The Eagles enter Week 13 in lock step with the Chicago Bears, both at 8-3, with the bright lights of a Black Friday stage.
With NFC playoff positioning tightening and margins shrinking, the Eagles’ identity on Friday night has to again come from their blue-chip performers rising in the biggest moments. And no defensive player on the roster carries a more pivotal assignment this week than Jalen Carter, one of the premier young interior defenders in all of football.
Jalen Carter is ready to steamroll through Bears' offense in Week 13
Taking the lens back on Chicago, this isn't the same Bears offensive line that struggled throughout Caleb Williams' rookie season last fall. Chicago has steadily rebuilt its front, mixing veteran stability with youthful ascension.
Rookie left tackle Ozzy Trapilo played the best game in his young career last week against a veteran Steelers front, and that's before you take a peek inside to a heck of a core trio.
LT for Chicago has been a weak spot along a rebuilt front five this fall… but not today.
Heck of an afternoon for rookie Ozzy Trapilo against a veteran Steelers front (41 pass pro snaps):
• 1 pressure
• 0 sacks
• 0 QB hits
~ 88.4 pass pro effectiveness grade
— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) November 23, 2025
On the interior, Chicago has stacked the middle with left guard Joe Thuney, center Drew Dalman, and right guard Jonah Jackson -- a unit that has been outstanding through 11 games. And opposite of Trapilo, former first-rounder Darnell Wright continues to progress into a reliable force on the edge.
So for Philadelphia, this isn’t simply a matchup where raw talent wins by default. Carter has to play his best football, not just because Chicago’s line has improved, but because of the quarterback behind it, as well.
As most signal-callers do, Williams thrives when the pocket is clean. If he can step up, reset his base, and attack intermediate windows, the Bears weaponize their offense with rhythm and vertical aggression. The way to disrupt it? Collapse the pocket from the inside out.
It's where Carter’s role becomes the fulcrum of the ballgame.
His ability not only to take on double teams but also to split them and drive interior linemen backward is Philadelphia’s pathway to distortion. The Eagles don’t simply need Carter to hold ground-- they need him to reset the line of scrimmage, to narrow Williams’ escape lanes, and to force him off his spot before he is ready to deliver downfield.
On high leverage downs -- third-and-medium, red-zone snaps, late-game situations -- the Eagles’ defensive identity has historically leaned on interior chaos. Carter has the explosive first step, the violent hands, and the torque through contact to create that kind of disruption. Even if he isn’t the one recording the sack, it's often been running mate Moro Ojomo doing so this fall, collapsing the pocket, forcing Williams to drift, reset multiple times, or throw with bodies flashing in front of him.
If Carter can’t get home, the second part of his responsibility is just as important: affect throwing lanes. Williams is at his sharpest when he delivers from stable platforms with clear sight lines. Carter getting arms up, muddying passing trajectories, and altering timing windows can take away the Bears’ bread-and-butter quick game. Philadelphia did it exceptionally well against Detroit a few weeks ago, and those subtle disruptions can swing drives.
Overall, the Eagles need the cream to rise to the top. Black Friday qualifies.
Read more:Kevin Patullo pinpoints biggest problem with Eagles offense fans already know
With the NFC landscape tight and every result magnified, Carter has to be the tone-setting force who dictates the interior battle. If he wins that war, Philadelphia has the blueprint to win in Week 13.