The Eagles defense had a rough night against the Bears, leading to a brutal 27-7 loss where Case Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The Eagles didn’t sack him once, which is just wild after a performance like that. This was bad, plain and simple.
Ben Johnson’s Game Plan Was Brutal
Bears offensive coordinator Ben Johnson had an excellent read on what Vic Fangio wanted to do, and he kept finding ways to turn the Eagles’ aggression against them. Johnson seemed to understand exactly how the Eagles would react after last year’s game. The commitment to stopping the run left them wide open for play action, hurting them big time because the pass rush and coverage couldn’t get on the same page. We saw linebackers and safeties commit hard to the run action, which opened up a ton of space behind them. Keenum wasn’t making impossible throws, no way. The Bears just used the Eagles’ determination to stop the run to make the passing game easier. Fangio totally got worked over on this one. It’s like Johnson is becoming Fangio’s kryptonite. A big issue with that split-safety look is defenders have to come downhill aggressively, and that’s just part of the structure, leaving them vulnerable.
Fundamentals Faltering
While the run defense wasn’t entirely destroyed, giving up only 3.7 yards per carry on 35 rushes, the tackling and communication concern me way more than the rushing yards allowed. Last week, the inability to rally to the football and tackle consistently was a huge problem, and it showed up again. The defense offered too little resistance when the Bears pushed them into the end zone, and that’s just a poor look. Good defense demands effort, leverage, and finishing hard, no matter the scheme. That part absolutely has to improve. This defense normally excels at those fundamentals, but it just hasn’t this season. It’s an odd sight.
It was a rough one, no doubt. The author hasn’t lost faith in Fangio after three weeks, and is hopeful he’ll work it out. At least they don’t play Ben Johnson every single week.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleeding Green Nation.
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