Bears vs. Eagles preview: Philadelphia looks to remain unbeaten against Caleb Williams-less Chicago

Plus, how to watch the game and a prediction for the Monday night matchup

Sep 28, 2026 at 7:42 am ET • 6 min read

In the final game of Week 4, the Chicago Bears play host to the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football."

Chicago is coming off a dispiriting loss to the division rival Minnesota Vikings in an rainy, windy game during which the Bears lost starting quarterback Caleb Williams to a hamstring injury. The latest reports have backup QB Tyson Bagent clearing the concussion protocol but serving as the backup to third-stringer Case Keenum, which will severely hamstring an offense that looked in Week 1 like it might be on track to hit the stratosphere but will likely operate much closer to the earth for a while. 

Philadelphia won its second consecutive ugly game last week, prevailing on the road over the Tennessee Titans thanks to a last-second touchdown drive engineered by Jalen Hurts. Saquon Barkley missed much of the game due to a stinger but is off the injury report for this week and is good to go to face the Bears. Philadelphia's defense could also get a lift with the possible return of Jonathan Greenard, who practiced fully on Friday and is listed as questionable.

Will the Bears pull off the upset with their third-string quarterback, or will the Eagles move to 3-0? We'll find out soon enough. Before we break down the matchup, here's a look at how you can watch the game.

Where to watch Bears vs. Eagles live

• Date: Monday, Sept. 28 | Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• Location: Soldier Field (Chicago)
• TV: ESPN/ABC | Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Odds: Eagles -3.5, O/U 42.5 via DraftKings Sportsbook

When the Eagles have the ball

Things have been, as per usual, a little bit choppy and somewhat stunted for the Eagles offensively. They have averaged 5.3 yards per play, which is just about league-average in a typical 2020s season. And yet they have scored 24 points in each of their first two games. That just tends to be how things go for this team, almost no matter who is calling the plays or what the personnel looks like. It doesn't look pretty, but it works when it has to and they come away with a win.

Hurts has looked tentative at times, and he completed only 56% of his passes in Week 1 and was picked off twice in Week 2. And yet, he led a flawless touchdown drive to seal the win last week against Tennessee, and he tossed a trio of touchdown passes and no picks in the opener against Washington. DeVonta Smith broke out with a 10-catch, 117-yard, one-touchdown game last week and Dontayvion Wicks has been explosive in both games so far (2-73-1 and 5-74-0). Makai Lemon has yet to truly get involved, but that could change with tight end Dallas Goedert out for at least the next few weeks. 

Barkley has averaged 4.8 yards per carry, which looks good on the surface, but it's worth noting that 42 of his 92 yards came on one carry. His other 18 totes went for just 50 total yards, as the offensive line struggled to create holes amid injuries, ineffectiveness and perhaps the absence of legendary line coach Jeff Stoutland, who left the organization this offseason. The Bears have gotten clocked to the tune of 4.9 yards per carry on the ground through their first two games, so perhaps there is a chance for the Eagles to truly establish the run for the first time here.

The Bears have generated a somewhat surprising amount of pressure so far (37.3% of dropbacks, per TruMedia), and it hasn't even really been about quarterbacks holding the ball for a long time because their average time to pressure is above average at just 2.49 seconds. Hurts, meanwhile, has been under pressure quite often, largely because he's held onto the ball longer than almost any quarterback in the league (3.47 seconds). If the Eagles can give Hurts time, though, there should be opportunities for gains on the back end for Smith, Wicks and Lemon, because the Bears are remain shorthanded in the secondary.

Chicago will likely look to stop the run first and turn the Eagles into a one-dimensional offense, as most teams do against this Philly squad. Whether the Bears will be able to actually have success with that strategy will depend in large part on the performance of Philly's injured and reshuffled offensive line. If that group does its job, the Eagles should have success. If not, the Bears could drag this game into the mud.

When the Bears have the ball

Chicago rained 59 points down on the Panthers back in Week 1, running the ball all over Carolina to the tune of 291 yards and six touchdowns. In a rainy game last week, though, the Bears slumped their way to just three points, and lost their starting quarterback for the next several weeks. They still ran the ball for 134 yards, but they turned it over twice and couldn't get the passing game going at all.

Of course, this Chicago offense will presumably look different than it has in either of the first two weeks, because Williams will not be under center. Reports on Sunday indicated that Bagent cleared the concussion protocol, but would still back up third-stringer Keenum on Monday evening.

Keenum has not started or played in a game since 2023, when he went 1-1 in a pair of appearances for the Texans, completing 34 of 53 passes for 291 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions. He has for the most part been a game-manager type of quarterback, completing 62.3% of his passes at an average of 6.8 yards per attempt, with 79 touchdowns against 51 interceptions during his career to date. 

With Keenum under center, the Bears seem highly likely to operate with a run-centric game plan, trying to pound the ball down the Eagles' throats with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. That duo has combined for 316 yards on just 54 carries through the first two games of the season, though obviously the majority of that production came in Week 1 against Carolina. 

The Eagles have allowed 4.2 yards per carry so far this season, allowing both the Commanders and the Titans to top 120 yards on the ground. The Eagles have yielded just 0.90 yards before contact per rush, according to TruMedia, a figure that ranks 11th in the NFL. Their 3.26 yards after contact, though, checks in 26th. They'll have to make sure to get Swift and Monangai to the ground on first contact here.

It'll be interesting to see what happens through the air, even if the Bears don't plan on a pass-heavy game plan. They have yet to get second-year tight end Colston Loveland involved at all, as he has just one catch for 3 yards through two weeks. Luther Burden III got in on the action toward the end of last week's game after Bagent came on in relief of Williams, but he's mostly been quiet. Rome Odunze has as well. 

The Eagles have one of the best secondaries in the NFL, with Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen on the outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot. They've been excellent against the pass so far this season, keeping wide receivers and tight ends alike in check. It seems unlikely that Keenum will be able to unlock the young pass catchers any further than they have been so far. 

Prediction

It sure looks like the Bears will be starting Keenum here. Will the Eagles find a way to somehow make this game an ugly win? Probably. That's just what they do. But they're still going to win it.