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Eagles-Bears predictions from our beat writers

The beat writers are all picking the Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Bears last year at Soldier Field. The teams meet again this season at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 12.
The Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chicago Bears last year at Soldier Field. The teams meet again this season at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 12.Read moreYong Kim/Staff Photographer

Les Bowen

I don't have any startling insights. Yeah, the Bears played pretty well last week against the Lions. And the Eagles are way overdue for some adversity, some carelessness, the sort of thing that seemed to be happening for a half there at Dallas.

But if Chicago turns out to be tougher than expected, well, it's an Eagles home game, and Carson Wentz. And Jim Schwartz is scheming against a rookie QB making his seventh start. They ought to be able to figure it out. The 13-point spread is another matter, but they have been winning by an average of 20 a clip the past five games. So, yeah.

Prediction: Eagles 26, Bears 12

Jeff McLane

The 3-7 Bears have a couple of solid wins under their belts. They beat the 8-2 Steelers and the 7-3 Panthers. Both wins came at home, however, and both Pittsburgh and Carolina tend to play down to their competition. The Eagles haven't sweated the lesser weights on their schedule. They've easily disposed of the Cardinals, 49ers and Broncos over the last two months. It's hard to envision there being a setback before a West coast swing at Seattle and the Rams.

The Bears do have one of the stronger running offenses in the NFL. Jordan Howard, who Eagles personnel executive Joe Douglas played a role in drafting when he worked in Chicago, is third in NFL in rushing yards and averages 4.4 yards a carry. Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky is also a threat to keep and run. He's had some flashes as a thrower, but is only completing 53 percent of his passes.

The Bears' 3-4 defense has some holes. Cornerback Kyle Fuller is an easy target, for instance. But they have an above average safety in Adrian Amos and solid pass rushers in outside linebacker Leonard Floyd and defensive end Akiem Hicks. Floyd is out with an injury, though. And there might not be a defense in the league right now that can keep the Eagles' balanced, multi-faceted offense in check for an entire 60 minutes.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Bears 17

Paul Domowitch

This game probably isn't going to be close, but it'll be good for the Eagles because their run defense will get a 60-minute test against a pretty good ground game.

Because teams have had to play catch-up against the Eagles, most of them have abandoned their run games early. The Eagles are averaging just 19.3 opponent rushing attempts per game, which is the fewest in the NFL, which has made the Eagles No. 1 ranking against the run a little hollow.

The 3-7 Bears are second in the league in run-play percentage. They're averaging 29 rushing attempts per game. John Fox is going to run the ball 25-plus times Sunday even if his team is down 50-0 at the end of the first quarter, which they could be.

Prediction:  Eagles 38, Bears 17

Zach Berman

It's hard to pick against the Eagles any week, much less when the opponent is the Chicago Bears. The Eagles are double-digit favorites and playing at home, where they're 11-2 under Doug Pederson.

Look for the Eagles to put pressure on rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and bottle up running back Jordan Howard in another strong defensive effort. The defense has allowed only two touchdowns the past three weeks, and I don't see the Bears performing much better against them. The Bears are tied for fourth in the NFL with 17 turnovers, and the Eagles rank third with 20 takeaways. That's an area to watch with a rookie quarterback.

Offensively, Alshon Jeffery could be in line for a big game against his former team. He's getting hot in recent weeks and will be motivated for Sunday. The Eagles haven't had a 100-yard receiver this season and the Bears haven't allowed a 100-yard receiver since Week 3, but Jeffery will threaten both marks.

Prediction: Eagles 31, Bears 12​

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