The 8-3 Philadelphia Eagles will face the 8-3 Chicago Bears on Black Friday. As Eagles fans come out of their turkey comas, they will hope that the Birds' offense wakes up as well. Here are our five things to watch:

1) Maybe it's time for Tank?

The Eagles' historic rushing attack of 2024 has been non-existent for most of 2025. The offensive line hasn't played as well as we've been accustomed to, the offensive staff lacks creativity, and we may not see the quarterback get involved heavily in the run game until the games really start to matter in the playoffs. But what is also probably true is that Saquon Barkley does not have the same explosiveness that he did in 2024. We can all see that, right?

And Barkley is also on the injury report this week with a groin injury.

Earlier this season, the Eagles traded a couple of draft picks for Tank Bigsby, who busted as a kick returner, but who has shown some legitimate juice when he has gotten opportunities in the regular offense. During his time with the Eagles this season, Bigsby had 18 carries for 164 yards (9.1 yards per carry). I cut up video of those carries:

Bigsby has fresh legs. Barkley does not, coming of a season in which he had 482 touches. Bigsby is playing better right now, and Barkley could use some rest.

It's also worth noting that there should be opportunity in the run game against this Bears defense, which is allowing 138.1 rushing yards per game (28th in the NFL), and will be thin at linebacker:

• LB1 Tremaine Edmunds leads the team with 89 tackles. The next closest player on Chicago's roster has just 59 tackles. Edmunds also has 4 INTs and 9 pass breakups. Pro Bowl-caliber season. He was placed on IR after suffering a groin injury against the Vikings Week 11. He won't play against the Eagles.

• LB2 T.J. Edwards is the Bears' other starting linebacker. He has missed six games this season, including the last three against the Giants, Vikings, and Steelers. He did not participate in practice on Tuesday with hand and hamstring injuries. He may or may not play, and if he does play he could be hampered.

• LB3 Noah Sewell did not play Week 12 against the Steelers, and did not participate in practice on Tuesday with an elbow injury. Again, he may or may not play, and if he does he could be affected by his injury.

• LB5 Ruben Hyppolite II started against the Steelers, but left with a shoulder injury, and did not practice on Tuesday.

There's a chance the Bears could be starting their LB4 (D'Marco Jackson) and LB6 (Amen Ogbongbemiga) in this game. The Eagles must find a way to run the ball against this defense.

2) This feels like a Dallas Goedert game

The Bears have allowed 6.5 receptions per game by opposing tight ends this season, fourth-most in the NFL. And, as noted above, the Bears could be razor thin at linebacker. 

But also, old friend CJ Gardner-Johnson has been playing in the slot for the Bears since they added him to the roster about a month ago. CJGJ brought attitude, toughness, and swagger to the Eagles' defense, but my understanding is that part of the reason that Vic Fangio was comfortable moving on from him was his coverage in the red zone. He gave up a lot of TDs last season, many of which were to opposing TEs.

I like Goedert's chances of scoring in the red zone in this matchup.

3) Who is Caleb Williams?

Williams was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he was overshadowed as a rookie by the No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, who led the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game, and took home NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. This year it's a different story, as Daniels has had an injury-plagued season (and he hasn't been very good when healthy), while Williams has made positive steps forward under rookie head coach Ben Johnson.

Williams has all the tools you want in an NFL quarterback. A scouting report when he was still in college at USC, via Daniel Jeremiah:

Williams' skill set is vast, and he showed off different elements of his game in every tape I studied. As a thrower, he is incredibly twitched up and can power the ball without grinding his cleats into the ground. He has tremendous upper-body torque, and the ball jumps out of his hand. He is a master in the RPO game. His hands are lightning quick. He can release the ball from different angles to navigate around the unblocked defender (or defenders!).

He's at his best when he goes off the script, escapes and makes plays. Most quarterbacks exhibit some level of panic versus free pass rushers, but Williams sees those moments as playmaking opportunities. He has the lower-body strength to push through tackle attempts and deliver the ball accurately while climbing in the pocket or sprinting to either side of the field. He is very elusive when he decides to tuck the ball and run. He's a good decision-maker on zone reads and has an explosive burst to pull away from defenders.

Williams was often compared to Patrick Mahomes. The Bears were kind of an unorganized mess during Williams' rookie season, but he has thrived under Johnson.

"Ben (Johnson) does a good job of mixing it up," Vic Fangio said on Tuesday. "They package things well together. They play multiple personnel groups and they're under center a good bit, probably more than most teams in this league. Kudos to him and his staff for bringing that young quarterback along who I don't think ever played under center in college. He's doing a great job, and they have fought through any of the pitfalls of that and now they’ve got a quarterback that is executing their offense the way they want to."

Williams' best trait is his able to escape pressure and make off-schedule throws while on the run. Here's a fun two-minute video of Williams getting out of sacks, via @iHartitz:

"It's an added dimension to their offense," Fangio said. "We've talked about how good their offense is, and now with him, there's going to be plays where you have to defend a second play that he's creating with his scrambling. He's a high-level scrambler, he's strong, he's fast, he's got good instincts when he is scrambling. It's tough... He and the guy in New York are pretty elite at scrambling."

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The "guy in New York" Fangio is referring to is Jaxson Dart, who wiggled out of the grasp of Eagles pass rushers all night Week 6, when the Eagles suffered their worst loss of the season. On the other hand, Fangio had a great scheme for a much better quarterback with a similar skill set in Patrick Mahomes, both in the Super Bowl, and in Week 2 earlier this season. The key to this game defensively could be to keep Williams in the pocket, perhaps with something of a mush rush.

4) Can Vic Fangio hide Sydney Brown? 

"It's a great scheme," Fangio said of the Bears' offense. "They do a great job calling the game, mixing it up, marrying their run game and their pass game. They're highly ranked in a lot of areas, and I don't think it's any accident. They’ve got really good players and it's a great scheme and a great play caller."

Unlike the Eagles, the Bears get a lot of guys involved in their passing attack:

If there's a weakness on an opposing defense, Johnson will find it, and try to exploit it.

After Sydney Brown entered the game against the Cowboys Week 12, Dallas tested him. They took deep shots down the sideline with Brown in single high coverage, and he was unable to get over in time to help out the Eagles' outside corners. He also gave up plays to their tight ends.

Johnson will have all week to figure out how to attack Brown, and Fangio will be tasked with keeping Brown from getting exposed.

5) Where might the Eagles go #Feastin'™️?🍗

The Bears' offensive line has been a disaster at times in recent years, but their front office pumped significant resources into it, and they have been pretty good this season. It currently looks like this:

Let's start with the interior, which was completely re-worked this offseason:

• In the Super Bowl against the Chiefs, the Eagles absolutely wrecked Thuney, who was playing out of position at LT. The Chiefs traded Thuney to the Bears this offseason, and he is playing his natural spot at LG once again.

• Dalman was a priority free agent who signed with the Bears on a three-year deal worth $42 million. He's one of the best centers in the NFL. He formerly played for the Atlanta Falcons, who let him get away for some reason.

• Jackson started for four years in Detroit, and then one year in L.A. with the Rams, and he signed with the Bears in free agency for three years, $52.5 million. He suffered an eye injury against the Steelers, but returned to the game.

The tackles are a little more interesting:

• The Bears traded the No. 9 overall pick to the Eagles in 2023, and the Eagles selected Jalen Carter. The Bears moved back one spot and selected Wright who is now the starting RT. I'd much rather have Carter, but Wright has also developed into a good player. He's good in pass pro, but he's an absolute mauler as a run blocker. Video via @Nate_Tice: 

• At LT, Braxton Jones has been the starter in Chicago since he was a rookie in 2022, and he was the Week 1 starter in 2025. However, he was benched after Week 4 in favor of 2024 UDFA Theo Benedet. Jones was then relegated to special teams duties, eventually landing on IR with a knee injury. Benedet started seven games before missing the Bears' Week 12 matchup against the Steelers with a quad injury. Second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo filled in, and played well.

I like the matchup of Carter on Jackson, and Jalyx Hunt on whoever starts at LT.

#FeastinMeter™️: 5/10 turkey legs: 🍗🍗🍗🍗🍗

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