The Eagles could very well be in 2023 implosion territory now.
They lost to the Chicago Bears, 24-15, on Friday, with a hapless offense that the home Lincoln Financial Field crowd booed off the field and further plummeted Kevin Patullo's stock as the least-liked figure in Philadelphia.
An aggressive defensive front could only hold Caleb Williams and the upstart Bears in check for so long. Chicago running backs D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai steadily gashed them on the ground, though, and eventually, each was up over 100 rushing yards while the Eagles were just in too big a hole.
And it wasn't like Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Saquon Barkley had much of anything to answer with until garbage time.
The Eagles dropped to 8-4, and might be in crisis mode as far as their contender status goes. The Bears improved to 9-3 and leaped over them in the NFC standings with the statement win they've been looking for.
Here's how the Birds ended up here…
Swift decisions
Friday's start felt like it picked up where last Sunday's ending left off.
The Eagles' defense did its part, or at least everything it could, forcing an immediate turnover on downs from stuffing a Kyle Monangai run short of the marker.
But the offense? An A.J. Brown catch for a first down made up for the receiver's false start a play before, but the Eagles otherwise left themselves nowhere and punting after five plays and just 15 yards of movement.
The strain was on the defense, and Caleb Williams and the Bears found a bit of a rhythm on their next possession, steadily feeding the ball to their running backs Monangai and old friend D'Andre Swift.
Swift broke up the middle for a 23-yard run at midfield down into Eagles territory, making a nasty cut by Sydney Brown up high on the way to it, then punched through the Eagles' defense and across the goal line a few plays later for the game's opening touchdown.
.@DAndreSwift hits the gap and goes for 23 💨
📺: @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/QGvuY8Qv51— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
The Bears had the game's first lead, 7-0, and took it against an opposing Philadelphia offense that's been lacking any sort of bite while the defense has been arguably falling apart trying to hold everything together – for as strong as it's been in doing so.
It was just a difference of seven points for the Eagles, but with the way things have gone for them of late, it may have well as been Everest.
Consider themselves lucky
The Eagles answered that first touchdown with a 44-yard field goal from Jake Elliott.
The offense moved 39 yards to get it from their own 35 to the Chicago 26. DeVonta Smith accounted for 30 of those yards on a Jalen Hurts lob that he hauled in and ran with into the open field in front of him.
Devonta Smith com um BELO avanço para os Eagles!
📺: #CHIvsPHI ao vivo no @pvsportbr | #NFLnoPrime pic.twitter.com/FuIm2XNJ17— NFL Brasil (@NFLBrasil) November 28, 2025
The Eagles' next two possessions before the end of the half, they punted on consecutive three-and-outs, which were each handcuffed by aggravating penalties, toothless runs and short checks, and out-of-sync throws and routes between Hurts and his receivers.
The Lincoln Financial Field crowd rapidly lost its patience, with boos that only grew louder.
The Bears tacked on another field goal in between, and kept finding success with Swift, who piled up 88 rushing yards before the half, while Chicago outrushed the Eagles 142-26.
The Eagles' only real saving grace, and perhaps the lone reason why they weren't getting blown out heading back to the locker room, was that the Bears kept having Caleb drop back to throw.
And when he did, the Eagles' pass rush put him under pressure quick, which sent him scrambling and rushing sloppy throws.
That alone limited Chicago to the field goal and a punt before halftime.
Hurts and the offense could do nothing to capitalize, though.
On their last drive of the first half, Hurts threw a pass to the sideline for Brown for just a one-yard gain, then let the clock drain down to the two-minute warning.
Their fans booed them. The Eagles had no urgency to move, and maybe just didn't have the confidence anymore to think they could.
Hurts threw an incompletion to Brown over the middle, then Brown made a big catch on the next play leading toward the right sideline, but had it called back for offensive pass interference for pushing off his defender.
The Eagles were knocked back 10 yards on third down and didn't have anything in them to make up the difference.
They punted. The Bears ran out the clock in the first half, and as both teams ran back to their respective locker rooms, the Eagles got showered by far more spiteful boos.
They were down 10-3 at the half, and were probably lucky to be.
Nothing there
The Eagles' offense didn't find any sort of spark in the locker room – or at least not initially. They went three-and-out immediately, for their third time of the day, with their defensive front's continued punishment of Williams standing as the only thing keeping it at a one-score game.
Then, with the ball back following a Chicago punt, Hurts rolled right and tried to force one along the sideline to Brown. Bears safety Kevin Byard dove in front of it for the interception. It felt like a 2023-esque spiral was taking hold.
.@KevinByard is at it again 🔥
📺: @NFLonPrime | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/p81f8ls8VX— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
Something's gotta give
But then the Bears started hanging their gameplan on Williams throwing. He got sacked by Nolan Smith, and Chicago went three-and-out themselves.
Hurts went back to feeding the ball to Brown with a 16-yard completion, then kept it himself and took off into the open for 23 yards and a push into Chicago territory.
Hurts called Brown's number again on the next play, floating one up to the receiver down the left sideline in one-on-one coverage against Chicago defensive back Nahshon Wright.
Brown jumped up and won the battle for the pass, with the momentum of it carrying him across the goal line for a 33-yard touchdown.
What a GRAB from @1kalwaysopen_#ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/KeOrng0sLX
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 28, 2025
It was frustrating getting there, but the Eagles' offense finally put six on the board…
Elliott just missed the point after attempt to leave them down 10-9.
Anyone want the ball?
That touchdown, even though the Eagles were still trailing, could've been where momentum swung.
Jalyx Hunt, fighting at the line of scrimmage to get to Williams, ended up tipping his pass on a 2nd and 1 and coming down with the bounce for an interception in Chicago territory.
Ya love to see it@jalyx_hunt | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/vpL6o1JT5Y
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 28, 2025
The offense had the go-ahead put on a tee for them. On a 3rd and 1 at the Chicago 12, Hurts tried to truck forward on a Tush Push.
He fumbled it. The Bears recovered. So much for that chance.
.@nahwrig said "I'll take that"
📺: @NFLonPrime | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/RaVHaop7FJ— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
Run it down
Time was ticking, and into the fourth quarter, Bear coach Ben Johnson put the ball back in the hands of his running backs and kept it on the ground.
Following the recovered fumble from Hurts, Monangai broke for a 31-yard run to get Chicago's drive started, then steadily kept pounding the ball forward with him and Swift to chip away and get the Bears downfield.
They worked their way down to the Philadelphia 4, Monangai cut into a hole without much struggle, and the Bears went ahead 17-9 late. Swift and Monangai both reached well over 100 rushing yards with that possession, too.
MONANGAIIIIII
📺: @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/yZa5dmFghC— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
The Eagles, meanwhile, with the way their offense had been playing, were left to climb Everest.
That's it.
The offense went three-and-out – again.
The Bears took the ball back on the punt, and Williams put the nail in the coffin with a 28-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet.
.@CALEBcsw hits @ColeKmet for the 28 yard tuddy 🙌
📺: @NFLonPrime | #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/sFVPlCLKVX— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 28, 2025
With 6:19 left in the fourth, there was just no chance of the 2025 Eagles, as they exist right now, climbing out of that.
That last touchdown to Brown only stood as some stat collection in garbage time.
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