By: Jimmie Sykes

It was a frigid fight to the finish on Soldier Field.

Sunday was a battle of the number one, dual-threat quarterbacks. Fanbases were in for a treat. MVP-caliber player Jalen Hurts took on the rising, electrifying second year talent that is Justin Fields. For the Bears, their record is not a fortunate indicator for the season. Justin Fields has proven to be a weekly highlight reel spectating his weekly bouts leading the Chicago Bears. 

Philadelphia Eagles went on the road to hold off the shorthanded, yet revamped Chicago Bears 25-20.  Philly put points on the board first with a 32-yard field goal from Jake Elliott. The Bears responded with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. David Montgomery ran it in from nine yards following the opposing field goal. He finished with 12 carries for 53 yards along with the score. 

Justin Fields joined Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to rush for 1000 yards. Following the game, Fields made it known that he is eyeing Lamar Jackson's single-season rushing record for a QB. 

“I'm already deep into this year. Might as well just try to go get that record. I think need, what, 206. Three games left, 70 yards a game. We'll see what happens,” Fields said. 

He broke off another stunning run, this time for 39 yards. The officials called it back to the spot where he stepped out of bounds. It was viewed as another touchdown run. A stunning outing on the ground nonetheless for the second-year quarterback. 

The Eagles' defense was after Fields all afternoon. They finished the contest with their third straight game of six or more sacks. Along with having the best record in the league, the Eagles also lead in sacks and interceptions.

 Fortunately, Fields finished the contest with zero interceptions, two passing touchdowns, and a 119.5 passer rating. He kept a prevalent poise against the league’s best defense without four of his top receivers; Equanimous St. Brown came in as the Bears starting receiver and left the game in concussion protocol. 

Bears elected to punt from the Eagles’ 31-yard line after Cairo Santos missed his first extra point try. It was a cold and windy day in Chicago and the certainty just wasn’t there for the Brazilian placekicker.

 “I think it's just execution. You look at the details of where everything is. The snap, the hold, the plant foot, all those things that we look at with detail. Just look at it that way,” said Eberflus. 

Another costly moment for the Bears was when Velus Jones Jr. gave up his third fumble for the season. Coach Eberflus was not happy about the rookie’s inability to take care of the football. 

“I don't like that. I don't like it. I don't like when guys lose the football. It's not good. Guys have to do a better job securing the ball. Again, I'll look at the tape. But when you're in traffic, you have to have five points of pressure on the ball and put your (indiscernible) over the other hand. That's an important piece to it,” said Eberflus.

It has been a tough year for the 2022 third-round pick. He has seen healthy scratches and playing time diminished due to fumbling in crucial moments.

 Hopefully, he can catch himself rebounding with three games remaining in the season. Bears have already cut ties with Ihmir Smith-Marsette and Dazz Newsome after they have shown trouble taking care of the football. Jones Jr. has to be better, bottom line. 

The Bears' defense gave up 421 yards against the Eagles. Hurts threw for 315 yards passing, with three rushing touchdowns. The Bears' defense rewarded their offense with three key takeaways to keep things close. Deandre Houston-Carson and Kyler Gordon intercepted Jalen Hurts. Mike Pennel Jr. forced Miles Sanders to fumble the ball, which was recovered by Gordon. 

Jack Sanborn left the game with an ankle injury after recording five tackles. Guard Tevin Jenkins went out for the game with an injury in the first quarter. Details are soon to be released about the severity. 

The turnovers forced Jalen Hurts to rely heavily on his go-to receivers. AJ Brown and Devonta Smith found themselves in a dogfight with Chicago defensive backs Jaylon Johnson and Jaylon Jones. Brown ended with a career-high 181 yards receiving. Devonta Smith finished with five catches for 126 yards, tying his season-best 45-yard catch.

A career day for Brown was not allowed easily, as numbers do not tell the whole story. Following the game, Brown had high praises for Chicago’s lead defensive back Jaylon Johnson. A breakout point of their matchup was the 68-yard grab Brown hauled in over Johnson in the fourth quarter. 

“He was not letting me aside. He's a good corner. I hope he's okay. I know he got a little banged up. It was a good battle today. I have a lot of respect for him. He was taking away the inside leverage, so I just know I had to win on the goal,” said Brown. 

Eagles will have to string together a short week, with division rival Dallas Cowboys up next. Hurts availability is up in the air with a shoulder injury suffered against the Bears.

As for the Bears, they face a short week with AFC Conference favorites Buffalo Bills coming into town on Christmas Eve. Their schedule has been filled with the toughest defenses in the league. With three games remaining, further evaluation for the future will be in store. Keep an eye out for Justin Fields in pursuit of the all-time rushing record for a quarterback.