Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears
Two of the oldest franchises in the NFL meet with the Northeast facing the Midwest whenever the Philadelphia Eagles are playing the Chicago Bears. At almost 90 years of age, this series dates all the way back to the 1930s (1933, to be exact). Stars of the past like Reggie White and Walter Payton have made this matchup thrilling while newer faces like Jalen Hurts and Justin Fields have made reinvigorated the series to make for an entertaining game of football. More than anything, you could see some serious winnings with this game should it ever come up on the schedule so stay tuned to learn how.
The Matchup
The Eagles were established in 1933. The Bears were founded 14 years earlier than that in 1919 so, yeah, there’s a lot of history here. On that note, considering this matchup goes back nearly 90 years, they’ve played less than 50 games against each other, as they tend to go head-to-head every two years. It would be the Bears that would dominate the series early on although this was years ago, the ‘30s and ‘40s to be precise, which was far before the AFL/NFL merger or the Super Bowl Era. Recent times have seen the series become far more competitive.
Now, on to some memorable games, look no further than the most recent playoff game, a 2018 wild card match that was only separated by a single point with the Eagles winning 16-15. Another standout game would be the 2001 Divisional Playoffs where Eagles QB Donovan McNabb would throw for 268 yards and two touchdowns to lead Philadelphia to a 33-20 victory. On that note, the 2022 game featured two of today’s biggest names with Hurts and Fields squaring off at Chicago’s Soldier Field for a battle of dual QBs. Interestingly, Hurts had a big game through the air in terms of yards, throwing for 315 yards, but it didn’t amount to much as he also threw two interceptions. Fields, on the other hand, threw for far less, 152 yards, but picked up two TD passes along the way. Instead, the game was determined by the ground game, an area Hurts was superior to Fields in on this particular day, rushing for 62 yards and a game-high three TDs.
Odds and Ends
Let’s take a look at the numbers behind this matchup to see what it gives us. Over 47 games in the series from 1933 to 2022, Chicago holds a 29-14-1 record over Philadelphia, including a 13-9-1 home record while going 16-8 on the road. The Bears have scored a total of 978 points altogether for an average of 20.8 points per contest while the Eagles have racked up 752 points for an average of only 16 points a game. With the above numbers in mind, realize that they are incredibly deceptive as the Bears won a significant chunk of their games from the 1930s to the 1980s. Since the 1990s, the Eagles have made the series far more competitive and have had the edge in the past few decades, going 13-6 against the Bears from 1993-2022.
Since this series didn’t really become competitive until the ‘90s, let’s look at the numbers from 1994 and on which gives us a good 18 games to work with, all of which have spreads and totals. First and foremost is the difference between the first nine games compared to the following nine games because from 1994-2008, the margin of victory was only 6.6 points but it almost doubled to 12.8 points a game from 2009-2022. On that note, since the arrival of Hurts and Fields, the teams have played close games, with the winner only winning by an average of 4.7 points over three games from 2019-2022. Another thing that stands out about these games is the scores, particularly on the lower side, under 40 points as the teams combined to average 37.7 points a contest over those 18 games from 1994-2022. On that note, in nine games from 2009-2022, the scoring increased a bit and the teams averaged 45.4 points per contest over that stretch.
Why You Should Bet on This Game
If you’re looking to win some money on this matchup, continue reading to get a sense of the spreads and totals from the past. In 18 games from 1994 to 2022, the Eagles are 10-8 against the spread (ATS), including 4-3 ATS at home and 6-5 ATS on the road. Ah, but some of these numbers aren’t what they seem. See, in six games from 2013-2022, Philadelphia is 5-1 ATS, which included a five-game winning streak until the 2022 game and a 2-1 record ATS on the road. As for the totals, stay away from the over as it’s only gone 7-10-1 over those 18 games from 1994-2022 including an 0-4-1 record in five matches from 2016-2022 and only 4-8-1 over 20 years from 2002-2022.
Make sure to check out all the different sportsbooks for the best lines and totals for this matchup because a half-point here or there could make all the difference. For example, in five games from 2016 to 2022, the lowest total was 41 and the highest was 47.5 and every game went under with the lone exception being a push. That means, look for the book with the absolute highest total and you’ll have a good shot if you take the under, especially if it’s 41 or higher based on recent games. Regardless, you should feel better heading into this matchup now as you have a far higher chance of winning your wager. Good luck, players!