🔥 HOT NEWS: Bears safety Kevin Byard earns a major “Stock Up” boost after his game-changing interception steals the spotlight ⚡. DH
Veteran safety Kevin Byard’s swipe of Jalen Hurts turned the tide against the Philadelphia Eagles. Plus, give the running game its flowers.
Buy Chicago Bears stocks. All of them. You don’t want to wait too long and miss this train.
The Bears made their biggest statement of the year, knocking off the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 on Black Friday in a physical, commanding performance that made them look like a team you don’t want to face in the playoffs.
This is the kind of win that has everyone’s arrow pointing up.
Here are a few people who deserve a special shout-out, starting with their defensive coordinator.
Dennis Allen
Let’s give the defensive coordinator some love here. Outside of the Eagles’ touchdown drive, nothing looked easy for Philly’s offense. Chicago devoured the run game, stifling the elite Saquon Barkley, and forced Jalen Hurts to beat them with his arm, which has been a challenge for him all year. On top of that, the Bears made sure to heat Hurts up at every opportunity, blitzing him on about half his dropbacks during the game. Hurts was abysmal on those plays, completing fewer than 30% of his passes.
The running game
Dominating the Eagles’ defensive front is no small feat with the likes of Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Zach Baun and Nakobe Dean manning the front seven. But from beginning to end of this contest, the Bears straight up mauled the Eagles in the trenches, allowing Kyle Monangai (130 yards) and D’Andre Swift (125 yards) to become the first Bears duo to top 100 yards rushing in the same game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey did in 1985. Yes…that 1985. What a dominant performance against a playoff team. That’s what a Ben Johnson offense is truly about.
Kevin Byard
Let this man retire a Bear. Because he’s perfect for this squad. He just broke a tie with the Panthers’ Jaycee Horn and current Bears teammate Nahsohn Wright for the interception leader with six, thanks to his swipe of Hurts in the third quarter. He’s been the steadiest member of the secondary this year with all the injuries, and his ability to make game-changing plays helps put this team over the top.
