Winners of four straight and nine of their last 10 games, the NFC North champion Bears return to the practice field Wednesday to prepare for Sunday's first-round playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Soldier Field.
The Bears won their division and qualified for the postseason this year for the first time since 2010 when they reached the NFC Championship Game.
The Bears posted a 12-4 record this season, their best since they went 13-3 in 2006 when they won the NFC North and reached the Super Bowl. They went 5-1 against their three division opponents this year after compiling a 4-20 mark from 2014-17.
After finishing in last place each of the previous four seasons, the Bears rebounded behind Matt Nagy, who set a franchise record for wins by a first-year head coach. He also became the first coach to lead the Bears into the postseason in his first season since Paddy Driscoll in 1956.
The Eagles (9-7) qualified for the playoffs as the second wildcard and sixth seed last Sunday with a 24-0 road win over the Redskins coupled with a Vikings loss to the Bears. The defending Super Bowl champions have won five of their last six games.
Philadelphia is led by quarterback Nick Foles, who has replaced injured starter Carson Wentz for the second straight season. Last year Foles took over in early December after Wentz tore his ACL and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship. Foles was named Super Bowl MVP after passing for 373 yards and three touchdowns and catching a TD pass from current Bears tight end Trey Burton.
This season Wentz was shelved with a back stress fracture a couple weeks ago, but he has not been placed on injured reserve. Foles has started Philadelphia's last three games, leading the Eagles to wins over the Rams, Texans and Redskins by passing for 962 yards with six touchdowns, three interceptions and a 108.4 passer rating.
Numbers game
The Bears finished the regular season ranked 21st in the NFL on offense (11th rushing and 21st passing) and 3rd on defense (1st against the run and 7th versus the pass). The Eagles ranked 14th on offense (28th rushing and 7th passing) and 23rd on defense (7th against the run and 30th versus the pass).
Talk show
Bears coach Matt Nagy will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will speak Wednesday, and offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor will talk Thursday.
Series history
The Bears lead the all-time series 29-14 but have lost three straight. The Bears lost the last meeting 31-3 on Nov. 26, 2017 in Philadelphia. The Bears won their first 15 home games against the Eagles from 1939-95 but are since 2-5 versus Philadelphia in Illinois.
