The Bears will look to rebound from last Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Vikings and improve to 2-1 Monday night when they host the Eagles at Soldier Field.
Quarterback Caleb Williams will miss his first NFL game due to a hamstring injury he sustained midway through the fourth quarter versus Minnesota. Since being selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft, he has started every Bears regular-season (36) and postseason (2) contest.
Williams will be replaced by either Tyson Bagent or Case Keenum, both of whom made their last NFL start in 2023.
The Eagles (2-0) entered Week 3 in first place in the NFC East after defeating the Commanders 24-22 at home and the Titans 24-20 in Tennessee.
Monday night's game marks the second time in the first three weeks of the season that the Bears, who captured the NFC North title last year, face another 2025 NFC division winner. They beat the reigning NFC South champion Panthers 59-37 in the season opener in Charlotte.
When the Bears have the ball
For the first time in five seasons as an NFL play caller, coach Ben Johnson will not work with a quarterback selected with the No. 1 pick in the draft. Jared Goff started all 51 games during Johnson's three years as Lions offensive coordinator from 2022-24, while Williams has opened all 19 games in their time together in Chicago.
It remains to be seen, however, whether Bagent or Keenum will start versus the Eagles. Bagent sustained a concussion after replacing Williams against the Vikings and did not practice until Saturday. He cleared concussion protocol Sunday and was not given an injury designation, but his role for Monday night remains uncertain.
Bagent completed 5 of 9 passes for 54 yards and a 73.4 passer rating versus Minnesota. He showed promise in 2023 as an undrafted rookie from Division II Shepherd University, appearing in five games and winning two of four starts, passing for 859 yards and three touchdowns. Bagent also has excelled in preseason action, posting passer ratings of 119.9 in 2024, 106.6 in 2025 and 119.3 in 2026.
Keenum, meanwhile, has appeared in 80 NFL games with 66 starts for the Texans (2012-14 and 2023), Rams (2015-16), Vikings (2017), Broncos (2018), Washington (2019), Browns (2020-21) and Bills (2022), throwing for 15,175 yards with 79 TDs, 51 interceptions and an 84.6 passer rating. He signed with the Bears last year but did not play in a regular-season game.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor is confident that both Bagent and Keenum have enough familiarity with the unit's skill position players to operate effectively.
"The beauty of it is all three of the quarterbacks — Case, Caleb and Tyson — have all been here since Day 1," Taylor said. "A lot of these skill guys, too, they're very familiar with all these guys. We mix and match throughout training camp, throughout spring. We have competitive plays within practice where Tyson, Case — whoever it is — is leading the [No. 1] offense through a certain number of plays. Or throwing with those guys. They get mixed in in 7-on(-7).
"So, I think all our guys are very comfortable. The skill guys are very comfortable catching the ball from anybody, understanding the differences of each one, and how that relates to them catching the ball."
The Bears entered Week 3 leading the NFL in rushing, averaging 212.5 yards per game, highlighted by a 291-yard performance against the Panthers that was their most prolific effort since running for 302 yards Sept. 9, 1984, versus the Broncos.
The ground game is led by running backs D'Andre Swift (34 carries for 169 yards and 3 TDs) and Kyle Monangai (20-147-1), the only NFL teammates to both rush for at least 750 yards last year.
Since the start of the 2025 season, the Bears have rushed for at least 250 yards in three games. No other NFL team has had more than one such performance. One of those three contests came last Nov. 28 when the Bears compiled 281 yards on the ground in a 24-15 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia.
That outing, however, has no bearing on Monday night's contest.
"I would say it's a complete clean slate," Taylor said. "Like we talked about Week 1 to Week 2, last year doesn't carry over at all. That doesn't give us anything this week."
The Bears will face an Eagles defense that's coordinated by veteran coach Vic Fangio, who served in the same capacity in Chicago from 2015-18. The unit is led by tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, linebacker Zack Baun and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
"You're going to have to be patient," Taylor said. "You're not going to get these big, long explosives the way they play in the shell, the way everything starts playing out of the shell. And then they just do a great job of playing a variety of different fronts and techniques ultimately to try to do the same idea at the end of the day — limit the explosives and make you go the long, hard way. It's hard to go 14, 15 plays and score on a drive. That's kind of what they force you to do the way they play. And then they've got really, really good players, too."
Key matchup: Bears right guard Jonah Jackson vs. Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter
Jackson has performed well since signing with the Bears last year, starting all 19 regular season games and both playoff contests. On Monday night, he'll be challenged by Carter, a 2023 first-round pick who has been voted to the Pro Bowl each of the last two seasons. Carter registered a key sack in the fourth quarter of last Sunday's win over the Titans, forcing Tennessee to settle for a field goal.
When the Eagles have the ball
The Bears defense will look to pick up Monday night where it left off last Sunday when it did not allow the Vikings to score a touchdown and permitted only 246 total yards, 11 first downs and a 23.1% third-down conversion rate (3 of 13).
The Eagles offense is led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, a three-time Pro Bowler in seven NFL seasons who led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl championship in 2024. In the first two games this year, he has completed 64.5% of his passes for 467 yards with five TDs, two interceptions and a 100.7 passer rating.
Hurts is also adept at extending plays with his athleticism, elusiveness and mobility.
"The challenge with him is he's played the quarterback position for a long time in our league," said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. "He's seen a lot of football. When it doesn't work out the way he may have anticipated it to work out, he has the ability to create with his feet. That's what makes him really challenging.
"When everything goes according to plan and he's in a quick rhythm, he gets the ball out, throws the ball well, does all those things that you have to do at the quarterback position. It's really when things break down and it doesn't go as planned, that's where he can really hurt you with his feet. That will definitely be a big part of what we have to contend with on Monday night."
The Bears also will have to contend with running back Saquon Barkley, who rushed for 1,140 yards and five touchdowns last year. In his first season with the Eagles in 2024, he was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for a career-high 2,005 yards and 13 TDs.
"If you go low, he'll jump; if you stop your feet, he can go around you," said cornerback Jaylon Johnson. "He's still fast and explosive, and he can juke. There's really not anything that he can't do. He's a tough, strong runner. For us, we have to rally and tackle. We can't let too many times where one person is trying to tackle him. For us, it's just playing him all 11 to the ball."
The Eagles' top receiver is DeVonta Smith, who had 10 receptions for 117 yards and 1 TD in last Sunday's win over the Titans. Receiver Dontayvion Wicks is another option, having caught seven passes for 147 yards and one TD this season.
"Jalen Hurts is a guy that's been an MVP-caliber quarterback," Allen said. "DeVonta Smith's a big-time weapon. Saquon Barkley, his ability to be an explosive runner with the football is something that's going to be a big part of what we have to try to do our best to minimize as much as we can."
Key matchup: Bears defensive end Montez Sweat vs. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson
Sweat spearheads a pass rush that will try to generate pressure and keep Hurts in the pocket. The veteran will be opposed by Johnson, a six-time Pro Bowler who has won two Super Bowls with the Eagles after Philadelphia selected him with the fourth pick of the 2013 draft.
