***MNF IN THE SWAMP - PHI @ CHI***
***PHILADELPHIA EAGLES @ CHICAGO BEARS***
Tonight we have another Prime Time match-up featuring a team with a new look at QB as the Rookie Carson Wentz and the Eagles head into the Windy City to take on the Chicago Bears. I am pretty excited for this game as I believe there will be a lot of scoring and should make for a fairly entertaining match. I also want to get another look at Wentz and see how he follows up a great debut at home last week against a usual suspect Cleveland Browns defense. Since it was indeed the lowly Browns that he faced last week in his NFL debut, some may use that as an excuse for his positive performance. However I do think this kid is the real deal and that the Eagles got a good one here, the future is bright in Philly and they are quickly eating it up. Before the season started I had a feeling that Carson Wentz would end up being a better NFL QB than the first overall pick by the Rams, Jared Goff, at least at first. By just watching HBOs Hardknocks during this preseason one can see that Goff simply isn't ready to take control of an NFL offense just yet from the small behind the scenes glimpse we get. Wentz, on the other hand seems to have all the tools and intangibles needed to be thrown right into the fire. Clearly Philly agrees as they traded their starting QB Sam Bradford away to a QB desperate Minnesota Vikings team for a King's ransom. They are clearly going all in on their Rookie QB and gambling on the fact that their number 2 overall draft pick is ready to take over. That being said tonight will be another stepping stone as he will be on the road for the first time and on the Prime Time stage to boot. A golden rule is to never back a Rookie QB on his first road start but tonight I am going to make the exception as I think this matchup slightly favors the Eagles and I believe that Wentz will continue to shine. While the matchup with the Browns last week was a fairly easy going one for the Birds, I do think it served as the perfect appetizer for them to allow Wentz to dip his feet in the NFL pool and test out the water. That win impressive or not, just reassured him and his confidence that he does belong as the starting Eagles QB and as of right now, they are 1-0 and everything is great. The pressure is more on the Bears here where they lost an understandably tough game on the road in Houston to open up their season and know they need to win this game tonight for their fan base as they were a dreadful 1-7 at home last season and things can get ugly in Bears Nation in a hurry if they were to drop this one tonight. Bears QB Jay Cutler has plenty of weapons to work with and I really love their RB Jeremy Langford. I was very impressed with the way he came in ran replacing Matt Forte last season and think he will be a stud for them this season. We all know about WR Alshon Jefferey and now they finally have the long awaited WR Kevin White on the field so I would imagine there will be plenty of fireworks between those two this season as well. TE Zach Miller may also prove to be a nice replacement for the absence of Martellus Bennett as Cutler loves his TEs. Cutler on Prime Time is always a roll of the dice and tonight I think he will play well but there is potential for that one big mistake with either an interception or a fumble and against a fresh, confident, and revamped Eagles defense, the potential for that big mistake rises greatly. The Bears offensive line and leader Kyle Long is playing with one shoulder because he is a beast and I love it, but up against a DT like Fletcher Cox might be a big problem for him tonight. The Birds will be without their top CB McKelvin, but have a couple hungry young guys who were in a pretty heated battle this summer for the number 2 & 3 CB spots, so they will get their chance to show something tonight. Also have to mention one of my favorite players Safety Malcom Jenkins who will surely be lurking the secondary like the ball hawk he is anticipating and baiting Jay Cutler into some bad choices. Wentz will be without his TE and safety net Ertz but I really like this young WR core he has to work with in Matthews, Agholor and now Green-Beckham to work with. The Bears will also be without their top CB in Kyle Fuller for another week and I think will have a hard time staying with these speedy WRs tonight. I always liked Bears Head Coach John Fox and definitely have noticed the positive direction he has this Bears team going in, especially the defense. They have added some nice pieces both in free agency and through the draft like Super Bowl LB Danny Trevathan & Rookie Leonard Floyd. That being said, I do think Da Bears will be a tough team down the stretch as they get more healthy and Cutler has more time to gel with Kevin White. As for tonight, I just got a feeling they go down and lose as the Eagles Rookie shines on the big stage, and Philly really loses their minds. Feeling a high scoring shootout here, Swampy on the Wentz Wagon for MNF. EAGLES+3
