2019 NFL Wildcard Playoff Preview: Philadelphia At Chicago

The last 2019 NFL Wildcard Playoff game of the week is a fight between the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears. The Bears will represent the NFC North with a 12-4 record. The Eagles come in as the final NFC Wildcard but will try to defend their Super Bowl crown on Sunday. These teams have not met this season.

Chicago comes into this game as a 6 point favorite at home. If the Bears were to win this game, they would go on to play the Rams in the next round. If the Eagles were to win, Philly would play the Saints. Okay, here we go. It’s time for the final 2019 NFL Wildcard Playoff Preview. Here’s why each team can win this game!

Philadelphia Eagles AT Chicago Bears: 4:40 ET – NBC

WHY THE PHILADELPHIA EAGLES WILL WIN

1: The Eagles Have The Bulletin Board Material

The Eagles have been dead men walking for weeks. They have no business being in the playoffs. But… the Eagles are playing with house money. They are back in the same spot they were a year ago. Nobody believes in us. The dog masks are back. Philly is the biggest underdog of any playoff team in the first round. That’s a powerful thing.

The Eagles have more than just that working for them. Matt Nagy has been fooling people all year with smoke and mirrors. Few teams have truly figured out why to stop this gimmick Bears offense. Do you know what’s fascinating? Doug Pederson worked with Nagy in Kansas City. Pederson knows his very well. They both came from the Andy Reid tree. There will be no fooling the Eagles because Pederson has seen it in action from first hand experience. Pederson was a mentor for Nagy. I would be shocked to see Philly get out-schemed which has been something the Bears have banked on all year.

What about the fact that the Bears flat out picked the Eagles to play? Go back just one week. Chicago playing the Vikings. If Minnesota wins, they play Chicago in the first round. The Bears beat them in a meaningless game paving the way for the Eagles to make the playoffs. Guess what that did? Now Pederson walks into that locker room and can say to his guys “Hey look the Bears think you guys stink. See, the Bears wanted to play you guys. They think we are worse than Minnesota!”

That’s a powerful thing. Chicago should have done everything in their power to roll over and let the Vikings in the playoffs. Kirk Cousins in a big game? That’s an automatic win. Even Mike Zimmer said the Vikings were lost all year without Tony Sparano. The Bears signed up for Philly. How do you think that plays with the Eagles? I’m sure they will make them regret that.

Still not buying it? How about one more thing for you to consider. Alshon Jeffery is out for blood. Jeffery came out and said this prior to the game.

“I love the city of Philadelphia. Chicago is just where I was for work.”

He then talked about how Soldier Field stinks. He wants blood. Jeffery spent the first five years of his career with the Bears and those were some bad times. John Fox and Marc Trestman ran the team into the ground. Chicago also refused to pay him and used the franchise tag one where.

Jeffery has been on fire since Nick Foles took over. It’s clear that Jeffery is Foles go-to guy. During the past three games, Foles has targeted Jeffery 18 times. He has caught 16 of them for 301 yards. Alshon Jeffery wants blood. Alshon Jeffery is on fire. The Super Bowl magic is back and Jeffery will come to play.

I can’t even explain it. I’m a big conspiracy guy. I believe in weird things. All of those above are too much for the Eagles not to win. I haven’t even gotten into Darren Sproles vs. Tarik Cohen. The old head has to win. What about Trey Burton who has gotten anxiety over the Philly Special? Philly all the way.

2: Nick Foles Sold His Soul To God

Can anyone explain the Nick Foles magic? He’s the ultimate closer. Is Nick Foles’ success sustainable over the course over an entire season? Probably not. We started to see those early limitations in the Tampa game. I don’t know how well Foles will play against a tough Bears defense but I do know two things. 1 – We shouldn’t doubt Foles. 2 – Foles is better than Mitchell Trubisky.

For whatever reason, Nick Foles wins when it counts. You know what’s even better? He can handle the blitz. During this last three-game stretch, Foles has a passer rating of 90.6 while facing pressure which would rank first in the NFL. Go head and blitz, Bears. It may not be the best idea. Foles is completing 66 percent of his throws under pressure this year. That’s not even possible. Slinging it down the field with high success seems high. Especially if Eddie Jackson is out.

You know who stinks? Mitchell Trubisky. This offense is slowly coming back down to earth. Over the last five games, Trubisky is completing 6.8 yards per attempt. The Bears have just 7 plays over 25 yards. Trubisky has 5 interceptions and 5 touchdowns over that time. Trubisky has thrown 12 interceptions on the season. 11 of them have come while throwing with a clean pocket which is by far the most in the NFL. His Adjusted completion percentage ranks 32nd in the NFL. This is a game managing offense. How many points will the Bears score in a cold weather setting with a quarterback who stinks? Good luck.

3: The Defensive Line Wins This Game

This Eagles team is a very bad matchup for Chicago. It all starts with the Eagles defensive front. Part of the Bears success is controlling the clock and running the football (average of 34 minutes of possession over the past 5 games). Fletcher Cox is a game changer. Philadelphia is 7th against the run and they are getting healthy. Timmy Jernigan is back. Haloti Ngata is still productive. Michael Bennett, Brandon Graham, and Chris Long are studs as well.

The Eagles weakness is in the secondary. The issue is the Bears can’t throw. Styles make fights. Can the Bears win while the Eagles stop the run and really dig in back in the secondary? I don’t see it. I think it’s even fair to make the case that Philly has the best defensive line in football. The Eagles have 37 more quarterback pressures than any other team in the NFL. They have the best defensive line win percentage in the league. They have created havoc all season.

I think there is a good chance that this game is low scoring. Who do you trust more Cody Parkey or Jake Elliott? It’s Elliott is a runaway. The Eagles moved off Parkey for a reason and Parkey has been messing with voodoo’s all year to try to fix his kicking. That’s going to come back to bite the Bears at some point.

WHY THE CHICAGO BEARS WILL WIN

1: Defenses Win Championships

The Bears are the Best defense in the NFL. Defenses still matter in the NFL and the Bears group this year is the best the NFL has seen in a quite some time. This is the most complete defense in football. You have the best pass rusher in football with Khalil Mack. You have the most underrated defensive lineman in football with Akiem Hicks who kills people. Roquan Smith is a real middle linebacker. 4 Bears on defense were named as Pro Bowlers along with Kyle Fuller and Eddie Jackson.

2: The Eagles Are Dead Men Walking

The Eagles have been dead for weeks. This team is begging to go home. Lane Johnson doesn’t think winning is fun. The injury bug has killed the Philly secondary. The Eagles have zero running game. Carson Wentz is hurt again. The Eagles barely won 9 games. Why does anyone believe in the Eagles?

This Bears team has swag. Club Dub is on. The Bears wanted to play the lifeless Eagles. It’s over for them. The sight of Khalil Mack alone will end Philly. The Bears won 12 games. The Bears are at home. Cold weather in Chicago? That’s a huge edge.

I normally come up with three reasons why each team can win. I can’t come up with a third reason for Chicago. I thought about using Tarik Cohen but is a short running back really going to be the difference? I thought about going into more detail about the Bears defense but why can’t Jason Peters and Lane Johnson hold their own? The Eagles offensive line is still very good. Show me the pathway to a Bears win? I’m not seeing many range of outcomes where the Bears. Give me the Eagles. Especially with the points.

Eagles Defeat Bears 34-12