The Chicago Bears defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 30-24 on Monday Night Football. The win puts the 5-3 Bears in a good position to make a run at one of the NFC wildcard slots, while the floundering Eagles drop to 3-5, tied for last place in the NFC East.
At the end of the day, Matt Forte and the Bears ground game outmatched the Eagles top ranked rushing attack, and Bears QB Jay Cutler outplayed Eagles All Pro Michael Vick. Forte finished with 133 yards rushing and another 17 yards receiving, and the team totaled 164 yards rushing. The Eagles managed only 119 yards on the ground, well below their season average of 180 yards per game.
LeSean McCoy had 71 yards on the ground and another 46 through the air, plus one rushing TD from 33-yards out.
Vick finished with 213 yards passing and another 34 yards rushing, but no TDs and 1 INT, while Cutler was 18 of 32 for 208 yards with 2 TDs and no INTs.
The Bears face the 6-2 Detroit Lions next week, with potential wildcard implications, as it seems unlikely either team will catch the 8-0 Green Bay Packers, who have appeared untouchable so far this season.
The struggling Eagles get a break, as they face the 2-6 Arizona Cardinals, before their schedule heats back up with games against the 6-2 New York Giants and the 5-3 New England Patriots. The team-formerly-known-as-the-dream-team is looking more and more like a longshot to even sneak into the playoffs.
