Eagles look like mess in loss to Bears: Bizarre decisions, defense gets cooked by third-string QB

CHICAGO — The Eagles had everything going in their favor before Monday’s night game against the Chicago Bears at Solider Field.

With the Bears having to start third-string quarterback Case Keenum, who had not played in an NFL game since the 2023 preseason, the Eagles could have played their best game of the season and proved to everyone that they are still one of the NFL’s best teams.

Instead, the Eagles were dominated by the Bears for the entire game, losing 27-7 in their first defeat of the season.

For one night, the 38-year-old Keenum looked like one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson outcoached Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio for a second consecutive year.

For the first time this season, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was not able to save Philadelphia‘s inconsistent offense with heroic plays. He played his worst game of the year, finishing 16 of 25 for 153 yards. He also threw an interception.

The 2-1 Eagles entered the 2026 NFL season as a mystery team — nobody knew how good they would be.

Through three weeks, the Eagles look like a huge mess on both sides of the ball.

Here are three takeaways from the Eagles’ loss to the Chicago Bears

The Eagles’ elite defensive talent is not living up to its potential.

The Bears put together an 11-play, 66-yard touchdown drive on the opening possession.

From Chicago’s 32-yard-line, Eagles linebacker Zack Baun left Bears rookie tight end Sam Roush wide open in the flat for a 16-yard catch.

A few plays later, Bears wide receiver Luther Burden caught a shovel pass from Keenum, turned up field and dragged multiple Eagles defenders, including safety Marcus Epps, into the end zone for an eight-yard touchdown.

During the Bears’ second scoring drive, Keenum went after Philadelphia’s safeties.

Keenum dropped a 25-yard pass over Drew Mukuba to Burden, and on the next play, he hit Rome Odunze for 22 yards with Epps in coverage.

With 5:47 remaining in the third quarter, Bears wide receiver Kalif Raymond caught a 41-yard touchdown. He got open over the middle, and he outran Mukuba to the end zone, putting the Bears ahead 20-7.

Keenum diced up the middle of the Eagles’ defense: the safeties, linebackers and nickel position. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

On fourth-and-2 at Philadelphia’s 39-yard line, with 12:48 remaining in the fourth quarter, defensive tackle Moro Ojomo stepped into the neutral zone and drew a five-yard flag.

Keenum put away the Eagles on that drive with a one-yard rushing touchdown, putting the Bears ahead 27-7.

The Eagles’ first drive ended on an ugly note. After getting pressured by Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat, Hurts threw a pass into the dirt and was called for intentional grounding.

The Eagles’ second drive was even worse.

Here was the three-play sequence: Hurts was blitzed by Bears linebacker Devin Bush and threw an incompletion on first down. Right guard Tyler Steen was called for a 10-yard holding penalty on second down. Then, on third down, Eagles running back Tank Bigsby fumbled at Philadelphia’s 15-yard line. Bears edge rusher Austin Booker snuck up on him and ripped the ball out of his hands.

The Eagles’ third drive started well before turning into a nightmare.

The Eagles drove the ball to Chicago’s 21-yard line, with running back Saquon Barkley leading the way for 41 yards on six carries. On the next play, Bears linebacker D’Marco Jackson delivered a big hit on Hurts toward the sideline, and Hurts was forced to leave the game to be evaluated for a concussion.

Hurts came back in on the next drive — but the damage was already done. Three plays later, backup quarterback Andy Dalton threw an interception to Bears safety Dillon Thieneman in the back of the endzone.

Down 20-7 with 3:30 remaining in the third quarter, the Eagles chose to punt the ball instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 at their own 49-yard-line. The lack of aggressiveness during that situation cost the Eagles.

On the next drive, the Eagles’ offense sputtered once again, and Hurts threw an interception to Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards on fourth-and-5 from Chicago’s 46-yard line. Edwards nearly picked off Hurts on the first drive of the second half, too.

There are not many positives coming out of this loss, but the Eagles were able to get their rushing attack back on track. After struggling mightily on the ground in the first two weeks of the season, the Eagles’ offensive line dominated the Bears’ front, especially during the first half, to create big running lanes.

Barkley finished with 82 yards on 15 carries.

Philadelphia’s rushing attack slowed down during the second half, so the concerns from the first two weeks are not completely gone.

The Eagles were forced to throw the ball more during the second half because they trailed, which contributed to the running game’s struggles at the end.

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