The Philadelphia Eagles have to focus on taking down their NFC East division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, but might have trouble brewing after Thanksgiving Day.
ESPN NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler shared that the Chicago Bears will not be activating starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from the IR, despite being listed as questionable for their Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson is dealing with a groin that has kept him out of all but one half this season, while Gordon has a calf injury that has kept him out of all but two games this season.
Fowler added the concerning news that Eagles fans would be interested to know: the Bears are hopeful to have Johnson and Gordon activated for the Black Friday game against Philly.
Eagles might have a bigger challenge on their hands than expected vs. Bears
The Bears' defense is among the worst pass defenses in the NFL, allowing 231.3 yards per game through the air, ranking 23rd. Chicago has resorted to Tyrique Stevenson as the CB1 (the man partly responsible for the Washington Commanders completing the Hail Mary pass last year on Chicago) and Nahshon Wright as CB2. Former Eagles Super Bowl-champion safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed with the Bears last month and has since moved to slot corner for them.
Philly was hoping to have a depleted secondary to face off against in Chicago since the Eagles' passing attack needed an easier unit to face with their recent issues. The Eagles are 28th in the NFL in passing offense, throwing for 184.9 yards per game.
Over the last few weeks, the Eagles' offense has been through the ringer, from A.J. Brown once again expressing his frustrations to reports of teammates being frustrated at Jalen Hurts. Also, 26 points combined in the last two games doesn't help Philly's cause.
This will be a big matchup for the Eagles, because if they beat the Cowboys in Week 12 and Dallas loses again on Thanksgiving to the Kansas City Chiefs, Philly could win the NFC East before December rolls around. It's a game the 7-3 Bears need, also, since they are trying to keep up in the NFC North, as they are in first place.
Read more:Eagles confirmed the Cam Jurgens news that kills fans' stress levels in Week 12
The Eagles assisted the Bears quite a bit over the last two weeks, with wins over the Green Bay Packers in Week 10 and the Detroit Lions in Week 11, helping Chicago take first place in the NFC North. When Black Friday rolls around, Philly won't be so nice as they have a division to win of their own.