The Chicago Bears beat the Philadelphia Eagles 27-7 Monday night at Soldier Field, shutting the Eagles out in the second half. Philadelphia gave the ball away 3 times, on 2 interceptions and a lost fumble, while Chicago never gave it away once.
Chicago also controlled possession. The Bears held the ball for 36:53 and ran 69 plays to Philadelphia's 47. The Eagles averaged more per carry, about 6 yards to Chicago's 4, but never got enough snaps to make it count.
How It Happened
Chicago struck first with 8:47 left in the first quarter. Case Keenum found Luther Burden III for an 8-yard touchdown, and Cairo Santos added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
Santos stretched the lead with a 29-yard field goal with 1:52 left in the half. Philadelphia answered on the final play of the second quarter, when Jalen Hurts ran it in from 1 yard out. Jake Elliott's kick made it 10-7 at the break.
That was all the Eagles got. Santos hit a 48-yard field goal at 10:17 of the third quarter, and Keenum followed at 5:47 with a 41-yard touchdown pass to Kalif Raymond.
Keenum closed it out himself with a 1-yard touchdown run at 7:19 of the fourth quarter. Santos converted for the final margin, and Philadelphia was shut out in the second half.
The Eagles hurt themselves beyond the turnovers. They converted only 2 of 9 third downs, went 0-for-2 on fourth down and drew 10 penalties for 61 yards. Chicago was 2-for-3 on fourth down, which helped explain its 24 first downs to Philadelphia's 14.
Chicago did leave points on the field in the red zone. The Bears scored touchdowns on just 2 of 5 trips, so the margin could have been wider.
Key Performers
Case Keenum, CHI: 2 TD passes (8 YDS to Luther Burden III, 41 YDS to Kalif Raymond), 1 rushing TD (1 YD)
Cairo Santos, CHI: 2 FG (29, 48 YDS), 3 extra points
Bears passing: 24-34, 247 YDS, 0 INT, 0 sacks allowed
Bears rushing: 35 ATT, 128 YDS
Jalen Hurts, PHI: 1 rushing TD (1 YD)
Eagles passing: 16-26, 141 YDS, 2 INT, 2 sacks for 12 YDS lost
Eagles rushing: 19 ATT, 107 YDS
Chicago's passing game was the more efficient of the two. The Bears averaged over 7 yards per pass attempt without throwing an interception or taking a sack. Philadelphia managed about 5 yards per attempt, and 2 of its throws ended up in Chicago's hands.
What It Means
Both teams leave Soldier Field at 2-1. For Philadelphia, it is the first loss of the season and a drop to 1-1 on the road. Chicago evened its home record at 1-1.
The Bears got this one without much from the ground game, averaging under 4 yards per carry. They made up for it with a clean sheet on turnovers and a big edge in plays run.
Philadelphia's takeaway is simpler. An offense that ran efficiently when it had the ball cannot survive 3 giveaways and a 2-of-9 night on third down.