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Bears vs Eagles: Five Questions with Inside the Iggles

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; A fan holds a sign during the second quarter between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. The Philadelphia Eagles won 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

As we prepare for the Monday night showdown of Bears vs Eagles, we reached out to Philadelphia Eagles site Inside the Iggles for a look behind enemy lines.

It’s Bears vs Eagles to close Week 2 of the NFL schedule. The matchup on NFC rivals features two teams in rebuilding mode. The Chicago Bears are in Year 2 of their overhaul with GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox cleaning up the mess that their respective counterparts Phil Emery and Marc Trestman left behind.

The Eagles sent former Oregon Ducks coach Chip Kelly packing last season. Kelly came in with high hopes and a high tempo offense, but ended up gutting the Eagles with questionable personnel decisions while getting rid of some fan favorites.

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The Eagles seems to going with a “from the ground up” rebuild, securing second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and using it on quarterback Carson Wentz, thrusting him into the starting role. Wentz comes to Soldier Field off a strong Week 1 performance against the Cleveland Browns.

The Bears, meanwhile, decided to re-build the offense around veteran QB Jay Cutler while turning over most of the roster around him. They have added a bunch of youngsters on both sides of the ball as John Fox tries to pull off another quick turnaround and return the Bears to the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

To help us get the scoop from the Eagles point of view, we enlisted the help of fellow Fansider Geoffrey Knox from Inside the Iggles for a little Q&A session. Check out his answers to my questions in the pages that follow.

Dec 13, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles safety Ed Reynolds (30) carries the ball after intercepting a pass attempt as Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly (right) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Buffalo Bills at Lincoln Financial Field. Philadelphia defeated Buffalo 23-20. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

1. How would you characterize the Chip Kelly experience? Are the Eagles worse off now that he’s gone? How quickly could they recover?

I don’t think there are too many fans of this team heartbroken by the Chip Kelly departure. I’m sure they exist; I just don’t know any of them personally. Kelly’s tenure was one of bad personnel decisions, the unnecessary dismissal of fan favorites and questionable draft picks. We credit him with Lane Johnson and Zach Ertz, but, then again, there’s only one remaining member on this team from last year’s draft class. That’s Nelson Agholor, and there are some concerns there.

I see this team as being in a better spot now because the worst part of Kelly’s tenure was the fact that he divided the Eagles brass and the locker room. Once you lose the team, it’s over.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz before a snap in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

2. The Eagles seem content to ride with rookie signal caller Carson Wentz. How would you grade his first performance, even if it was against the Cleveland Browns? What can the Bears expect from him on Monday night?

Wentz can’t be expected to light it up every week, but so far so good. Whether it was Cleveland or not, they’re still an NFL team. The second touchdown was thrown to Agholor who was matched up against Joe Haden, one of the best in the business, and Wentz put it exactly where it needed to go.

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It’s definitely not time to make flight plans for February, but we may have something here. Again, so far, so good there. The Bears can probably expect more running plays and some better reads, as he missed some things Sunday too, but, overall, more of the same in the passing attack.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) celebrates with Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Browns, 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

3. What can the Bears expect to see from the Eagles defense? Who should Jay Cutler be preparing to have sitting on his head for much of the night?

We’ve all fallen in love with our front four. I’d personally put Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan up against any defensive tackle unit in the league and they rotate really well at the ends with Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin and others. Corner and linebacker still have us scratching our head a little, but they’ll improve. One key thing is we may be looking at starting a rookie, Jalen Mills on Monday night as well. We’ll be keeping a close eye on this one.

Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Paul Turner (80) reacts with free safety Jalen Mills (31) after scoring on a 71 yard punt return during the second quarter against the New York Jets at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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4. Who’s an under-the-radar Eagles player that Bears fans might not know yet, but will make an impression under the lights in prime time?

Again, I’d have to go with Mills. This could wind up being a rough start or a nice surprise, and no one would be shocked either way. Mills is a seventh-rounder who some had graded as a second-round talent.

On offense, I expect more touches for either Wendell Smallwood or Kenjon Barner or both. Both are shifty. Both can turn on the jets. Both are a nice change of pace for starter Ryan Mathews. Coach Pederson says he’ll stick with the running game a little more, but we’ll see.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles fans prior to game against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

5. What’s your prediction for the game? Please include a score.

Philly has a history of having a rough time when traveling to Soldier Field, but I think with it being an early season contest and both teams still finding their way, our guys have a shot to surprise people. I go 24 – 10 Eagles, but I’ve been wrong before.

One thing is certain, we’ve all had our fill of John Fox. Whether as a Giants defensive coach or that Championship game against Carolina, we’ve seen enough. This guy’s got to go away.

A big thanks to Geoffrey Knox from Inside the Iggles for sharing his Eagles insight with us. Be sure to head over there to check out my answers to his questions and get any other Eagles scoops before Monday night’s game.

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