The Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears met in their NFL clash at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday Night Football.
The Bears could secure their place in the NFC playoffs with a a win after results earlier in the day went their way, while the Eagles could only tread water after the Dallas Cowboys beat the Washington Redskins to keep the NFC East race alive.
However, that didn't stop Chip Kelly's side from hammering the Bears in a complete domination of Marc Trestman's team as they put 54 points on the board in the victory.
Read below to see how all the action unfolded.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears.
This match is huge for both teams, as their playoff hopes can rest on this game, with the Bears having extra incentive as they can secure the NFC North with a victory thanks to losses for the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.
The Eagles will be doing their best to destroy any hope of that though, with LeSean McCoy leading the way. The 25-year-old has been the leading rusher in the NFL this season with 1,343 yards on the ground this season. He has been carving defenses up - left, right and centre. Against the porous Bears' run D he could be set for another big day.
Quarterback Nick Foles hasn't been too bad at all this season, after winning the starter's job earlier this season. He has 23 touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year and has made some clutch throws for his side, becoming the dependable quarterback that Michael Vick was not.
The Eagles defense has been a bit suspect against the pass and could be in for an extremely difficult game against two of the best receivers in the NFL. Chip Kelly's side's secondary has been a bit banged up of late but will need to perform to shutdown Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Marshall and Jeffery have been on their game all season, no matter who has been throwing them the ball. Jeffery in recent weeks has been electric and broke the Bears' receiving yardage record two weeks ago against the Minnesota Vikings. He's has being going up double coverage and grabbing the ball and has been more or less unstoppable.
Jay Cutler returned to action last week following a four-game layoff with an ankle injury and he was shaky in the beginning against the Cleveland Browns but he did just enough to get the win. His backup Josh McCown performed admirably in his absence throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception. There was slight controversy over the ousting of McCown and Cutler's contract is up at the end of the year, so it' all to play for, for Cutler.
The Bears defense has been injury ravaged this season. Their defensive line has been torn apart as they've lost Henry Melton, Nate Collins amongst others. However, linebacker Lance Briggs is in line to return which will be a massive boost, although they did lose cornerback Charles Tillman for the year, as they fix one thing they lose another. It hasn't been easy for Mel Tucker this year and that is the reason why they are ranked last against the run in the NFL. They have to try and slow McCoy down today.
EAGLES INACTIVES: Anderson, Marsh, Kelly, Coleman, Tobin, Barkley, Tucker.
BEARS INACTIVES: Tupou, Washington, Brown, Long, Scott, Palmer, Wilson
Cutler will start at the 19 following Hester's return.
SACK! Trent Cole gets to Cutler in the pocket and he overpowers Matt Forte trying to block him and that will end the Bears' drive with an eight-yard loss on the sack. After Cutler, got four yards on a carry on second and Forte got three on first. Podlesh slices his punt out at the Chicago 43, not a good kick.
McCoy gets the handoff on first down as he takes the ball over the right side of the line and manages to get 19 yards on the carry before he's brought down at the Chicago 24. Not a good start for the Bears defense.
Foles takes off for the Eagles on second and four and gets all the way to the Chicago nine with a 10-yard carry after the Bears were penalised for a neutral zone infraction.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
The Eagles get into the endzone on their third attempt after McCoy is stopped on first and second, but on third Foles rolls to his right and fires a strike into the hands of Cooper on a crossing route and he makes the comfortable catch for the five-yard touchdown.
FUMBLE!
Hester gets a big return on the kickoff and gets to the 35 but Fletcher peels of his man and strips the ball from his grasp and makes the recovery to set the Eagles up at the Chicago 39.
Foles goes play-action on first down looking deep but he can't his initial read but manages to escape the rush and throws the ball downfield to Ertz who makes an excellent grab at the Chicago 11 for a 28-yard reception over Anderson.
McCoy earns his side a first down as he crashes through the middle of the line to leave his side on the two-yard line, after Jackson got eight yards on first down while Foles threw the ball away on second.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
McCoy gets the handoff again on first and goal and he powers his way through the line to get into the endzone for the two-yard score. That's a 14-point lead for the Eagles now, what a start.
Weems returns the ball the Chicago 26 with a 19-yard return, replacing Hester after the fumble.
The Bears still can't get anything going on offense as Cutler's pass on third down looking for his tight end Martellus Bennett on a crossing route falls short of its target, after Forte churned out five yards on first and second. Jackson can't get any yardage on the return and is decked at the Eagles' 28 for a loss of three.
Foles fires downfield again and hits Celek who does well to make the catch low at his feet for the first down with a 24-yard reception to move his team into Chicago territory.
The Eagles get stopped on third down and one as they can't power through the Bears' line as McCoy gets stuffed up after he got eight on screen pass on first, while Brown came in and got a solitary yard on second on a carry over the right. They're going for it on fourth down though.
Philadelphia get the first down as McCoy gets the carry over the left side of the line and gets 11 yards out of it as he finds a massive hole and takes his side to the Chicago 26.
McCoy weaves his magic again for the Eagles as he collects a screen pass from Foles and sprints down to the Chicago 10 before he gets taken down for a gain of 16 yards when he had blockers out in front.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
The Eagles get into the endzone again as the Bears deem it a good idea to leave Celek open in the flat and Foles fires the ball to him and he sprints into the endzone for the 10-yard touchdown on third down, to hand his side a 21-point lead. This is a hammering so far.
Hester returns the ball 16 yards to the Bears' 21.
A first down for the Bears at last as Cutler fires the ball down the seam for Marshall who sits down in the zone and makes the grab for the 14-yard reception low down at his feet, to move his side to the 35.
The Bears will have a third and one when the second quarter starts up, as Jeffery gets the ball on a swing pass and gets eight yards and then Forte gets one yard on second leaving his side at the 44.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Chicago Bears 0-21 Philadelphia Eagles
The Bears can't get the first down as Cutler fires the ball incomplete to Marshall on third and two, as Wolff had excellent coverage on the play. Podlesh's punt is downed at the Eagles' eight.
Foles bounces back from taking a sack on second down with a big completion to Cooper on third down as the receiver sat down in a curl route and collected the ball when he was wide open to get the first down for his side, with a 16-yard reception at the Eagles' 24.
The Eagles get moving again with another 10-yard pickup as Jackson gets a short pass from Foles and runs for the five yards needed to get the first after McCoy got six yards through the middle on first down.
SACK! Chicago finally get a stop as Foles is dropped for a one-yard loss by Wootton and they can't get the yardage back as Polk can only get eight on a reception on second and they two yards on a carry, needing three for the conversion on third down. Jones' punt is collected by Hester at the 14.
Cutler makes a vital throw on third and 10 as he fires to Jeffery on an out route and he makes the grab for a 13-yard reception at the Chicago 27, following a couple of incompletions by the quarterback as he looked downfield for Marshall.
Another big pickup by the Bears as Cutler fires over the middle of the field to Martellus Bennett again and he makes the grab for the 12-yard reception on third and seven, after Forte got three yards on second, while Jeffery was robbed of a pass interference call downfield on first.
Cutler is in a rhythm now as he fires to Bennett again on a hitch route and he makes another good grab in tight coverage for a first down with a 15-yard reception at the Eagles' 43.
Bennett again for the Bears this time on a crossing route over the middle of the field and Cutler makes a good throw to hit him in stride and he takes the ball further downfield out pacing Evans for a 24-yard reception at the Eagles' 19.
SACKS! Cutler is dropped for back-to-back sacks on first and second down by Cole and Kendricks for nine yards each, setting the Bears back to the Eagles 37 and on third the quarterback looks deep for Marshall in the endzone but his pass falls incomplete. Podlesh punts and Jackson collects at his own nine-yard line.
McCoy gets the handoff on second down and he finds a huge hole over the right side of the line and gets all the way to his side's 31 before he gets brought down for a gain of 16 yards after he found five yards on first down.
McCoy and Brown churn out two more first downs in the space of seconds, as Brown runs through the tackles for an 15-yard gain through the middle of the line and the McCoy returns and collects a screen pass from Foles for an 11-yard reception at the Chicago 46.
Foles now fires to Avant for 17 yards as the receiver stays in on a short route and collects the pass and turns and runs to the Chicago 27 before he gets brought down by Bostic.
McCoy is decked for an eight-yard loss this time as the Bears read the screen pass all the way and the Eagles will have second and 18 at the Bears' 35 after the two-minute warning.
The Eagles can't go any further as Foles is forced to throw the ball away on third and 14 and was lucky to avoid the sack. That will leave Alex Henery with a 49-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Bears 0-24 Eagles
Henery fires the ball through the posts from 49 yards to give his side a 24-point lead.
The Bears will start at their 19 following a special teams trick play from Hester and Ford.
Cutler fires deep down the right sideline on first down and finds Jeffery who goes up to get the ball to haul it in for a 21-yard reception.
Cutler fires over the middle of the field to Jeffery again and he makes the grab for a 17-yard reception at the Philadelphia 43, but he gets up thinking he hasn't been touched only to be whistled down. Not a bright play from the second-year man as it wastes valuable time.
Chicago get a chance for a 50-yard field goal attempt as Cutler gets them a first down with a 10-yard run, which was slightly fortunate as he was down before the first down marker, which would have left them with fourth down with the clock running. Unlikely they would have got anything there without that generous spot.
FIELD GOAL GOOD!
Robbie Gould fires his kick between the posts from 50 yards to get his side on the board.
HALF TIME: Chicago Bears 3-24 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have been dominant in this game so far and have capitalised on mistakes from the Bears to take a 21-point lead into the break. LeSean McCoy has been electric and has been all over the field making plays and the visitors haven't found a way to stop him yet, Foles has taken what has been given to him in what has been a really good performance so far.
The Bears need to get themselves into gear as bar a few moments on offense, they've been really poor. Their defense has had no answer for the speed of the Eagles' offense and McCoy in particular. They've dug themselves a hole and only they can get out of it. It's not impossible but it will be a real challenge.
Smith returns the ball to the 17 where Foles will begin.
Foles makes an excellent throw to Jackson on third and seven as he gets to him on an out route and he makes the catch and run for a 10-yard reception to move the chains at the Eagles 30.
The Eagles get another first down as McCoy sprints around the edge for a five-yard rush and then again Foles goes to Jackson for a short catch and run for the seven-yard reception to move his side to the Eagles' 42.
FUMBLE!
McCoy gets the ball stripped from his grasp as he tries to make the first down by Frey and Paea makes the grab to catch the ball and return it to the Philadelphia 48. This is an interesting one, as McCoy's knee is very close to the ground when the ball comes out. It's simultaneous almost, this is a big call!
FUMBLE CALL REVERSED!
McCoy's knee was down and the Eagles will have a first down thanks to his efforts at the Bears' 47. A lucky break for the Eagles there.
The Eagles momentum appeared to be disrupted there as they were penalised for holding and sent back 10 yards leaving a second and 19, and they couldn't get the yardage back as Foles was forced to run on third down and could only get seven yards on the play before he went down. Jones' punt is downed at the Bears' three-yard line.
SAFETY! Bears 3-26 Eagles
Thornton shoots the gap on the goalline for the Eagles and brings down Forte before he can get out of his own endzone and that brings up the safety and two points for his side.
Podlesh punts the ball away and there is a mild scramble for the Eagles as no-one claims the ball but Cooper eventually does and he collects it at the Eagles' 31.
The Eagles get moving again as McCoy finds a huge hole in the middle of the line and he bursts through it for a a 17-yard gain to the 50. The Bears are starting to creak now.
Foles goes deep and Cooper makes the grab for an 18-yard reception to the take the ball to the Chicago 32 as he raided deep on the inside right channel and made the catch before he was brought down by Conte.
Avant and Brown keep the chains moving and get the Eagles to the four-yard line as the receiver makes a short catch on an out route for a four-yard gain, while the back, powers through the middle of the line to move the chains with a six-yard carry.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
McCoy goes in for the one-yard score as he gets the handoff up the middle and bounces off a lineman and speeds past a couple of tacklers to get away and find space over the right to go in for the touchdown. Great play by the 25-year-old.
Hester returns the ball to the 22 with a 27-yard return where Cutler will begin.
SACK! Cutler goes down on third down as Kendricks drops him for a seven-yard loss and he fumbles the ball, but Mills jumps on it to gather for the Bears, after they could only muster three yards on first and second. Podlesh punts again and his kick is collected at the Eagles' 46 with a 37-yard punt.
FUMBLE!
The Eagles make one of their first mistakes of the game as Foles fires to Celek down the seam but he takes a hit loses the ball and Bostic manages to gather for the Bears at their 35-yard line. Some respite for the defense at last.
The Bears can't move the chains on third down and five as Cutler's pass to Forte falls short of the running back on a crossing route after they could only muster five yards on first and second, with a short pass to Marshall. They're going for it on fourth down though.
Chicago get the fourth-down conversion as Cutler fires the ball to Jeffery for a seven-yard reception, moving them to their 47.
The Bears move the chains again as Cutler goes down the left sideline and throws a dart to Marshall who makes the grab over Fletcher for an 11-yard gain moving his side into Eagles' territory.
SACK! Cutler goes down on first as he takes a massive hit from Cole and is dropped for a 12-yard loss, the Bears get 13 yard it back as Bennett goes on a short route for a four-yard grab and then Forte gets one for a nine-yarder leaving them with fourth and nine and they're going for it again.
The Bears get the first down as Cutler fires short to Forte and he runs for the first down with a 10-yard reception on a swing pass. Big play for the Bears.
Cutler goes deep looking for Bennett and he manages to make a grab for a 30-yard reception over Kendricks in coverage and he goes out of bounds at the one-yard line as he can't keep his balance to go in for the touchdown.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bears get into the endzone as Cutler fires to Marshall on a comeback route, low at his feet for the six-yard score, after a delay of game penalty moved them off the one-yard line but Cutler made up for his error with the strike. Chicago go for two and they convert as Cutler finds Earl Bennett for the two-points.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Chicago Bears 11-33 Philadelphia Eagles
Gould goes for the surprise onside kick but the ball falls off the tee just as he was about to kick it, so they abandon the plan and kick it short to McCoy at the 22.
McCoy moves the chains for his side as he sprints through a hole over the left side of the line for a 14-yard gain after he churned through the middle for a nine-yard run, leaving his side at the Chicago 47.
Brown takes over the rushing responsibilities and manages to move the chains for his side as he gets four yards on first and then finds a huge hole over the middle of the line for an 18-yard gain to move his side to the Chicago 25.
It's too easy for the Eagles at the moment as McCoy finds another huge hole in the line and he rushes for a 15-yard gain to the Chicago 10, before he finally gets brought down. This porous Bears rush defense has been brutal in this game.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
Another huge hole for an Eagles running back to run into and this time Polk gets the handoff and cruises into the endzone for the 10-yard touchdown. This one is over!
Hester returns the ball to his side's 16-yard line, where Cutler will begin.
The Bears move the chains as Forte gets the carry over the right side of the line and he finds space for a 12-yard run before he gets tripped up at the Chicago 30.
A third down pickup for the Bears as Cutler finds Bennett over the middle of the field for a seven-yard gain after Forte had found seven yards with a run over the left side of the line. Too little too late for the Bears now.
INTERCEPTION & TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
OH BOY! Cutler throws the ball looking for Earl Bennett on an out route but Brandon Boykin jumps the route and makes the interception and runs it all the way to the endzone for a 54-yard touchdown. That was far too easy for the cornerback there, as he read Cutler's throw all the way.
Cutler has been pulled from the game and Josh McCown will lead the Bears' offense now.
The Bears go three and out and are lucky not to turn the ball over as McCown fumbles the ball on first down and he gathers and then the quarterback sees his pass tipped at the line and but luckily for him it falls incomplete. Podlesh punts to the 30 and Johnson gets five yards on the return to the 35.
TOUCHDOWN EAGLES!
OH BOY! Vick comes into the game for the Eagles and he hands off to Brown on first down and he finds a hole and sprints through it and has the open field to run into and he goes all the way to the endzone for the 65-yard touchdown. The Bears really can't stop the run.
Hester returns the ball to the 32 where McCown will start.
The Bears move the chains as McCown fires to Weems for eight yards on third and three after Bush had got seven yards on the ground on first and second.
Another first down for the Bears as we go through the motions here at Lincoln Financial Field as McCown fires to Earl Bennett for 12 yards on a hitch route at the Eagles' 37.
The Bears will have a third and three when play resumes after the two-minute warning as Bush gets two carries for seven yards through the middle of the line.
Bush is stopped short on third down but the Bears go for it on fourth but they can't complete a pass and that should be that as the Eagles will take over.
Vick kneels the game out and hands the Eagles the win.
FULL TIME: Chicago Bears 11-54 Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles have absolutely hammered the Bears here. That is one heck of a victory as they just ran all over them, and the visitors could do noting to stop them. McCoy was brilliant and seemed to reel off first down after first down, and two rushing scores on his way to 133 yards for the game.
Foles also played his part and had a couple of touchdown passes along with 21-25 completions for 230 yards. If the Eagles offense can keep playing like this, they are a match for anyone in the NFL. While their defense also held their part of the bargain and were relentless against Cutler, sacking him five times.
The Eagles are now in good shape to make their run for the playoffs as they face a shootout match with the Dallas Cowboys next week with the winner taking the NFC East title and the spot in the post-season that comes with it.
Chicago have got a week to sort themselves out from this beating as they face a crucial showdown with the Green Bay Packers for the NFC North title, again with the winner taking the playoff spot. Even worse for the Bears is that Aaron Rodgers might be back by then, so they face a real uphill challenge to make the playoffs now. A lot of work will be needed to turn this shocker around.
Thanks for joining our coverage this morning. We'll be back tomorrow with all the action from the clash between the San Francisco 49ers and the Atlanta Falcons, as the 49ers say goodbye to Candlestick Park. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
