The reigning Super Bowl champions have made the playoffs, albeit only just and they are looking to defend their title. This has been a very different season to the one they had last season, and while they looked like potential Super Bowl winners last season, they have failed to show the same spark this season, and fans will be hoping the post-season reignites the team.
If there is a team going into this weekend with absolutely nothing at all to lose then it probably is the Chicago Bears with this matchup. The Bears have home field advantage, they have had the better season and they have the better record on paper. However, despite that, people will still be thinking that the Eagles can do something and force their way into the divisional round next weekend.
On bare stats from the regular season that isn’t possible, and the Bears should be strongly fancied to win this game. Chicago quarterback Mitch Trubisky is the one man that has everything on his shoulders here. He can win or lose this game for the Bears. We have seen him come of age this season and show that he is a player who could develop into a top end quarterback in this league. However, everything he has done has been in the regular season, this is his first taste of playoff action, and this is where everything goes up a couple of gears.
Can Trubisky handle the step up to this level? He has shown he can lead this team in the regular season, and if he shows up well this weekend, you wouldn’t rule the Bears out as being potential dark horses to win the whole thing.
After an injury to Carson Wentz, Nick Foles is back in at quarterback for the Eagles, just the same as happened last season. Many people believe that Foles can ignite this Eagles offence, but they look a shadow of the team he took control of towards the end of last season.
This is a good matchup and one that should provide us with a very good game. You have the experience and know-how of last season’s Super Bowl winners Philadelphia going up against one of many new, young and exciting teams in the NFL in Chicago.
I’m backing the Bears to come out on top in this one, they look to be a team going places while the Eagles are a team living on last year’s success and one struggling to show that this season.
