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Nick Foles’ playoff magic gets a test on the road against the NFL’s best defense, as the Philadelphia Eagles meet the Chicago Bears in an NFC wild card battle on Sunday afternoon.
For those in Canada looking to watch, the game is scheduled to start at 4:40 p.m. ET and will be televised on TSN1 and CTV. Fortunately, if you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can still watch the game live on your computer, phone or streaming device via one of the following options:
DAZN is a cable-free, live-sports streaming service that comes with a one-month free trial. It’s offerings depend on your country, but those who are in Canada can watch every NFL game, including the playoffs, and NFL Network live and on-demand via DAZN.
You can sign up for a free one-month trial of DAZN right here, and you can then watch the game on your computer via DAZN.com, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox One or other compatible streaming device via the DAZN app.
NFL Game Pass International
If you’re not in the United States, surrounding territories, or Mexico, you can watch NFL games live and on-demand via NFL Game Pass International. The cost of the package depends on which country you’re in.
You can sign up for Game Pass International right here, and you can then watch the game on your computer via the NFL Game Pass website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone compatible), tablet, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 or other compatible streaming device via the NFL Mobile app.
TSN or CTV Online
You’ll have to sign to a participating TV service provider to watch this way, but you can also watch a live stream of the game via either the CTV website or the TSN website.
Eagles vs Bears Preview
We’ve seen Nick Foles lead an improbable Super Bowl run. We’ve seen him out-gun perhaps the greatest quarterback of all-time on the biggest stage. And this season, after once again taking over for an injured Carson Wentz, we saw him lead an upset of the 13-3 Los Angeles Rams, hang 471 yards and four scores on the red-hot Houston Texans, and lead the Eagles to a 4-1 record down the stretch to capture the NFC’s last playoff spot despite being 4-6 in late November.
Are there any limits to Foles’ late-season magic?
We’ll surely find the answer to that question on Sunday, as Foles enters a hostile Soldier Field environment–his first true road playoff game–to take on a Chicago Bears defense that finished the year first in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (6.3), first in points per game (17.7), first in takeaways (36) and third in sacks (52).
“They’re an extremely talented defense,” Foles said. “I’m really impressed with what I see, what I see from their front, from their secondary, from their linebackers. They do a great job with vision. The reason they have a lot of turnovers, obviously, is the pressure they can cause up front, which causes a little havoc, quarterbacks holding onto the ball. And then their secondary understands concepts. They can tell when receivers are running different routes, what else is coming behind it so they’re able to have vision on it and cut it. They have really good ball skills. That’s something that you don’t always see.”
And while the Eagles’ offense is certainly clicking under Foles, this Bears’ defense isn’t a stranger to shutting down proficient passing attacks.
In their last two home games, the Bears held the Rams–owners of the NFL’s second-highest–to six points and the Packers to 17. In those games, Jared Goff and Aaron Rodgers went a combined 45-of-86 (52.3 percent) for 454 yards (5.28 yards per attempt), zero touchdowns and five interceptions. They were sacked eight times.
Moreover, if Foles is going to pull off the upset win–Chicago is a six-point favorite–he’s probably going to have to do it in a shootout.
The Bears are around league average in most offensive categories, but because of that elite defense either scoring off turnovers or setting up the offense with good field position, they’re ninth in the NFL in points per game. The Eagles defense, meanwhile, has dealt with a handful of injuries in the secondary and will thus be playing a cornerback group with zero combined postseason snaps.
Philly has certainly played well down the stretch, but all things considered, they’ll have their backs against the wall in this one. Of course, as we’ve learned over the last year, that’s just the way they like it. They thrive off the underdog mentality.
One thing in all of this is clear. No matter who advances on Sunday, the winner is going to make life extremely difficult for either the Rams or Saints in the divisional round.