September 29, 2026
Matt Marton/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Nick Sirianni was outcoached by the Bears on Monday.
The Philadelphia Eagles got outplayed, outcoached, and outclassed by the Bears in an alarming 27-7 lopsided loss in Chicago.
As always, win or lose, we hand out 10 awards.
Heading into the season, the Eagles were considered one of the top defenses in the NFL. On paper, they have what many consider to be the best trio of interior defensive linemen in the NFL, the best cornerback trio in the NFL, an All-Pro linebacker, and a good rotation of edge rushers.
It hasn't materialized on the field.
In the Eagles' matchup against the Bears last season, the defense got steamrolled in the run game. The focus of the defense seemed to be stopping the run, and for the most part they did. They dared third-string quarterback Case Keenum to beat them through the air, and, well, he did.
Keenum completed 24 of 34 passes for 247 yards and 2 TDs. He also punctuated the Bears' scoring on the day with a 1-yard TD dive. Credit Keenum. He was legitimately good. But also, the Eagles' pass defense sucked. They blew coverage assignments, they missed tackles after the catch, and they didn't get enough pressure on the quarterback.
Perhaps the worst example of the Eagles' pass defense was on a 41-yard TD catch and run by the Bears' Kalif Raymond, who caught the ball in the middle of the field and didn't have any Eagles defenders anywhere near him.
"We tried our best to stop the run, got leaky towards to end," said Moro Ojomo. "We gave up a bunch of passes. Like coach said, it was an overall team loss. We're turning the ball over, we're losing the point of attack battle, we're blowing coverages, I'm jumping offsides. Can't win a game like that."
The players were bad, but also, this was a rare poorly called game by Vic Fangio.
The key Eagles drive of the game started at their own 3-yard line. The Eagles moved the ball down the field, and got their rushing attack humming really for the first time all season, as Saquon Barkley ripped off a few nice runs. After the Eagles got into the red zone, Jalen Hurts took off scrambling and was headed toward the sideline while trying to pick up a first down, where he took a big hit from LB D'Marco Jackson.
Unpopular opinion, but I don't have a problem with that hit. Jackson is trying to keep Hurts from getting the first down, and he delivered a clean hit to Hurts' shoulder. If he backs off, Hurts easily picks up the first down.
What that did though was prompt Hurts to be checked for a concussion in the medical tent. While he was being tested, play resumed with QB Andy Dalton subbing in for Hurts. Barkley had a 14-yard run down to the 1-yard line, where the Eagles had 1st and Goal from the 1.
Rather than try however many Tush Pushes it took to get in the end zone with Dalton under center, the Eagles tried two runs with Barkley, which lost yardage. On 3rd down, with Hurts still waiting for the results of his concussion testing, Dalton threw an INT.
"I obviously didn't see the safety in the middle, and he just read my eyes," Dalton said.
The end result: 12 plays, 95 yards, no points.
I'll never understand what the Eagles see in Andy Dalton. He has had a long NFL career that he should be proud of, but physically, he's going to be 39 in October and there's simply no upside there at all. He had some really bad tape last season, and at this stage of his career he doesn't have a strong arm and he's not a threat as a runner. When he was at his best during training camp, he got the ball out quickly and on time. When he was at his worst, his physical flaws were obvious.
Whatever you may think of Tanner McKee — some fans like him more than others — he's better than Dalton.
In fairness, Dalton was put into a difficult situation. He was being asked to close out a long drive with a TD. Of course, that should really be the benefit of a player in his 16th NFL season — that he has seen it all and is just ready for those moments.
But, for those of us who watched training camp all summer, the INT wasn't much of a surprise.
Near the end of the third quarter, down by 13, the Eagles faced a 4th and 1 (a long 1) at the 49-yard line. Sirianni kept the offense on the field, but only to try a hard count to try to get the Bears to jump offsides. When the Bears didn't jump, the Eagles took a delay of game penalty and then punted.
The Eagles used to be at the forefront of in-game analytical decisions. They are no longer innovators on that front:
On a relative basis they would win 21% more often by choosing to go for it pic.twitter.com/dc0QfS7wUO
— Ryan Paganetti (@RyanPaganetti) September 29, 2026
Sirianni did at least admit that he should have gone for it on the 4th and 1.
"As I look back at that, I should have went for it there," Sirianni said. "Didn't like that decision."
On the next possession, at roughly the same area of the field — in this case the Bears' 46-yard line, and only three minutes later in the game, with the same score — Sirianni decided to go for it on 4th and 5. That was the right decision, even if the play resulted in a Hurts INT.
But going for it there and not going for it on 4th and 1 in a nearly identical situation is mind-blowing. What is the process for these decisions? It all feels so random.
The Eagles turned it over three times in this game. We showed the Dalton INT and mentioned the Hurts INT, but Tank Bigsby also lost a fumble. The Eagles have now turned it over five times this season, and they have not produced any takeaways. They now have a turnover differential of -5. Trust me, I did the math.
That is second-worst in the NFL.
The Eagles had 10 penalties against the Bears, many of which either killed Eagles drives or extended Bears drives. There were a couple of weak ones in there, but as a team they have not been disciplined.
Near the end of the first half, with 19 seconds to go and no timeouts, the Eagles ran a screen to DeVonta Smith, who gained 8 yards down to the Bears' 1-yard line. Tick tick tick.
The Eagles then frantically tried to line up to spike it, but when Hurts realized they were never going to execute that in time, he called his own number and ran a QB sneak for the only Eagles score of the night. Heady play by Hurts, insane call on the screen.
"We had 19 seconds," Sirianni said. "We had plenty of time to get it clocked or do what we did in that particular case. They were bringing a certain type of pressure there, and that screen was built into the call, and it worked out to be able to get the touchdown there. But with 19 seconds left you should be able to get another play off."
What? They almost didn't get another play off!
Oh, and for some reason after watching swing passes to Makai Lemon lose like five yards every time they run them, they keep calling them.
The Eagles will play the Rams at home next week, and then the Jaguars in London. They are both Super Bowl contenders. There's a decent chance that after five games the Eagles will be 2-3.
I mean, maybe they're just not good.
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