Domo's Eagles-Bears scouting report

Daily News football writer Paul Domowitch looks ahead to the Monday night game at Soldier Field.

Recent history: The Eagles routed the Bears at the Linc on Dec. 22, 2013, 54-11, but Chicago leads the series, 29-12-1. The first game was played in 1933.

WHEN THE EAGLES RUN THE BALL

Even before the Eagles decided to trade Sam Bradford and go with a rookie quarterback, Doug Pederson wanted a balanced offensive attack. The Eagles ran the ball on 34 of 73 offensive plays (46.6 percent) Week 1. The results were good, not great. The blocking was inconsistent. The Eagles averaged just 3.9 yards per carry. They only had one negative run, but also just four runs of more than six yards, including 17- and 19-yard runs by Kenjon Barner. Ryan Mathews, who will be the primary ballcarrier this season, had just 77 yards on 22 carries, but picked up five of the team's seven rushing first downs. Mathews is an excellent combination of speed and power. The only question with him has been his durability. The Bears, who play a two-gap 3-4, have two solid inside 'backers in Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan.

EDGE: Bears

WHEN THE EAGLES PASS THE BALL

Carson Wentz was cool, decisive and accurate in his first NFL start, completing 22 of 37 passes for 278 yards, two TDs and no interceptions. He was 5-for-6 for 120 yards and two TDs on throws of 16 yards or more. He'll probably be without one of his top receivers, TE Zach Ertz, who suffered a rib injury vs. Cleveland. But he'll still have WR Jordan Matthews, who had seven catches for 114 yards and a TD vs. the Browns. Wentz targeted him on 14 of his 37 attempts. The Eagles had 14 passing first downs, and Matthews picked up six of them. RB Darren Sproles is a tough matchup in space for linebackers and safeties. The Bears are without their best pass-rusher, linebacker Pernell McPhee, who still is recovering from knee surgery. Rookie first-round linebacker Leonard Floyd, who played 60 snaps in Week 1, has speed, but needs to get bigger and stronger.

EDGE: Eagles

WHEN THE BEARS RUN THE BALL

The Bears didn't try to re-sign their longtime running back, Matt Forte, opting to go with a three-headed, everybody-brings-something-different-to-the-table ground attack featuring Jeremy Langford, Ka'Deem Carey and Jordan Howard. Langford is the breakaway threat, Carey is the downhill pounder and Howard, a rookie taken three spots in front of the Eagles' Wendell Smallwood, is the slasher. The Bears, who finished 11th in rushing last year, weren't very effective on the ground in their Week 1 loss at Houston. They gained just 73 yards on 20 carries. Langford had 17 of those 20 carries and finished with just 57 yards. They have a rebuilt offensive line that still is trying to get a feel for one another. The Eagles, who had the league's worst run defense last season, looked much better in their Week 1 win over the Browns.

EDGE: Even

WHEN THE BEARS PASS THE BALL

Jay Cutler had a rough time in Week 1. He was sacked five times and hurried on 13 other occasions. The 33-year-old Cutler has one of the league's strongest arms. But that's often worked against him because it's led to a lot of poor decisions. But with age seems to have come more wisdom. He had the second best interception percentage of his career last year, throwing just 11 picks in 483 attempts. He has three very good wideouts in Alshon Jeffery, Kevin White and Eddie Royal. At 6-4, both Jeffery and White are big targets who can present problems for smaller corners, particularly in the red zone. The Eagles probably will be without injured corner Leodis McKelvin (hamstring), which is a big blow to an already-thin group. They're going to need a solid effort from rookie Jalen Mills, who is expected to replace McKelvin.

EDGE: Bears

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Eagles didn't allow a single kickoff or punt return to the Browns. All six of Caleb Sturgis' kickoffs resulted in touchbacks. Punter Donnie Jones averaged nearly 50 yards per attempt and put three of his six punts inside the 20. Darren Sproles, who has returned four punts for touchdowns the last two seasons, had a 40-yard return. Sturgis, who beat out Cody Parkey for the kicking job in the preseason, made two of three FG attempts, missing a 46-yarder. In a big surprise, the Bears released their longtime PK, Robbie Gould, and went with another veteran, Connor Barth, who kicked for coach John Fox in Denver. Barth made 23 of 28 FG attempts last year for Tampa, and was 15-for-16 the season before. Patrick O'Donnell is a hangtime punter who had just 27 of 70 attempts returned last year. Royal will handle PR duties.

EDGE: Eagles

INTANGIBLES

Carson Wentz is a cool customer, but making your second NFL start on the road in prime time in front of a national television audience without your go-to tight end is a big challenge for the rookie. The Eagles have been outscored 98-34 in their last two games against NFC North teams (Detroit and Green Bay).

EDGE: Bears

Domo's prediction: Bears 20, Eagles 17

KEY MATCHUPS

1. Eagles DT Fletcher Cox vs. Bears C Cody Whitehair and RG Kyle Long: Whitehair, a rookie second-rounder, and Long, who is playing through a shoulder injury, are going to have their hands full with Cox. ADVANTAGE: Eagles

2. Eagles WRs Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor vs. Bears CBs Tracy Porter and Kyle Fuller: Matthews and Agholor both had touchdown catches vs. Cleveland. Porter and Fuller both are experienced cover men. ADVANTAGE: Even

3. Eagles C Jason Kelce vs. Bears NT Eddie Goldman: The athletic, but undersized Kelce occasionally has problems with big-bodied nose tackles like the 6-3, 330-pound Goldman. ADVANTAGE: Bears

Hot and Not

HOT

Eagles: WR Jordan Matthews. Matthews has 28 catches for 431 yards and five touchdowns in his last four games.

Bears: ILB Jerrell Freeman. Freeman was in on a team-high 17 tackles in a Week 1 loss.

NOT

Eagles: WR Josh Huff. Huff played 28 snaps and was targeted three times in Week 1, but didn't have any receptions.

Bears: RB Jeremy Langford. Had just 57 yards on 17 carries in loss to Houston.

@Pdomo Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog