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Things are not going great for the Chicago Bears right now. They've lost three games in a row and have gotten very little help offensively.
Now the Bears face off with the 4-4 Philadelphia Eagles in Week 9. The Eagles are coming off an impressive win against the Buffalo Bills and are clearly in a better rhythm than Chicago.
With a struggling offense and a tough task ahead, the Bears will need their defense to once again play the major role. Can they do it?
Here are three bold predictions for the Chicago defense in Week 9 against Philadelphia.
Khalil Mack Gets Two-Plus Sacks
“Khalil Mack is really good” might be the understatement of the century. Mack is one of the elite defenders in the entire NFL.
He's proving that again this year with another fantastic season. The pass rusher has 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, three pass deflections and seven tackles for loss.
However, over his last three games, Mack has just one sack. That came in Week 8. So maybe he's starting to build some momentum back up.
If that's the case, the Eagles could be in for a long night. Two sacks might just be the beginning for Mack.
It's clear he's do to break out and having picked up a sack last week, now might be the time.
Force Three Turnovers
The Eagles haven't exactly been careful with the ball this year. They have 14 turnovers offensively. That's the eighth worst in the NFL.
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Meanwhile, the Bears have been “eh” at forcing turnovers defensively. They have 11 on the year, putting them 13th in the NFL in that category.
However, Chicago has the makeup for turnovers. For one thing, Mack. He is one of the best in the game at forcing fumbles. If he gets to Carson Wentz enough, he could strip the quarterback once or twice.
Meanwhile, that pressure also helps in creating bad throws. Get enough pressure on Wentz and he might be forced to make a mistake.
Chicago has an elite defense that hasn't been “elite” when it comes to turnovers. They're going up against an offense that hands the ball over a pretty decent amount though. This could be the game they get that number up a bit and reflect it more towards the rest of their defense.
Allow Fewer Than Two Touchdowns
The Philadelphia offense is pretty solid. They have a few injuries and other issues at the moment, but all-in-all they have a lot going for them.
Wentz is a great quarterback, and they have a ton of talent at running back (especially in Jordan Howard and Miles Sanders). Meanwhile, Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are a lethal tight end combination.
Of course, Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor make for a solid wide receiver duo as well. A strong line puts it all together and you've got all types of talent.
Chicago's defense is that good though. They will lock down the offense and fluster Wentz and company. Keeping them out of the end zone might not be all that easy, but Chicago will get the job done.
