubtful to return against the Cowboys. Just saying: this is why we have running backs.

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