What we learned from Eagles-Bears: Offensive play calling was suspect, but handwringing has been overwrought

CHICAGO — The Eagles survived what tackle Lane Johnson accurately described as “a sloppy-[expletive]” performance and eked past the undermanned Bears, 25-20, on Sunday at frosty Soldier Field. Win, lose, or draw, here’s what we learned:

The two masterminds behind the Eagles’ offense have, overall, dialed up some of the best game plans and play calling in the NFL this season. Alas, Sunday was not one of those days. When frigid, windy conditions called for more balance against what is statistically one of the worst run defenses in the league, they placed too much on Jalen Hurts’ shoulders and he frayed. The quarterback said the cold affected him and that he couldn’t feel his hands early on. And yet, Sirianni and Steichen didn’t call a designed running back carry until the fourth possession. With Hurts under center for the first time, he handed off to Miles Sanders, and Chicago predictably stuffed him at the line. Two plays later, the quarterback tossed his second interception of the game.

The Eagles had called run plays on the first three drives, but Hurts kept the ball on three zone reads. But at the risk of sounding like a “run the ball” dinosaur, Sanders should have gotten a few more early touches to counterbalance the Bears’ ball-control offense. It was almost as if the coaches were told to limit his carries coming off the best rushing day of his career. The re-signing Sanders ship might have already sailed, but the lack of rushes was egregious. It wasn’t until the Eagles opened their sixth drive with two Sanders runs out of the shotgun that the offense really got cooking and scored a touchdown.

Too much can be made of Sirianni and Steichen’s choices, however. The Bears were ripe for picking through the air, as well. And Hurts and his two No. 1 wide receivers delivered with 307 of the Eagles’ 315 passing yards. (More on A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith later.) The scheme is designed to give Hurts freedom to check to plays based on the defense either pre-snap or post-snap, and he simply made decisions that weren’t always correct. The three screens to Quez Watkins that netted only 5 yards weren’t necessarily Hurts’ first reads, but options for the quarterback if he felt pressure and wanted to get the ball out fast. The numbers weren’t always in the Eagles’ favor, though. It should be noted that one of his best decisions came on a third-and-10 screen to Smith away from an overload blitz that gained 14 yards.

Hurts admitted he was out of sorts in the first half. He took a pounding at times. Sirianni minimized a few of the straight-on hits — which he said can look worse than they really are — but his quarterback was clearly battered. Hurts ran 15 times — minus two kneel-downs — plus another carry on the two-point conversion that capped the last score. His ability to rush or scramble has been integral to the offense and the Eagles might not have won without his three rushing touchdowns — a 22-yard draw and two sneaks. But the best ability is often durability, and the Eagles can’t afford to lose their linchpin.

Harold Carmichael and Mike Quick were probably the most talented twosome the team ever had post NFL merger, but the former was at the tail end of his career when the latter came along. DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin were a potent pair, but they didn’t reach their career peaks together. Brown and Smith are on pace to become the first Eagles receivers to eclipse 1,000 yards in a season, and considering their youth, they may just be getting started. The 25-year-old Brown has 74 catches for 1,201 yards after he pulled in nine passes for 181 yards vs. the Bears. Both yardage marks are career-highs. He’s on pace to finish the season with 90 receptions for 1,458 yards. The 24-year-old Smith has 71 catches for 901 yards after his five catches for 126 yards at Chicago. He’s on pace for 86 grabs for 1,094 yards.

» READ MORE: Haason Reddick dominated the Bears and helped save the Eagles from a humiliating loss

If the Eagles win at the Cowboys on Christmas Eve, thus clinching the NFC No. 1 seed, Brown and Smith may be shut down with two games left. Last year, Sirianni gave Smith the opportunity to pass the 1,000-yard century mark in the meaningless finale, but he fell short. So he might give him that chance again if necessary. But either way, Brown and Smith are having tremendous seasons. They stylistically complement each other with their route running. Brown’s the slant master. Smith’s precise routes make him the go-to guy on outs and comebacks. But they both give Hurts either/or options on deep routes. The Bears were susceptible in the secondary and the Eagles took advantage. If Hurts saw man coverage on the outside, he often threw to his receivers on go routes. Smith caught a 38-yard fade. Brown had 29- and 68-yard over-the-shoulder grabs when he got separation.

Hurts might have gone to that well once too often, but when you have one of the best jump-ball receivers — Smith isn’t so bad himself — he’s going to win more than his share of 50-50 balls. He’s thrown a catchable deep ball from the start. Better defenses will find a way to limit those throws. Dallas Goedert should return from his shoulder injury just in the nick of time. The tight end has often been Hurts’ safety net over the middle and the Eagles will need to spread targets around if they want to beat the Cowboys or whoever they face in the playoffs.

The pass rushers seem to be getting proper accolades, but what about the scheme that has helped produce so much pressure? The Eagles have an NFL-best 55 sacks, rank first in sacks per pass attempt, and are on pace to pass the franchise mark of 62 set in 1989 with Reggie White, Clyde Simmons and the historic Gang Green defense. This year’s unit may need a 17th game to accomplish the feat, but that’s good company to keep. The Eagles recorded six sacks against the Bears with Haason Reddick, Javon Hargrave and Josh Sweat each getting a pair. Reddick and Hargrave lead the team with 12 and 10 sacks, respectively, and if Sweat (9½) and Brandon Graham (8½) reach double digits, the Eagles will be the first NFL team to ever have four players to hit that milestone in the same season. It’s a possibility.

Some observers want Jonathan Gannon to blitz more. He ranks somewhere in the middle of the league in terms of blitz percentage. But why send extra rushers when your front four can get to the quarterback on a consistent basis? Gannon’s stunt calls have been especially effective. The Eagles have the No. 1-ranked pass defense and it’s not even close. They’re allowing only 172.4 yards per game through the air, ahead of the second-place Cowboys by almost 20 yards (191.6). Has the overall caliber of quarterbacks they’ve faced helped keep those numbers down? Probably. In terms of rating, the Eagles have avoided seven of the top passers — aside from Hurts, of course — in the league. But they have encountered Nos. 9 (Jared Goff), 10 (Trevor Lawrence), 12 (Ryan Tannehill), 13 (Aaron Rodgers), and 14 (Kirk Cousins). They’ll see No. 11, Dak Prescott, for the first time this season on Saturday.

» READ MORE: ‘He’s got fight’: Jalen Hurts takes a beating and keeps on ticking as the Eagles survive the pesky Bears

Gannon’s defense kept the Eagles in the game while the offense was floundering. It forced punts after Hurts’ two interceptions and (sorta) contained the dangerous Justin Fields (15 carries for 95 yards). Was it all perfect? No. Fields had a ridiculous 39-yard scramble on a second-and-27. It was ridiculous because of the way he shrugged off Reddick and other tackle attempts. And it was ridiculous because the effort from some defenders in pursuing the quarterback appeared less than optimal. Gannon also had a couple of loose calls. He employed his 5-1 “Penny” front on a third-and-4 and Fields was able to break containment with a 16-yard dash.

But the coordinator, overall, had another strong day. His solution at safety worked. With the Eagles down C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship, and K’Von Wallace limited in coverage, he had slot cornerback Avonte Maddox play some snaps in the post. Wallace is more of a box safety who can play downhill. He had a number of stops in run support or on underneath throws. Maddox forced a fumble at a crucial juncture in the third quarter, and did so from the safety spot. Gannon and the defense have a tough test in Dallas, and the obvious ones that will come in the postseason, but it’s unlikely he won’t get serious head-coaching looks again this offseason.

There isn’t that great a margin between the best and worst teams in the NFL, or at least as much as some pundits may suggest. The Eagles weren’t the only team to struggle against a lesser foe on Sunday. The Cowboys fell to the Jaguars and the Chiefs needed overtime to outlast the one-win Texans. Week-in, week-out, there are upsets, and aside from one week, the Eagles have yet to lose to an underdog, even without their best stuff. The Bears were down their top running back, three best receivers, and lost their right guard on the first play. On paper, they had few, if any, favorable matchups. They did have home-field and weather advantages. Some Eagles seemed to allow the bitter cold and the swirling wind to affect them. They have a bunch of young players from the South who might not be accustomed to winter in the North. They’ll need to get over any discomfort with January games at Lincoln Financial Field coming. “It ain’t Chicago,” Hurts shot back when asked about being able to play in the cold. And he’s right. But Philly can get pretty nasty, too.

The Eagles received strong efforts from many individuals. But there were some players who didn’t perform up to their standards. His fumble aside, Sanders seemed to revert to his habit of unnecessarily bouncing runs outside on a few occasions. Sirianni exploded on the running back after one series, although it was unclear for what reason. Fletcher Cox’s attempt to recover a Reddick strip-sack was awkward. He didn’t notch a single pressure on 23 pass-rush attempts, and I didn’t see many doubles. Fields can make the most athletic look foolish, but Graham got dusted by the quarterback on a few edge runs. Jordan Davis has yet to make an impact since returning from injury. He played only 14 of 59 snaps, though, and still could be limited by a high ankle sprain. Even the normally reliable offensive line had issues opening holes on the ground. Johnson said the Bears were slanting their defensive lineman more than usual and that may have contributed to the struggles.

Boston Scott’s 58-yard kick return to open the second half was just what the doctor ordered. Last week, he had a 66-yarder in the second quarter. Making the switch from Britain Covey to Scott has paid off. … Brett Kern averaged 45 yards on his first two punts for the Eagles. His net was only 33 yards, though. The wind clearly affected the kicking game. Jake Elliott single-doinked a 38-yard field goal attempt that was with the wind, but gusts were coming from all directions. … With Maddox on dual duty, the Eagles dressed only two safeties and opted to promote linebacker Christian Elliss off the practice squad for special teams purposes. The cover units were solid if unspectacular.