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Philadelphia Eagles at Chicago Bears Week 4 Betting Line & NFL Predictions

Written September 26, 2008 by Jimmy Boyd

The 2-1 Philadelphia Eagles head to Soldier Field to take on the 1-2 Chicago Bears on NBC’s Sunday Night Football on September 28, 2008. The Eagles rebounded from a loss to the Cowboys with a win over in-state rival Pittsburgh last week while the Bears went down for the second week in a row after opening the season with a win at Indy. Odds makers don’t feel Chicago’s home field advantage will be quite strong enough and have made the Bears the +3 underdogs while setting the total at 40. Read on as Jimmy breaks down both sides of this sure-to-be-physical NFC battle.

Philly QB Donovan McNabb has a soft spot for his home city of Chicago, but he has not shown it on the field. The Eagles will go for their fifth straight win at Soldier Field this week.

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The Eagles have not went down in the windy city since December of 1995. Philly went on to win the next five meetings between the two storied NFL franchises, including a McNabb-led playoff victory in 2001, before the Bears ended the streak with last season’s 19-16 nailbiter in Philadelphia.

The Bears pulled out the game on a late 97-yard scoring drive, which saw Brian Griese deliver the go-ahead touchdown strike with just nine seconds remaining.

Griese was a part of another big comeback a week ago, but this time he orchestrated it against his former team. The veteran signal-caller brought the Tampa Bay Bucs from behind to win 27-24 in overtime at Soldier Field last Sunday.

The loss was the second straight heartbreaking defeat. The week prior Chicago blew a 14-point lead at Carolina.

This week, we will see power versus power as the Bears strong running game, led by rookie running back Matt Forte, will go up against a tough Philly front. Forte has been the focus of the Bears offense, rushing for 304 yards and a score through the first three games. Forte has also been a major threat as a receiver out of the backfield, totaling an additional 105 yards on 13 grabs. The Bears are 8th in the league with a 152 yards per game average on the ground.

QB Kyle Orton may have to be a little bit more spectacular, rather than ordinary, for the Bears to beat the Eagles this week. Orton has 567 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks in the early going, and had not proven to be a liability, but Chicago may need Orton to take a few more risks down the field to stetch the defense. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd has been his favorite target with 13 catches for 216 yards and a touchdown. While the Eagles are a solid defense, a blitz-heavy scheme leaves them vulnerable to giving up big plays as we saw against the Cowboys. If you think Chicago can take advantage, bet the Bears at +3 at Sportsbook.com.

The Eagles are off to a quality 2-1 start after beating the Steelers 15-6 at home last week. The Eagles defense lived in the backfield in that game, sacking Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger nine times.

A few concerns did emerge for the Eagles however. McNabb sat out a portion of the game after suffering a chest contusion and running back Brian Westbrook sprained his right ankle early in the first half and sat out the rest of the game.

While McNabb is expected to play, Westbrook, the NFL’s leader in offensive yards in 2007, is listed as a game time decision. If he does go, we can count on him to see a reduced roll.

The Eagles offense struggled without Westbrook in the game last week and may have to go to the air early and often against the Bears.

McNabb has been sensational with 838 passing yards and five touchdowns against just one interception through three games. The five time Pro Bowl QB leads the league’s third-best passing attack which is averaging 289.3 yards per game.

Rookie DeSean Jackson has stepped right in and given the Eagles the homerun threat they were looking for. He has 17 catches for 256 yards on the season. Hank Baskett and Greg Lewis have also stepped up.

The Bears’ defense has been vulnerable against the pass and last week’s game was a prime example. Tampa Bay’s Brian Griese threw for a career-high 407 yards while connecting on several big gainers against a Bears team which is 28th in the league against the pass. If you think McNabb can expose the Bears pass defense, bet the Eagles at -3 at Sportsbook.com.

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