If you enjoyed sleeping with background noise, the first half of this game would’ve been the time to get in a nice mid-afternoon nap.
Wrapping up Wild Card Weekend of the 2018 NFL Playoffs was the battle between the defending champion Eagles, and the NFC North surprise Chicago Bears. The Eagles caught fire at the end of the regular season with Nick Foles in relief of the injured Carson Wentz at QB, while the Bears dominated their competition with a suffocating defense en route to a 12-4 record and their first division title since 2010.
Contrary to how the season went in the NFL as a whole, this game was a defensive showdown. The game was a field goal fest until Nick Foles found Dallas Goedert for a red zone touchdown in the third quarter, putting the Eagles up 10-6. With the struggles Mitch Trubisky had moving the ball down the field and finding the end zone, that touchdown looked like it could’ve been enough to win.
But Trubisky didn’t roll over and die. After Cody Parkey hit a field goal to cut the lead to 10-9, the Bears defense stayed stout––thus giving the #2 pick in last year’s draft a chance to prove his worth.
And he didn’t disappoint, as he connected with Allen Robinson at the mid-way point of the fourth. And after a failed two-point conversion, the lead was back with Chicago, 15-10.
Foles didn’t lay down and die, though. He was able to march down the field and find Golden Tate in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown pass on fourth and goal to put the Eagles up 16-15 with less than a minute left.
A two-point conversion fail, followed by a great return from pro-bowler Tarik Cohen put the Bears in prime position to get themselves into field goal range and put the game away with a Cody Parkey kick.
Only Parkey had been riddled with the yips during the middle of the season. Remember when the Bears faithful gave him standing ovations for kicking PATs? It was that bad.
But he had the chance to erase a season full of frustration by putting the Bears in the Divisional playoffs from 43 yards out.
The result? Left upright, clink –– crossbar, clink.
Eagles win, 16-15.
The Eagles are now set to travel to New Orleans to take on the one-seeded Saints, while the Bears head home to watch the rest of the postseason on their sofas. However, an interesting question can come from this game: Are the Eagles a better team with Nick Foles? Should they trade Carson Wentz?
A lot to ponder ahead of their divisional playoff matchup in New Orleans.
