Will QB Justin Fields break another Chicago Bears record Sunday? 12 eye-catching numbers for Week 15.
The Chicago Bears used their Week 14 open date to take a step back and decompress, hoping to find a spark that can help them finish the season strong. It won’t be easy Sunday against the NFC-leading Philadelphia Eagles, who are 12-1 and coming off a 48-22 thrashing of the New York Giants. The Bears will have to be locked in and sharp with their execution to keep the home game from getting ugly.
In the lead-up to Sunday’s matchup, here are a dozen eye-catching facts and figures.
905
Rushing yards by Bears quarterback Justin Fields. The single-season franchise record by a quarterback is 968, set by Bobby Douglass in 1972. Fields could break that record Sunday — he has topped 60 rushing yards in each of his last seven starts. The only quarterbacks in league history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season are Lamar Jackson (1,206 in 2019 and 1,005 in 2020) and Michael Vick (1,039 in 2006).
686
Rushing yards by Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who is third among quarterbacks in that category. He has 10 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 3,157 passing yards and 22 touchdowns. He has thrown only three interceptions. The Eagles rank third in the NFL in total offense, averaging 392 yards per game.
29.7
Points per game by the Eagles, tops in the league. They have scored 35 points or more in three consecutive games, just the fifth time in team history and the first since 2002 that has happened. The Eagles also have three players who have scored at least 10 touchdowns in Miles Sanders (11), A.J. Brown (10) and Hurts (10).
33.5
Average points allowed by the Bears defense during their current six-game losing streak. Coming out of their road win against the New England Patriots in Week 7, the Bears ranked seventh in points allowed (18.9 ppg) but have plummeted to 29th (25.6 ppg).
7
Sacks by the Eagles defense in Sunday’s blowout of the Giants, bringing its season total to an NFL-best 49. Defensive end Brandon Graham had three sacks in that win. Linebacker Haason Reddick leads the Eagles and ranks ninth in the league with 10 sacks. Four others — Graham (8½), Javon Hargrave (8), Josh Sweat (7½) and Fletcher Cox (6) — have at least five sacks this season. For comparison, the Bears’ sack leader is rookie safety Jaquan Brisker with three.
4
Sacks by the Bears defense during their six-game losing streak — including two from undrafted rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn against the Lions last month. The Bears’ season total of 16 sacks is an NFL-low and puts them in danger of falling short of the 20-sack mark for the first time since 2003, when they had 18. The Bears haven’t had a sack from a defensive end since Al-Quadin Muhammad took down Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz for no gain in Week 6. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson, for what it’s worth, has not allowed a sack over the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, allowing only one quarterback hit in 889 pass-blocking snaps in that span.
15
Interceptions by the Eagles defense, the most in the NFL through Week 14. Safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson is tied for the league lead with six but has missed the last two games while on injured reserve with a lacerated kidney and won’t play Sunday. Cornerback James Bradberry, meanwhile, has three interceptions and ranks second in the NFL with 14 passes defensed, trailing only Jets rookie Sauce Gardner (16).
4
Interception rate this season by Justin Fields, who ranks 28th in the NFL in passing attempts with 253 but has thrown 10 picks, including six in the fourth quarter. Fields’ interception rate ranks 33rd among qualifying leaders behind Dak Prescott (3.6), Davis Mills (3.4), Matt Ryan (3) and Marcus Mariota (3).
52
Total tackles by rookie linebacker Jack Sanborn in the five games since Roquan Smith was traded to the Baltimore Ravens. Sanborn has five tackles for a loss in that span and continues to state his case for a significant role in the defense beyond this season.
72
Yards from scrimmage for rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr., who has three catches for 24 yards and six rushes for 48. Jones was selected in the third round but has had little impact on the Bears offense. He missed the first three games with a hamstring injury and has been a healthy scratch in two others.
15.7
Yards per reception for Eagles standout A.J. Brown, who has 65 catches, 1,020 yards and 10 touchdowns. Among NFL receivers with at least 40 catches, Brown ranks behind only the Miami Dolphins’ Jaylen Waddle (17) in the yards-per-catch category. Brown is one of four players this season to have at least 10 touchdown receptions, joining Davante Adams (12), Travis Kelce (12) and Stefon Diggs (10).
5
Consecutive wins by the Eagles over the Bears, dating to 2013. That includes the Eagles’ 16-15 triumph in the “Double-Doink” game in the wild-card round of the 2018 NFC playoffs plus a 54-11 thrashing of a Marc Trestman and Jay Cutler-led team in Week 16 of 2013, when the Bears had an opportunity to clinch the division title. The Bears’ last victory in the series was a 30-24 victory on “Monday Night Football” in November 2011. Cutler had touchdown passes to Earl Bennett and Matt Spaeth.
