With both the Bears and Eagles currently sitting at 8-3, their Black Friday matchup could have major playoff implications for two teams in the heat of the NFC playoff race. Still, the most highly anticipated matchup will be between the man calling the shots on Chicago's sideline and the one sitting in the booth puppeteering the Eagles' defense.
Vic Fangio is simply one of the best to ever do it. Very few coaches have earned as much respect as the 67-year-old, who has been coaching in the NFL since the year Ben Johnson was born (1986).
Meanwhile, the Bears' head coach has also earned quite a reputation for himself. He's been lauded as one of the league's most creative offensive masterminds since becoming the Lions' offensive coordinator in 2022. There were questions whether he would be able to make the transition to head coach, but he's been everything advertised and more since making the jump to Halas Hall.
Johnson has the Bears' offense humming in several key categories. They're second in the league in rushing, sixth in total yards, and eighth in points. They're also among the league's best offenses at generating big plays.
The #Bears' offense has the most explosive plays in the NFL this season (87) and currently rank second in explosive play rate
— Matt Williamson (@WilliamsonNFL) November 21, 2025
Fangio was complimentary when discussing the type of matchup issues Chicago's offense creates for opposing defenses.
"They do a great job of calling the game, marrying their run game and their pass game," Fangio told reporters on Tuesday. "They're highly ranked in a lot of areas, and I don't think it's any accident. They got really good players and it's a great scheme, and a great play-caller."
There is certainly mutual respect between the two coaches. Johnson offered similar praise towards Fangio when talking to the media earlier today.
"He's like the Godfather in a lot of ways," Johnson said. "He's kind of taken the league over in terms of that scheme. You see all of his disciples running it now. He's influenced the game significantly."
The two teams match up very well on paper. While the Bears are one of the league's best offenses when it comes to explosive plays, the Eagles' defense is predicated on taking those big plays away.
"They want to limit the explosives and I think when you have the horses up front like he does where they can stop the run game while playing in two high [safeties], I think that's a powerful combination," Johnson said. "He [Fangio] does a phenomenal job with it."
The fact that Philadelphia's defense is as good as it is while being the least expensive unit in the league is a major testament to how good Fangio is at his job. (It's also a testament to their scouting staff, but much less of one in comparison.)
Reminder that this Eagles defense is the least expensive in the NFL 🤯 pic.twitter.com/hvc18bWiSj
— The Eagle Times (@_TheEagleTimes) November 19, 2025
You don't need to convince Bears fans how good Fangio is at what he does, though. Many have fond memories of the coach from coaching Chicago's defense during the dominant 2018 season.
It'll be interesting to see if the high-level starters returning to the Bears' secondary can help slow down the Eagles' talented offense. Still, that storyline pales in comparison to the matchup of Chicago's offense vs. Philly's defense. That chess match will be a battle of best against best in the coaching department.
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