Pre-game coverage gets started with Monday Night Countdown at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN. And new coach Hue Jackson and his offensive coordinator, Pep Hamilton, were not high on Wentz but prized Goff, sources said, and made that clear to the rest of the organization.
Advertisement
Quarterback Carson Wentz continued growth, his poise and his toughness. In theory, the Eagles defensive line should be able to dominate up front, particularly on the edge where Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are all capable of wreaking havoc.
The most important of several of these instances came midway through the second quarter, when Wentz drew a facemask penalty on a hit seconds after finding Trey Burton on third down. Jeffery set up the TD with a 49-yard reception to the Philadelphia 5 and by drawing a pass interference penalty in the end zone. Cutler was 12-of-17 for 157 yards and was sacked three times.
Wentz made it look that way last week in a 29-10 victory over Cleveland with a performance that sent a charge through a city seeking its first National Football League championship since 1960.
Other NFL players have chosen to raise fists, recalling a similar demonstration by athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos during their medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City.
Wentz completed 8 of 9 passes for 45 yards on the drive. To help take pressure off of Wentz, the Eagles should not shy away from the run game. If the secondary can make plays, it should be a good game for the Bears defense.
Advertisement
If Cutler is comfortable in the pocket and has time to san the field, he has the weapons to carve up an Eagles secondary that will be without one of its starting quarterbacks in Leodis McKelvin. After getting things off to a seemingly solid start – finishing the first quarter with a 7-0 lead – they simply had no answer as the Texans moved up through the gears. Philly has some strong assets as well with Ryan Mathews out of the backfield and Jordan Matthews at receiver. Houston was ruled out at halftime, and Goldman was carted off in the fourth quarter. The Bears should force a couple of turnovers and score just enough to win the game. A few plays before that, Mills missed a tackle on Eddie Royal. Expect that to continue this week, although the Bears want more out of the run game. He was later flagged for a personal foul for grabbing Jon Bullard’s facemask.
