Can Eagles fix their run defense? Bears expose weakness with 281 yards

PHILADELPHIA — Two weeks ago, the Eagles had confidence that their defense could save them during bad offensive performances and give the offense enough time to fix their issues before the playoffs, but that trust could waver soon.

In the Eagles’ 24-15 loss on Sunday to the Chicago Bears at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia’s offensive struggles continued, and the defense was a far cry from the unit that allowed just seven points to the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 and nine points to the Detroit Lions in Week 11.

The cracks on defense surfaced last week when the team gave up 24 unanswered points in their Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, but things got even worse against Chicago.

The Eagles allowed 130 rushing yards and a touchdown to seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai, and another 125 yards and a TD to veteran D’Andre Swift, who played for Philadelphia in 2023.

In total, the Bears rushed for 281 yards on 47 carries, the most rushing yards allowed by the Eagles during defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s two-year tenure with the team. Even more unsettling: 177 of those yards came after contact, per the NFL’s Next Gen Stats.

Swift averaged 6.9 yards per carry and Monangai averaged 5.9, while Chicago’s dominant offensive line and creative play-calling compounded the Eagles’ troubles.

“This game is just going to be a launch pad for us to either get better or we can just stay the same and nothing changes,” Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis told reporters after the game.

The Bears leaned on outside-zone run concepts, which stretched Eagles defenders out of their gaps and allowed their running backs to cut back horizontally for big gains.

Not every NFL team has the offensive line athleticism to execute those concepts, but the ones that do can exploit Philadelphia. It’s concerning for a team whose Super Bowl hopes depend on a defense that suddenly looks vulnerable.

“It’s definitely unacceptable,” Eagles edge rusher Jaelan Phillips said. “We’re going to definitely take that on the chin and kind of make improvements from there.”

On Chicago’s second drive of the game, Monangai ripped off 17 yards on first-and-10 to the Bears’ 39-yard line. Swift later followed with a 23-yard run on second-and-5 to Philadelphia’s 22 and capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown.

The Bears’ dominance continued in the second half.

With 4:46 left in the third quarter, the Bears regained possession after cornerback Nahshon Wright forced Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts to fumble on the tush push and recovered the ball. On the very next play, Monangai ran through Philadelphia’s defense for a 31-yard gain to Chicago’s 44.

He rushed for another 42 yards on that drive, including a 4-yard touchdown that gave Chicago a 17-9 lead.

“It is frustrating,” Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “You shouldn’t ever hear a defensive player whose defense just gave up over 200 rushing yards saying it’s not frustrating. It’s definitely frustrating to give up that many yards. … Knowing that it’s not us … it’s not what we usually do. So we will get better from it. And yeah, we damn sure got a bad taste in our mouth right now.”

The Eagles have struggled against outside-zone teams in the past, including when they gave up 152 rushing yards to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2 last season. Philadelphia’s run defense improved as the year progressed, finishing 10th in run defense by season’s end.

Davis and fellow defensive tackle Jalen Carter both noted that Bears center Drew Dalman, who played for the Falcons last season, gave them the same problems with his quickness.

“We knew it was going to be a challenge with Dalman,” Davis said. “He’s a great player, very savvy. And with (Bears offensive guard) Joe Thuney, it’s just the combination. That’s what we got. It was very similar to Atlanta. I say that (about) the way that they schemed us, the way they played the running backs, how they cut back (on their runs). We just have to be disciplined. We have to focus on the fundamentals, and we have to get those issues fixed.”

Phillips said the defensive line has to get more penetration and hold their gaps to improve against outside zone.

But the Eagles’ struggles go beyond Chicago’s scheme. Yes, they were tricked on some plays, but too many defenders missed tackling attempts and got pushed around.

“No, I blame myself on that,” Carter said about Philadelphia’s defensive problems. “There was some runs out there that I got thrown back where I wasn’t making no effect on the play.”

“We all know that the reason why this s— stings and hurts so much for us is because we know that’s not our standard,” Davis said.

Currently the Eagles rank 18th in rushing yards allowed (115 per game).

The defense has spent the season covering for an offense that sits near the bottom of the NFL in most categories, including leading the league in three-and-outs. That formula had worked — until the last two weeks.

“We just have to make sure that we get those problems fixed because it’s a copycat league,” Davis said. “Everybody sees it, everybody knows that, ‘Hey, this could be a potential way to attack it.’ This could be, ‘Let’s try the waters.’ We just can’t let that happen.”