Week 7: Chicago at Philadelphia

Is it possible to out-underachieve another team? Over-underachieve them? Our language does not seem to have the correct formulation to describe a clash between two teams striving to be slightly less disappointing than the other, but the answer to that question will be the winner of this game. What would’ve been a pretty exciting match-up of two pretty tough teams a year ago is, this year, primarily an occasion for grammatical inquiry. Bummer.

On the subject of bummers: how about giving up 300-plus yards rushing on your home field? In Week 6 the Bears yielded an eye-popping 311 yards on the ground to Vikings rookie Adrian Peterson (224 and three TDs), Chester Taylor and Benj Olafsson, a Vikings fan that ran onto the field and gained 16 yards on three carries. Considering that Chicago has been terrible against the pass so far, too, last week’s debacle is especially disturbing. The Bears defense hasn’t fallen off quite that badly – they looked great in a Week 5 win over the Packers – but it’s clear that last year’s stifling squad isn’t in the building anymore. As their crop of previously injured stars get back into playing shape, though, the Bears should have enough to stymie middling offenses like the Eagles.

And despite a pair of good weeks against a pair of bad defenses – a 56-point outburst against Detroit in Week 3 and last week’s win over the Jets – the Eagles are not that good an offensive team. They’re better than they looked at the start of the season, and Donovan McNabb can still be effective when his line protects him, but the O-line has struggled. In the Eagles’ two wins, McNabb has taken just four sacks; in their four losses, he has taken 16. With injuries still rife on the O-line, it’s clear this will be an issue in Week 7, especially considering the Bears’ excellent pass rush (they have 18 sacks in five games) and the fact that McNabb is not nearly as slippery a runner as he used to be. Heavy doses of RB Brian Westbrook – who looked healthy and effective in Week 6 – should help, but even after Philly’s top two receivers scored their first concurrent good weeks of the season in Week 6, it’s hard to expect much from Philadelphia’s offense in Week 7. No quarterback can do much if he’s constantly picking bits of turf out of his facemask.

Earlier this season, a low-scoring week wouldn’t matter since the Bears offense was so terrible. But while no one will mistake Brian Griese for anything better than a slightly above-average NFL quarterback, he has had two straight good weeks for the Bears and found a heck of a second option in rookie TE Greg Olsen. Chicago is still waiting for something good from RB Cedric Benson (averaging just 3.1 YPC and still without a 100-yard game in ’07), but they’re unlikely to find it against an aggressive Eagles defense that allows just 91.2 yards per game on the ground. Philadelphia has been pretty good against the pass, too, but they’ll be tested – weird as this is to say – by a Bears passing game that actually has looked decent of late and has more receiving weapons than it has in years.

It seems that the days of the Bears as 14-7 winners might be in the past – and not just because their defense isn’t holding anyone to seven points anymore. But while neither of these teams is quite who they might’ve thought they were – to paraphrase Bears Fan No. 1 Dennis Green – they do make a pretty even match. If only because they’ve shown a bit of a pulse on offense two weeks in a row – something the Eagles have yet to manage this year – we’ll pick the Bears. But this one could go either way, with the only real certainty – and you can quote us on this – being plenty of punting.

Bears by 3