The Eagles’ 27-7 loss to the Bears in Week 3 did not produce one clean culprit. It produced a pileup.
Jalen Hurts was part of it, but not the whole story. One source put it bluntly: Hurts deserves only 15-20% of the blame, while the Eagles’ coaching staff deserves the majority. Another said the evidence points to a team that would have been shut out in Chicago if Hurts had not returned from concussion protocol.
That is the backdrop for a loss that left Philadelphia at 2-1 despite committing 10 penalties, turning it over three times and finishing with 248 total yards.
Hurts’ night was ugly enough on its own. He looked lost all night, and that included a fourth-quarter interception to linebacker T.J. Edwards on a fourth-and-five at Chicago’s 46-yard line. He was also forced into the medical tent after taking a hit from Bears defender D’Marco Jackson, who was flagged for a personal foul on the play. After that hit, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni expressed remorse for shouting an expletive at Jackson.
But the quarterback was not the only part of the offense that failed to function. The Eagles finished with 248 total yards, and their offense only got 248 yards in the game. They were held to 27 rushing yards on 38 attempts in one account of the loss, while another noted they finished with 19 rushes despite averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The offensive line allowed eight pressures and two sacks, and the broader criticism from one report was that this offense has the same problems as last year.
That is why the blame has spread so quickly. The Eagles have to dig deep to overcome issues at every position on offense, and the Bears exposed how many of those issues are still unresolved. Philadelphia gained fewer than 250 yards, committed 10 penalties and had three turnovers in a game where the offense never found a rhythm outside of one drive late in the first half.
The defense did not offer much relief. Chicago started QB3 Case Keenum and still moved the ball with ease, with Keenum finishing 24-of-34 for 247 yards and two passing touchdowns. The Eagles failed to slow down Chicago’s attack and did not record a sack. In a game where the Bears started their QB3, the Eagles’ pass rush and coverage had few answers.
Andrew Mukuba became part of that conversation too. The rookie safety tied for the team lead with nine tackles, but he was also described as a liability, consistently a step slow in coverage. He was whistled for a holding call that gave Chicago a new set of downs on a crucial third down, and he was front and center too often for a Bears offense that faced little resistance.
That is the uncomfortable part of the postgame debate for Philadelphia: the loss was not just about one quarterback having a bad night. It touched the coaching staff, the offensive line, the running game, the pass rush, the secondary and even the way the team responded to a hit on Hurts. The Eagles are 2-1, but the film from Week 3 left a much harsher picture than the record.