Donnellon: Eagles' defense makes a statement

CHICAGO - Alshon Jeffery stopped for a moment, then he went.

Jalen Mills stayed, just for a moment.

But a moment, for a rookie cornerback covering an elite receiver, can feel like an eternity. And when the ball settled in the arms of the Bears' star receiver 49 yards later, the Eagles rookie flailing around his hips, it had that feeling of one of those long days that so often hounded your 2015 season.

You remember? The embarrassing loss to Tampa? The embarrassing loss to Detroit a week later?

Mills wasn't around for those, of course, but Malcolm Jenkins was. So no sooner was the rookie on his feet than the veteran was in his face.

"He was like, 'Ah, man, could have got that one,' " Mills was saying after Monday night's 29-14 victory over the Bears. "But I was like, 'No, man, I'm sorry. That was my fault. I just got turned around.'

"But he kept saying, 'Hey, we still got a lot of football to play.' And that he still trusted in me."

A frequent critic of the lack of accountability under former coordinator Billy Davis, Jenkins had pledged all summer a different tone for this year's team. This was that. Seasons often pivot via purpose or a lack of it, and Monday night's victory, on the road over a slightly favored Bears team, dripped of purpose, especially for Malcolm and his mates.

The Eagles' defense, from that point on, hounded Jay Cutler repeatedly, sacking him three times and forcing an interception. They mostly neutralized Jeffery, who caught just two second-half passes, for 23 yards. And they forced three second-half turnovers that triggered 13 points and had Soldier Field looking, midway into the fourth quarter, a lot like Lincoln Financial Field looked against the Bucs last November, a lot like Ford Field did on Thanksgiving Day.

Except that this, unlike then, was a welcome sight. A sea change, you hope, for a defense that stumbled so badly last year amid key injuries and a too generous system that made plays like the one to Jeffery commonplace, and toxic. Two games, two weeks in the books, and the tone is, if not intimidation, intense harassment.

"They're just playing well together," Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz's unit. "It's not a complex system. It's user-friendly, so to speak. But the guys have embraced it."

The Eagles were officially reeling when that bomb was converted into a touchdown and a 7-3 lead a few plays later. Two big penalties by Jason Kelce on the ensuing Eagles possession, an uncharacteristically awful 32-yard punt by Donnie Jones - with no apparent wind to blame - put Chicago on the Eagles' 48-yard line with 9 minutes and 17 seconds remaining before the half.

Soldier Field was loud. Again, that sinking feeling.

But then Brandon Graham sacked Cutler on first down. Mills, the much-picked-on rookie corner, tackled wide receiver Kevin White, the Bears' 2015 top pick, 2 yards short of a first down. Flushed from the pocket, Cutler threw incomplete, and the Bears elected to punt from the Eagles' 40-yard line needing just 2 yards to continue their drive.

Thank you, John Fox, part 1.

Really, the Eagles could have been ahead 13-7 at halftime if not for a dropped pass by Jordan Matthews at the end zone. It was a gift that they even had a 9-7 lead. After choosing not to go for it on fourth down with momentum and field position in his favor, Fox called timeout as Caleb Sturgis attempted a 53-yard field goal.

It missed badly, but given a second opportunity, Sturgis dropped it through and the Eagles had a lead they would never relinquish.

Thank you, John Fox, part 2.

The Bears entered the game having lost 14 of their last 17 home games, including 10 of their last 11 here. Nigel Bradham's third-quarter interception started the meltdown, the free-agent linebacker rumbling 28 yards to Chicago's 2. Trey Burton caught a short pass a play later, and the Eagles pushed a 16-7 lead to 22-7.

A fumble recovery forced by Bennie Logan and recovered by Ron Brooks led to a 46-yard touchdown drive, and a noticeably loud Eagles chant from those who remained in the stands.

There were more than 10 minutes left. But the fight was gone for a Bears team that had targeted this game as its chance to pivot its narrative from last season as well. Instead, Fox faced questions about his dubious decisions afterwards. Coverages and calls were questioned by the local media.

And yeah, you know that feeling.

And Mills? Well, as Bears backup quarterback Brian Hoyer tried to rally his team over those final minutes, the ball sailed twice to Jeffery in the end zone, twice with Mills in coverage. He wasn't great on either, and he had help. But it was enough. Just enough.

Accountability. In a rookie. Nice.

Two games, two weeks in the books. Not a season.

But a sea change, maybe.

@samdonnellon

Columns: ph.ly/Donnellon