Sports
Bears beat Eagles in Philly as boos rain down on Lincoln Financial
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Courtney Cronin
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Tim McManus
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Tim McManus
ESPN Staff Writer
- Tim McManus covers the Philadelphia Eagles for ESPN. He joined ESPN in 2016 after covering the Eagles for Philadelphia Magazine’s Birds 24/7, a site he helped create, since 2010.
PHILADELPHIA — The only team that entered Week 13 with a better record in one-score games than the Chicago Bears (6-1) was the Philadelphia Eagles (7-2), who were tied with the Broncos for the most one-score wins in the NFL.
So naturally, this pivotal NFC showdown ended in relatively close fashion, with the Bears beating the Eagles 24-15 to record their fifth straight win.
After only 12 games in the Ben Johnson era, this win is the most impactful and biggest for the franchise in years. Chicago remains in first place in the NFC North and is one step closer to clinching a playoff berth.
Friday’s win went a long way in changing the conversation about whether the Bears are as good as their record. They beat the defending Super Bowl champions on the road and legitimized their place in the NFC hierarchy.
Chicago Bears (9-3)
Turning point: Four plays after Caleb Williams‘ third-quarter interception, the Bears’ defense forced a turnover on downs against the Eagles’ famed tush push. Cornerback Nahshon Wright ripped the ball from quarterback Jalen Hurts, something that has happened only one other time since the Eagles began regularly running the play in 2022. After failing to capitalize on Kevin Byard‘s interception two drives before, the Bears’ offense ran a 12-play, 92-yard touchdown drive.
Most surprising performance: The Bears had the ball for 21 minutes in the first half thanks to their dominant rushing attack. D’Andre Swift, who notched his third 100-yard rushing game this season, and Kyle Monangai, 130 rushing yards, were especially effective between the tackles, where they had 114 of their 142 first-half rushing yards. By halftime, that was the most rushing yards the Eagles’ defense gave up between the tackles since Week 17 last season. The Bears finished with 231 yards between the tackles. Friday marked the first time that the Bears have had multiple 100-yard rushers in the same game since Nov. 10, 1985, when Walter Payton (107 yards) and Matt Suhey (102) carried the Bears to a 24-3 win over the Lions.
What to make of the QB performance: Chicago ran for 282 yards (second most this season) and was dominant on the ground early. When the Bears got away from that formula with a series of incompletions by Williams during a two-minute drive to end the first half, it felt as if it led to the offense sputtering in the final four minutes of the first half and first four of the second. Williams had eight off-target passes in the first half (tied for his most in either half of his career) and finished 17-of-36 for 154 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Williams’ completion percentage (47%) was the second lowest in a game in his career. — Courtney Cronin
Next game: at Green Bay Packers (4:25 p.m. ET, Fox)
Philadelphia Eagles (8-4)
It feels as if the Eagles have reached the most important moment in their season. A collapse against the Dallas Cowboys was followed by a discouraging home loss to the Bears in which the offense was familiarly listless for most of the game, and their defense looked suddenly vulnerable.
The boos that consistently rained down at Lincoln Financial Field spoke to the frustrations toward a team that is not playing to its talent.
The Eagles have some time to reflect and correct before next Monday’s game at the Los Angeles Chargers. At 8-4, they’re still the favorites to win the NFC East, and they have a rather friendly closing schedule, with two games against the Washington Commanders and a matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
But things have felt a little shaky around this team for much of the season. Now is the time for the defending champs to show the ’25 squad has what it takes to make another run.
What to make of the QB performance: Hurts threw only his second interception of the season and lost a fumble on a third-quarter QB sneak. It marks his first multiturnover game since Week 10 of 2024. It was just Hurts’ second fumble on the tush push since the Eagles started using the play regularly in 2022. The other was in 2023 Week 8 against Washington.
Biggest hole in the game plan: The Eagles’ defense had a very difficult time against misdirection runs. Monangai and Swift routinely found cutback lanes that led to chunk gains.
Trend to watch: The Eagles have been poor at bouncing back from losses. This performance had similarities to their 38-20 loss to the New York Giants in Week 8, when Philadelphia looked flat on a short week after losing to the Denver Broncos. This organization has become accustomed to winning but still needs to rebound better from losses. — Tim McManus
Next game: at Los Angeles Chargers (Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN)
Sean McDermott’s tenure as the Buffalo Bills‘ head coach ended Monday despite his time with the team featuring a historic playoff streak and a complete transformation of the organization’s culture.
The Bills, led by McDermott for nine years, had the second-most wins (98-50) of any franchise since 2017. He took Buffalo to the playoffs in eight of those seasons, reaching the AFC Championship Game twice but coming up short of a Super Bowl appearance.
To take the next step with 2024 MVP quarterback Josh Allen and find a way to the franchise’s elusive first Super Bowl title, the Bills will have to hire a new coach, and that responsibility will fall on general manager Brandon Beane. Bills owner Terry Pegula announced Monday that Beane has been promoted to president of football operations, giving him an increase in responsibilities, including overseeing the coaching search.
So how did the Bills get here — firing McDermott and promoting Beane two days after the 33-30 divisional round loss to the Denver Broncos — and what does it mean?
Bills reporter Alaina Getzenberg, senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler and NFL analyst Ben Solak answer all the pressing questions in the wake of Monday’s news that the Bills are moving in a new direction.
Why was Sean McDermott fired? Was the loss in Denver a major reason for the decision?
He didn’t finish the job. In a results business, McDermott was incredibly successful, winning 10 or more games in seven straight seasons, the longest active streak in the NFL. The Bills are one of six teams in the Super Bowl era to have a streak that long.
The firing comes down to what McDermott didn’t do, but perhaps more substantially, a clear decision by Pegula to go with Beane’s vision for the team moving forward and the general manager winning out in receiving the owner’s faith in building the vision for the future. Beane and McDermott together were not accomplishing the combined goal in leading the football side of the team, and that’s winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl or even reaching the big game. Instead, the Bills are the only one of those six teams to not have multiple Super Bowl appearances during those winning stretches. Buffalo’s past three playoff losses were all by three points.
Moving on from McDermott was not a one-game or one-season decision. This is a coach who came to embody western New York and become one of its fiercest advocates. He built a culture that many flocked to and loved with several players joining (or returning to) Buffalo to play for McDermott, as seen in the shocked and dismayed responses to his firing.
Pegula made clear in his statement that he believes that the organizational structure was not the most effective and that giving just one person — Beane — control of the entire football operation is the best move to try to reach a Super Bowl title. — Getzenberg
How does Allen feel about McDermott and how much of a role did the QB play in this decision?
McDermott isn’t being fired if quarterback Josh Allen doesn’t have a certain awareness. Allen’s importance in the building cannot be underestimated, and maximizing his prime is a large part of making this move. After a very emotional Saturday evening for the franchise quarterback, for the first time, Allen did not have a news conference during the team’s locker room clean out on Sunday, a sign that something was afoot.
While Allen has spoken well of McDermott publicly, earlier in his career their relationship was not in the best place, but that has improved over the years. Allen is also very close with Beane and that will be a key relationship moving forward here.
The quarterback’s input to the coaching search will also be a big one to watch as he has spoken very highly of and had strong relationships with multiple names that could be involved, chiefly current Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady, former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and former Bills quarterback Davis Webb. — Getzenberg
Does this immediately become the best job available? And should John Harbaugh and Kevin Stefanski regret already taking jobs?
Though the Bills job is extremely attractive for MVP-related reasons, I’m not convinced it’s clearly better than the other options. The new head coach will enter Buffalo with astronomical expectations, as the outgoing coach made the playoffs seven consecutive times, including the divisional round six straight years. There is no teardown and rebuild on the horizon in Buffalo, no one-year grace period. The next coach needs to hit the ground running and win in January immediately.
With that said, I imagine both Harbaugh and Stefanski would have taken long looks at this job — Stefanski especially, as he hasn’t coached an elite quarterback like Allen before, and that duo could have found offensive success together. I’d wager the Bills job goes fast because of the Allen allure, but it seems like a bit of a trap to me. — Solak
Which candidates make sense for Buffalo?
This is a primo job that will attract several strong candidates. It’s not a perfect job — the roster has a few holes, and the expectations will be immense — but the chance to coach Allen and get the best out of him will be a serious draw. An in-house option, offensive coordinator Joe Brady, and former Giants head coach Brian Daboll, few former Buffalo OC, could get looks. Daboll, in particular, has western New York roots and a long-standing rapport with Allen.
But this is also a chance for the Bills to reinvent themselves in a new image with a younger coach. Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula, Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter and Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak are among intriguing options still on the board.
A trio of even younger offensive coaches — Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, Rams pass-game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase and Broncos pass-game coordinator Davis Webb — are worth interviewing, too. — Fowler
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Rex Ryan wants the Bills to hire Bill Belichick
Dan Orlovsky and Rex Ryan share who they believe the best replacements are for Sean McDermott in Buffalo.
Why did the Bills retain GM Brandon Beane, and will he be on the hot seat next year?
With Buffalo showing long-term confidence in Beane, not only has he received more responsibilities but the move illustrates Pegula’s trust in his abilities and his view of the organization. Beane’s promotion will also put more of a spotlight on the work he is doing if the team falls short again as he has full control.
This is a change as McDermott previously reported to Pegula directly. Beane, 49, now runs the football side of the team, which is a sign that he will have more time with the new coach to put in place whatever changes he sees fit.
The general manager has been under considerable criticism because of the strength of the weapons around Allen and the fact that many recent Day 1 and 2 draft picks and free agency additions have not lived up to expectations.
Beane, who had reported directly to Pegula as well, has been able to build his own trust and relationship with the owner. Pegula clearly believes Beane is the person to guide the team moving forward. — Getzenberg
What are Buffalo’s big offseason roster decisions?
Wide receiver is the chief consideration. The position group has major question marks around it with 2024 No. 33 draft pick Keon Coleman falling down the roster in his second season, and free agency additions such as Joshua Palmer and Curtis Samuel not working out. Fixing that group will be among Beane’s biggest tasks.
There are also several positions in free agency flux, especially along both lines. Starting center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards are set to become free agents, which would be major losses up front. Pass rusher is also an area in need of work as Joey Bosa and AJ Epenesa are free agents, and finding a consistently strong presence at the spot has been an issue for this team.
With McDermott’s departure, the defensive question marks that present themselves overall are also significant as the unit was built to fit the coach’s scheme specifically. Positions like safety and linebacker only become bigger holes to fill.
The real challenge is rebuilding the roster once again under a new head coach — one who can make the team competitive again right away next season with a 30-year-old Allen at quarterback and the current cap limitations the Bills have. — Getzenberg
Where could McDermott land, and does he move to the top of the list of available HC candidates?
McDermott’s presence will make a few front offices rethink their plans. Tennessee comes to mind.
The Titans are eyeing finalists Matt Nagy, Robert Saleh and Jeff Hafley. Will they get McDermott involved? It’s at least worth considering. He carries instant credibility. Even if Tennessee and Miami (with Hafley in sight) stay the course with their current searches, McDermott has five openings to pursue — the Raiders, Browns, Steelers, Ravens and Cardinals.
Those first two are not natural fits at this stage. Both teams are rebuilding and positioned to take a swing with an outside-the-box hire. McDermott’s coaching style would fit in seamlessly in the AFC North. Baltimore, which isn’t shying from the retread model in its search, looks like a better option than Pittsburgh. Arizona falls somewhere in the middle but is hardly a destination job at this point.
So, yes, McDermott is now the most decorated candidate, but much will depend on a team’s current trajectory and preference. — Fowler
The Hoosiers’ incomprehensible journey to the sport’s mountaintop resulted from following their coach’s methodical approach.
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The Hoosiers were among the least successful programs in major college football for generations. Now they are an undefeated national champion.
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Why did the Bills fire coach Sean McDermott, and what’s next?
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