The Chicago Bears will be without Caleb Williams on Monday night against the undefeated Philadelphia Eagles, and that has clearly influenced how NFL experts view the Week 3 matchup.
But it hasn't produced a unanimous prediction.
The Eagles enter Soldier Field at 2-0 while Chicago sits at 1-1 after its ugly 9-3 loss to Minnesota. Case Keenum is expected to start for the injured Williams, although Tyson Bagent has cleared concussion protocol and will be available.
Not surprisingly, most predictions favor Philadelphia.
Still, several analysts believe Chicago's running game gives Ben Johnson's team a legitimate shot at an upset, and a few are actually picking the Bears to pull it off.
Here's a roundup of expert predictions for Bears-Eagles on Monday Night Football.
NFL.com: Four of five experts pick the Eagles
The NFL.com's five-person panel overwhelmingly favors Philadelphia, although the predicted scores suggest most expect a competitive game.
Jeremy Bergman is the lone Bears believer, predicting a 17-16 Chicago victory.
Brooke Cersosimo has Philadelphia winning 28-17, Gennaro Filice predicts a 24-14 Eagles win, Bobby Kownack has Philadelphia 19-16, and Dan Parr predicts Eagles 23, Bears 17.
Parr pointed directly toward Chicago's quarterback situation as a major reason for his pick, although he also noted Philadelphia hasn't exactly dominated its way to 2-0. The Eagles entered Monday with only a plus-six point differential after narrowly beating Washington and Tennessee.
NFL.com tally: Eagles 4, Bears 1
Chicago Sun-Times: Local experts heavily favor Philadelphia
Even the hometown panel isn't particularly confident in the Bears.
Four of the Chicago Sun-Times' five experts picked Philadelphia, with Patrick Finley the lone holdout.
Finley predicts a 21-20 Bears victory. He questions how impressive Philadelphia's 2-0 start really is after the Eagles defeated Washington by two points and Tennessee by four.
Jason Lieser has Philadelphia winning 25-20, Scoop Jackson predicts Eagles 21-17, Steve Greenberg has Philadelphia 24-16, and Jeff Agrest forecasts the most decisive outcome of the group: Eagles 24, Bears 10.
The common concern is obvious: The Bears face an uphill battle without Caleb Williams.
Sun-Times tally: Eagles 4, Bears 1
NBC Sports Philadelphia: Bears get surprising support
Here's where things get interesting. NBC Sports Philadelphia's six-person panel favors the Eagles overall, but two analysts picked Chicago despite Williams' absence.
Reuben Frank predicts a wild 29-28 Eagles win, while Dave Zangaro has Philadelphia 27-23, Barrett Brooks predicts a 31-24 Eagles win, and Mike Mulhern has Philadelphia winning 24-13.
But Ashlyn Sullivan predicts a 24-17 Bears victory, while Ryan Fowler has Chicago winning 19-14.
Why the confidence in Chicago? The Bears' running game.
Chicago enters Week 3 averaging 212.5 rushing yards per game, while Philadelphia allowed 254 rushing yards over its first two games. If the Bears have any chance of winning, it'll be on the backs of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai.
NBC Sports Philadelphia tally: Eagles 4, Bears 2
DraftKings Network: Eagles win, but Bears keep it close
DraftKings Network's Dan Johnson also expects Chicago's rushing attack to make Monday night more competitive than the quarterback matchup might suggest.
Johnson predicts Eagles 23, Bears 20.
His reasoning? Chicago's ability to attack Philadelphia on the ground with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai rather than putting Keenum in obvious passing situations against Vic Fangio's defense.
Bears are underdogs, but experts see a path to an upset
Put it all together, and the consensus is pretty clear.
Of the 16 individual predictions included above from NFL.com, the Sun-Times, NBC Sports Philadelphia and DraftKings Network, 13 picked the Eagles, and three picked the Bears.
Not great.
But a common theme among those who think the Bears can either win or keep Monday night's game close is this: run the football.
The Bears are pretty great at that.
Chicago can't reasonably ask Keenum to replace everything Williams brings to Johnson's offense, and they don't need him to. Swift and Monangai give Chicago a way to control the ball, keep Jalen Hurts on the sideline, and attack one of Philadelphia's biggest vulnerabilities through two games.
The Eagles are still the consensus choice for good reason. They're undefeated, and Williams isn't playing, giving Philly the massive edge at quarterback.
Just don't be duped into believing the Bears have no chance.
If Chicago can dominate on the ground like it did against Philadelphia last season, Soldier Field could be much more interesting Monday night than the consensus prediction suggests.
BearsTalk Analytics2026 season
How the players in this story are grading
Caleb Williams. Influence grade 57.2 out of 100, rank 16 among 38 qualified quarterbacks.
Kyle Monangai. Influence grade 83.7 out of 100, rank 9 among 77 qualified running backs.
Jalen Hurts. Influence grade 63 out of 100, rank 14 among 38 qualified quarterbacks.
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