There's no doubt that the Bears have exceeded expectations this season. They are riding their second four-game winning streak of the season and they are in first place in the NFC North. They have grown dramatically with Ben Johnson at head coach and Caleb Williams as the team's second-year quarterback. The team has had some impressive fourth-quarter comebacks to this point in the season and they are clearly one of the best stories in the league.
But now the schedule goes from challenging to brutal, and it starts with Chicago's Black Friday game against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears will go to the City of Brotherly Love where they will have to contend with QB Jalen Hurts and the Brotherly Shove. In addition to facing Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and tight end Dallas Goedert, the Eagles are coming off a 24-21 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles had a 21-0 lead but they blew the advantage and head coach Nick Sirianni's team is bound to be motivated for a bounce-back game.
The game would have been difficult enough, but they are going up against a motivated and angry team, meaning that Williams, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore and running back D'Andre Swift will have to be focused and prepared to play their best game. There is little doubt that Johnson knows how to get his Bears team ready for the task. Johnson's players will prove themselves ready to play the best team in the league.
Bears' Williams will thrown for 250-plus yards and 2 TDs
Williams has made great strides this season and his confidence has grown dramatically. He led comeback victories over the Bengals, Giants and Vikings in Weeks 9, 10 and 11. He also showed that he could stay cool under pressure against the Steelers in Week 12. Williams lost a fumble after a T.J. Watt hit and the Steelers recovered for a second-quarter touchdown. That could have been the play that turned the game into a rout for the Steelers, but Williams and the Bears did not panic.
Instead, Williams kept his cool and his focus on the task at hand. He knew that the Steelers defense was aggressive, but vulnerable to well-placed passes and his ability to make key plays on third- and fourth-downs. Williams completed 19 of 35 passes for 239 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. For the season, Williams has completed 213 of 360 passes for 2,568 yards with 16 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
That's the Johnson influence. The coaching that Williams has received is about making him a disciplined play who is not going to put the ball at risk or take unnecessary chances.
He has a pair of big-play receivers in Rome Odunze and D.J. Moore who are getting more and more comfortable with Williams at quarterback and his ability to make key plays. Odunze has caught 42 passes for 653 yards and 6 touchdowns while Moore has caught 36-485-3. Expect each of those receivers to catch one touchdown pass from Williams in this game.
Colston Loveland will come through for Bears in the fourth quarter
The Bears have a decent running game with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, but it will be difficult to establish that part of their offense against the Eagles. Philadelphia's run defense can be a wall to run through, and that may become obvious before the end of the first half.
The Bears can't just throw the ball to their two primary receivers if they are are not going to run the ball successfully against the Eagles. They need another avenue to pursue, and the belief here is that rookie tight end Colston Loveland can fulfill that role.
He has solid hands and more than enough athletic ability to run away from his pursuers and make a game-changing play. Loveland executed the game-winning touchdown reception when the Bears beat the Bengals and he clearly has the tools to come through in the biggest moments. He has caught 28-378-3 through the first 12 games of the season, but he should be more effective in the final five games of the year and beyond.
He will come through with at least two big plays in the second half of the game that allows the Bears to stay in the game. He has a chance to be one of the difference makers in this game and throughout the rest of the season.
Winning streak continues
While it seems highly unlikely that the Bears can go one the road and beat the prideful and motivated Eagles, the team is playing fearless football and knows how to come through when the game is on the line. Look for a late fourth-quarter touchdown to give the Bears the Black Friday upset over the Eagles.
