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Bears must contain McNabb
By Sean Salisbury
ESPN.com

With the high-powered offenses from Green Bay and St. Louis meeting in one NFC divisional playoff matchup, Saturday's meeting between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles (FOX, 4:30 p.m. ET) has almost become "that other game." The Bears-Eagles game, however, features one of the most intriguing matchups of the second round -- Donovan McNabb against the Bears' defense.

The Eagles rolled into the next round behind McNabb, who might be as good as anyone in the league right now. Maybe no team depends on one player more than Philadelphia leans on its quarterback. Without Jerome Bettis, Pittsburgh still has Kordell Stewart. Without Marshall Faulk, St. Louis still has Kurt Warner. Without McNabb, the Eagles don't win.

Baxter's Bits
  • The Bears have limited the opposition to 17 or fewer points in seven straight games and 16 of their last 22 contests.

  • The Bears have forced two or more turnovers in four straight games.

  • Eagles head coach Andy Reid is 2-1 in postseason play. Bears head coach Dick Jauron is making his first postseason appearance as an NFL head coach.

    Russell Baxter is an NFL research coordinator for ESPN.

    • The Bears pose a huge challenge to McNabb. They have been opportunistic and have allowed the fewest points in the league. When the ball is in the air, it seems the Bears' defense always finds a way to come up with it. For the most part, they have the same blueprint as the Ravens did last year -- great defense, solid running game and efficiency from the quarterback.

    Because no one expected them to make the playoffs, the Bears are the NFC's biggest unknown. I don't think the Bears believe they got enough respect this season, despite a 13-3 record and the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. People have been waiting for them to fold their tents, but the Bears have hung around and not gone away.

    We had the same doubts about the Ravens and the Giants last year, and both teams made it to the Super Bowl. Although the Bears may not be as well respected as other playoff teams, I guarantee the Eagles players know how good the Bears are.

    At the same time, the Bears have not been in their current situation for a long time, enjoying a bye week and a home playoff game. It will be interesting to see how the young Bears respond to having a week off and being in the playoffs.

    Soldier Field will not be an easy place for the Eagles to play, but they are peaking at the right time. Their offense, which hasn't been explosive all season, has come to life and played great when it counted in two of the last three weeks -- against the Giants to win the NFC East and against the Bucs last week.

    While McNabb may be the focal point of the Eagles' success, I have been a fan of their defense all year. The Eagles were able to shut down the Bucs' running game. They are strong up front, have active linebackers and have the best all-around secondary in football, one that can play man-to-man coverage.

    It will be physical battle between two confident teams who are used to the cold weather they will encounter Saturday.

    Here are the keys for both teams:

    On The Road Again
    The Eagles allowed 64 points on the road this season, good for an average of just eight points per game. That is the lowest points per game allowed average in road games since 1942, and the fifth-lowest average since 1936. Of the other teams on this list, only the '42 Redskins went on to win an NFL Championship.
      Road PPG all. Road
    W-L-T
    '37 Bears 5.8 5-0-1
    '42 Redskins 6.0 5-0-0
    '36 Bears 6.6 6-2-0
    '39 Giants 6.8 3-1-1
    '01 Eagles 8.0 7-1

    Three keys for the Eagles
    1. McNabb is the man. McNabb has to play as well as he did last week, especially going on the road against a better defense. He doesn't have to throw for 300 yards and run for 70, but he has to play efficient football, scrambling out of trouble and making plays downfield. I don't think Philadelphia can win if McNabb plays a bad game. McNabb is the difference in the game.

    2. Derail the A-Train. The Eagles' defense has to stop the run. I don't care if they have to play zone and put nine defenders in the box. If Anthony Thomas runs for 130 yards, that means Chicago is controlling the ball and Bears quarterback Jim Miller doesn't have to be overly explosive. He can just be smart with the football. Jim Johnson's defense must get into the backfield and not allow the A-Train to get rolling. If the Eagles can stop Thomas, they will win the game.

    3. Get to 20 points. If the Eagles get to 20, they can beat the Bears, who are not explosive offensively. That means Philadelphia will have to both score touchdowns and kick a few field goals against a stingy Chicago defense.

    Three keys for the Bears
    1. Stop McNabb. Like the Eagles containing Thomas, if the Bears stop McNabb and they don't let him go crazy, they can win. They have to control him somehow someway. Not only do they have to keep him in the pocket, but they also must disrupt his rhythm and make him force a few balls, resulting in turnovers.

    2. Come out fast. The Bears are coming off a bye week, while Philadelphia has some momentum from last week's game. The Bears can't lollygag around and wait. They need to come out, play with intensity and establish an early tempo. They don't have to score 21 points in the first quarter, but they can't be sluggish. If they are, Philadelphia will be riled up.

    3. Control the blitz. The Eagles love to blitz. The Bears can control it with a quick, short passing game and gash them with their running game, including some draw plays. I don't see the Bears having a field day passing the ball. Instead, they will line up and hand the ball to Thomas. A lot of times, when a team blitzes, the last line of defense is the secondary. If the Bears force the Eagles' safeties to make too many tackles, that's not a good thing for Philadelphia.


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