The last time the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles [faced off in 2022](https://www.espn.com/nfl/boxscore/_/gameId/401437908), it was far from Jalen Hurts’ finest hour as a quarterback.
Though the reigning Super Bowl MVP had three rushing touchdowns (two on “tush pushes”), he struggled significantly as a passer, throwing two interceptions, completing 59% of his 22 passes, and ending the day with a 64.6 passer rating.
While it likely won’t be as bone-chillingly cold in Philadelphia on Friday as it was three years ago, that doesn’t mean the Bears can’t make life difficult for Hurts anyway.
The Eagles quarterback has had a subpar season as a passer so far in 2025, leading to endless headlines about the frustrations of AJ Brown and other offensive playmakers around him. Despite a hot start against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Hurts and the passing attack fizzled out in a scoreless second half, leading Hurts [to be self-critical of his performance](https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/jalen-hurts-devonta-smith-aj-brown-offense-cowboys/697002/) .
So how can the Bears keep the bad vibes going? Glad you asked.
First off, let’s get Jaylon Johnson back for this matchup against the talented, physical Brown. Though Brown did burn him late in that last contest on a deep ball, Johnson strapped Brown up for the majority of the game before that and is a good matchup for the Eagles’ top receiver.
Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, stop the run. The Eagles have been awful running the football this year by their standards, with Saquon Barkley averaging a pedestrian 3.7 yards per carry (684 rushing yards) in 2025 after averaging 5.8 yards a tote and topping 2,000 rushing yards last year. If Philadelphia can’t rely on Barkley to grind the Bears defense down, that will put more pressure on Hurts to win with his arm. Of course, Chicago’s linebacker issues might make that proposition dicey. But limiting Barkley will be a major key.
If the Bears can keep Barkley in check and force Hurts to throw the ball, Philadelphia’s offense will start to devolve. Aside from the occasional deep shot to DeVonta Smith or Brown, Hurts hasn’t been very aggressive pushing the ball down the field and has started to rely more on his legs to get out of trouble than simply getting rid of the ball. That’s a positive for an opportunistic Bears defense that leads the league in interceptions (16).
Not only that, but Philadelphia likely won’t have star right tackle Lane Johnson back for this game, meaning Montez Sweat and other edges will get to work against a backup. With Sweat on a recent heater, this could be a big problem for the Eagles.
Philly remains a formidable team despite Hurts’ struggles, of course, and you can’t discount his playmaking ability and short-yardage rushing acumen. But if the Bears can force Hurts to play hesitant, mistake-riddled football on Friday, they have a chance to log their best win of the season.