Bears at Eagles
THE STORY: The Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles both seek their third straight victory when the teams square off at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday night. Chicago will be playing its first game on North American soil since a 39-10 home triumph over Minnesota on Oct. 16. The Bears posted a 24-18 win over Tampa Bay in London on Oct. 23 before enjoying their bye last week. Philadelphia has rebounded from four straight losses by recording consecutive victories over NFC East rivals Washington and Dallas in which it has allowed a total of 20 points while scoring 54. Chicago has won three of its last four meetings with the Eagles, including its most recent visit to the City of Brotherly Love in October 2007.
TV: ESPN, 8:30 p.m. ET. LINE: Eagles -8, O/U 47.
ABOUT THE BEARS (3-4): Running back Matt Forte is anything but happy with his current situation. Forte, who leads the NFL with 1,091 yards from scrimmage, has a base salary of just $555,000 this season and feels he is vastly underpaid considering his workload. Furthermore, the 25-year-old is likely to receive the team's franchise player tag instead of the lucrative contract extension he is seeking, a probability that had Forte voicing his displeasure and questioning the Bears' loyalty during the week. Forte gained 117 yards on 14 carries in a home win over Philadelphia last season.
ABOUT THE EAGLES (4-3): LeSean McCoy poses a major test for Chicago's run defense. McCoy, who has scored at least one rushing touchdown in six of Philadelphia's seven games, is coming off a career-best 185-yard effort in last Sunday's 34-7 rout of Dallas and is averaging a league-high 107.7 yards per contest. McCoy caught a TD pass in his only game without a score on the ground, making him the only player in the league to find the end zone in every contest this season.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Eagles quarterback Michael Vick is 0-3 lifetime as a starter against the Bears. In five career meetings, Vick has been sacked 15 times, thrown three interceptions and fumbled on seven occasions.
2. Chicago has allowed a total of 83 rushing yards in its last two contests.
3. Each of the last four meetings between the Eagles and Bears has been decided by five points or less.