Philadelphia Eagles: Wild Card Round preview against Chicago Bears
By Jake Starr
Establish the run game
Why were the Eagles so good last year and down the stretch? Basically, they had one of the more dominant run games in the NFL. Over the last three weeks, the Eagles have averaged about 100 rushing yards per game, but even though it has not been a huge chunk of yards, Philadelphia has shown a commitment to running the football.
Doug Pederson has shown he will go with the hot hand in the backfield and it is likely that will continue. Carries will be split amongst Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood, and Darren Sproles on Sunday. Those three need to be able to make plays on the ground.
Getting the run game going will be huge on a cold Sunday in Chicago. It will be key to taking pressure off of Foles and slowing down the Chicago pass rush. A strong game on the ground could be the reason that the Eagles have success on Sunday afternoon.
Limit turnovers
This is a Chicago defense that has forced turnovers at a rapid rate this season. They have 27 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries this season for a total of 36 forced turnovers, over two per game. If the Eagles turn the football over more than once, then it may be game over for them.
Chicago has also found the end zone six times on turnovers, with five of them coming off interceptions. This goes to show how important it will be for the Eagles to not turn the football over. Foles has thrown four interceptions in his five starts this season, and it will be so important he avoids those in this game.
Chicago’s offense has capitalized off of strong field position from turnovers this season. The Eagles would much rather play field position and pin Chicago deep then make a bad play to turn it over while giving the Bears pristine field position.
Continue to spread the ball on offense
One of the things that Foles has been very good at since taking over at quarterback has been his ability to spread the ball amongst receivers. Last Sunday, Foles hit eight different receivers throughout the game, a positive trend with Foles at quarterback.
On Sunday, Foles and the Eagles will need to continue to spread the ball around on offense. If Chicago wants to put all of their focus on Jeffery and Ertz, then Foles should have no problem looking for guys like Tate, Agholor and Dallas Goedert.
Moving the ball around should keep Chicago’s defense off balance. Foles should be able to pick the favorable matchups and take advantage from there. This will then force the Bears to focus their attention elsewhere, perhaps opening up big play opportunities for guys like Ertz and Jeffery.