NFL Week 2: Who plays on Monday night?
By Brad Weiss
In an NFC matchup, the Philadelphia Eagles travel to Chicago to face Bears on Monday Night Football in Week 2 of the NFL season.
In Week 1 of the 2016 NFL regular season, the fans were treated to two Monday Night Football games. The Pittsburgh Steelers trounced the Washington Redskins in the first game, as Ben Roethlisberger looked to be in mid-season form. In the nightcap, the San Francisco 49ers held the Los Angeles Rams scoreless in their first game back in L.A., displaying a strong defense in their home opener.
On Monday, there is only one game on the schedule, as the Philadelphia Eagles take to the road to face the Chicago Bears. The Eagles looked good in their first game of the season, defeating the Cleveland Browns at home. Chicago, however, looked very bad in a loss on the road against the Houston Texans.
The Eagles unveiled rookie quarterback Carson Wentz successfully on Sunday, as the second overall pick from the 2016 NFL Draft did not look a rookie in his first NFL start. Wentz threw for 278 yards on 22 completions, tossing two touchdowns against zero interceptions. He hit Jeremy Matthews seven times for 114 yards and a touchdown, while also finds Nelson Agholor for a score.
Ryan Mathews led the way for Philadelphia on the ground, racking up 77 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Eagles defeated the Cleveland Browns, 29-10.
The Bears did not do many things well on Sunday, as they fell to the Texans on the road, 23-14. Jay Cutler had a pedestrian game, throwing for 216 yards and a touchdown with one interception. He was able to get star wideout Alshon Jeffery involved, as he went over 100 yards receiving in the game. Eddie Royal caught the only touchdown pass from Cutler, as he tied for the team-lead with four receptions.
Chicago let up over 100 yards on the ground to Houston’s Lamar Miller, and could be in for a long day in Mathews gets it going on Monday night. Look for the Eagles to run the ball a bit more against a weak Chicago front.
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The Eagles will likely run their record to 2-0 on Monday night, as Carson Wentz looks to have been the right choice at quarterback in 2016. The Bears are in a bit of a rebuilding phase, and will need to get Jeremy Langford going if they are going to have a chance against Philly. Jay Cutler is very mistake-prone, and could be on the hook for a few interceptions as the NFL season closes their Week 2 slate.3
Kickoff is scheduled for 8:30 pm ET from Soldier Field, and will be national televised on ESPN.