Eagles Capitalize on Turnovers to Defeat Bears

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

The book on Jay Cutler was to put pressure on him. That was how you would force turnovers. Pressure on Cutler produced two of three turnovers the Eagles forced.

The Eagles got 13 points off those turnovers, using that short-order production to claim a 29-14 win over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Monday night.

Scoring Summary

  1 2 3 4 T
Eagles 3 6 13 7 29
Bears 0 7 0 7 14

The Eagles started the game out strong, moving the ball well on their first drive after a three and out on their first defensive series. However, the 13-play, 47-yard drive stalled out in the red zone, resulting in a 25-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis.

The Bears missed a field goal on their next drive, but the Eagles weren't able to capitalize and punted away. The Bears followed that with a six-play, 65-yard drive that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Jeremy Langford.

With just under three minutes left in the second, Carson Wentz led another solid drive, 11 plays and 77 yards, before that stalled out in the red zone as well. Another Sturgis field goal from 29 yards made it a one-point game.

The Eagles defense forced a quick three and out, allowing Wentz one more drive. A drop just short of the endzone by Jordan Matthews prevented a touchdown, but the Eagles did get a 53-yard field goal from Sturgis to take a 9-7 lead into the half.

On the Bears first possession of the second half, a booming hit by Destiny Vaeao on Cutler jarred the ball loose and Jordan Hicks recovered. The Eagles did not capitalize on that turnover, but quickly forced a punt on the Bears next possession. An eight-play drive ended with a three-yard touchdown run by Ryan Mathews.

The first play of the ensuing Bears drive was an interception by Nigel Bradham, which the linebacker returned to the two-yard line. The Eagles next play was a two-yard touchdown pass from Wentz to Trey Burton.

Again, turnovers came into play on the Bears next drive. This time, it was Langford who fumbled and Ron Brooks who was there for the recovery. The Eagles turned that into a six-play, 46-yard drive that was capped with a one-yard touchdown run by Mathews.

With just over five minutes left in the game, the Bears got back on the board with a 65-yard punt return for a touchdown by Eddie Royal.

Team Leaders

Passing

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) Chicago Bears (0-2)
Carson Wentz 21/34, 190 YD, 1 TD, 0 INT, 85.8 RTG Jay Cutler 12/17, 157 YD, 0 TD, 1 INT 74.9 RTG
    Brian Hoyer 9/12, 78 YD, 0 TD, 0 INT, 91.7 RTG

Rushing

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) Chicago Bears (0-2)
Darren Sproles 12 Att, 40 YD Jeremy Langford 11 Att, 28 YD, TD
Ryan Mathews 9 Att, 32 YD, 2 TD Jordan Howard 3 Att, 22 YD
 Wendell Smallwood 2 Att, 16 YD Kevin White 1 Att, 9 YD

Receiving

Philadelphia Eagles (2-0) Chicago Bears (0-2)
Jordan Matthews 6 Rec, 71 YD Alshon Jeffery 5 Rec, 96 YD
Trey Burton 5 Rec, 49 YD, TD Eddie Royal 4 Rec, 52 YD
Nelson Agholor 4 Rec, 42 YD Kevin White 4 Rec, 36 YD

Team Stats

  Eagles Bears
1st Downs 21 16
Total Plays 66 50
Total Yards 286 284
Passing Yards 180 220
Rushing Yards 106 64
Red Zone (Made-Att) 3-5 1-3
Penalties 5-34 7-60
Turnovers 0 3
Time of Possession 36:05 23:55

What's Next

The Eagles return home on Sunday for a late afternoon Keystone State matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m.

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