Bears notch Bayan victory over Eagles, extending winning streak to five

PHILADELPHIA — After defeating the Eagles on the home field of the Super Bowl champions, it was time for rookie Bears coach Ben Johnson to bare the armor. Oh, and go bare-chested.

Johnson tore off his shirt in a cheering locker room and strutted like a professional wrestler as the victorious Bears danced, hollered and chanted in a circle around him.

“Good, good, good. Never let it rest until your good gets better and your better gets better,” yelled Byers and Johnson.

One of the surprise teams in the NFL, the Bears had every reason to go wild following a vintage rushing performance that echoed their famous Super Bowl-winning 1985 squad.

There is no change here. Playing like a player is fine with these bears.

Kyle Monangay ran for 130 yards and a touchdown, DeAndre Swift ran for 125 yards and a score, and Chicago finished with 281 yards on the ground to win its fifth straight game, rallying from Philadelphia 24-15 on Friday.

Under Johnson’s leadership, the Bears (9-3) are alone in first place in the NFC North heading into a Dec. 7 showdown in Green Bay.

“These guys just feel so good about what they’ve done,” Johnson said before the video of his strip tees came out. “It was tough to go on the road and beat such a good team.”

The Bears first had two players top 100 yards in a game, when Walter Payton had 107 yards and Matt Sohey had 102 yards on November 10, 1985, against Detroit.

Last season, the Bears’ Thanksgiving loss in Detroit led to the firing of coach Matt Eberfels and their sixth straight 10-game losing streak. A year later, the Bears pushed through Philadelphia’s defensive line for a relatively easy victory.

“They have a lot of faith in what we’re doing. They have a lot of faith in themselves,” Johnson said. “They have a lot of faith in this coaching staff. And so that faith just starts to develop and continues to bubble.”

Johnson’s enthusiasm bubbled over in the locker room — though there was a visible pattern to his disorientation. Weiner’s Circle, a Chicago hot dog stand, offered free hot dogs if Johnson took his shirt off after any win this season.

The Eagles (8-4) had seemingly clinched the NFC East two weeks ago, only to suffer back-to-back losses that have left them looking short of a Super Bowl contender. Perhaps still reeling from turning a 21-0 lead into a 24-21 loss in Dallas on Sunday, the Eagles’ offense showed few signs of getting out of its groove. Fed-up Philly fans spent the game booing and calling for the team to fire offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo.

Not this week. Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said he stayed with Pitolo after the loss.

Philadelphia’s season has taken such a turn that even the beloved Tish Push has destroyed the Eagles.

With Philly trailing 10-9 late in the third quarter, Jalen Hurts relied on a typically reliable play in Chicago territory and the Bears recovered.

The Bears — who have a knack for winning one-score games — turned the turnover into the drive of the day. Monangai broke off a 31-yard run on the first play and Caleb Williams — who was 17 of 36 for 154 yards and a touchdown — completed a 7-yard pass to Colston Lowland on fourth down that extended the drive.

Monangai ran for a 4-yard TD that opened a 17-9 lead in the quarter, and Williams added the insurance score with a 28-yard TD pass to Cole Kemet for a 24-9 lead.

“We haven’t hit our peak yet, in the sense of a team and the execution of the offense, and we’re still winning these games,” Williams said. “So it’s really important and that’s why I’m so excited.”

Fans chanting “Fire!” The run toward the exits began — and the Eagles faced even more questions about the sorry state of their offense.

Harts and his friends backed up the restless Patolo.

“I have confidence in him, I have confidence in this team,” Hurts said. “I have confidence in us when we’re collaborative. I have a lot of confidence when we have an identity, so I think that’s the first thing we have to establish that we’ve talked about.”

Bayern have nothing to do with the Eagles’ problems. Even with injuries to three linebackers, Chicago burned the Eagles from the jump.

Hurts threw for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns to offensive receiver AJ Brown, who had 10 catches for 132 yards. Saquon Barkley couldn’t break free against one of the worst run defenses in the NFL and ended up with 56 yards rushing.

The Eagles ran just 17 plays and had two first downs (83 total yards and 26 rushing) in the first half. The Bears totaled 142 rushing yards in the first half.

Swift, who was the first running back to reach 100 yards rushing against the Eagles this season, scored on a 3-yard run against his former team to make it 7-0. The Bears led 10-3 when Hurts hit Brown for a 33-yard TD in the third quarter that made it 10-9.

Jack Elliott missed the extra point, adding to the list of ugly plays that sink the Super Bowl champs.

Harts and Brown connected on a 4-yard TD run late in the fourth, but the Eagles missed a 2-point conversion attempt to keep it a two-score game.

Bears defensive lineman Andrew Billings was assessed for a concussion.

full Dec. 7 play at NFC North rival Green Bay (8-3-1) with the division lead on the line.

Eagles: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday, December 8.