CHICAGO _ The Eagles continued their magical late-season run with a dramatic 16-15 win over the Chicago Bears in the opening round of the postseason. Nick Foles led the Eagles on a go-ahead scoring drive and finished, then former Eagles kicker Cody Parkey bounced a potential game-winning field goal off the left upright.
Watching hopefully and helplessly from the sideline, the Eagles players and coaches erupted in the same joy that they exhibited when they won their first playoff game in the final minute one year ago. That ride finished with the Eagles hoisting the Lombardi Trophy. That might be tougher this season, but the Eagles will live to see another week _ and there aren't many hotter teams.
Plus, they have Foles at quarterback.
Foles' storybook career in Philadelphia now has a new chapter, because he put the Eagles ahead in the final minute. Facing a fourth-and-goal from the two-yard line with 61 seconds remaining, the Eagles had one last chance to take the lead. Foles rolled out to his right and fired a pass to Golden Tate in the front corner of the end zone to give the Eagles a lead with 56 seconds on the clock, stunning a Soldier Field crowd that had seen their defense turn into one of the NFL's most formidable units and their home venue one of the most imposing.
But whatever Foles is channeling is stronger, because the Eagles stayed alive.
Even though the Bears quickly entered field-goal range, the Eagles hung on. Coach Doug Pederson iced Parkey with a timeout _ Parkey made a practice kick _ before Parkey was short on the kick that mattered.
The Eagles will go to New Orleans to play the top-seeded Saints on Sunday at 4:40 p.m. The Saints finished 13-3 this season, including a dominant 48-7 win over the Eagles on Nov. 18. It was the worst loss of the Eagles' season, but the Eagles have turned their season around since then. They've now won six of seven games since that afternoon in New Orleans.
Foles finished 25 of 40 for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Alshon Jeffery was the leading receiver with six catches for 82 yards. And Tate, who was acquired at midseason, scored the game-winning touchdown.
Mitchell Trubisky, who was the inferior quarterback throughout much of the game, came alive in the fourth quarter on a six-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that gave the Bears the lead. It started when Trubisky converted a third-and-11 with a 19-yard strike to Taylor Gabriel, continued with a 34-yard completion down the right sideline to Joshua Bellamy, and was punctuated with 22-yard touchdown to Allen Robinson. Trubisky targeted Avonte Maddox on the last two plays, and the Bears were all of the sudden dangerous: at home in the fourth quarter with a lead.
The Bears forced the Eagles off the field, but the Eagles defense was able to answer to give the ball back to Foles.
The Eagles went into the locker room at halftime with a 6-3 deficit despite mostly outplaying the Bears. They were undone by costly miscues, including two interceptions in Bears territory; two third-down penalties to extend scoring drives for the Bears; and two missed interceptions that could have changed the tide of the game.
It was an encouraging start for the Eagles when they opened the game with a 10-play, 50-yard scoring drive against the Bears defense. Foles found Wendell Smallwood for a 22-yard screen pass to move the ball into Bears territory, and the Eagles utilized the no-huddle offense to push the ball into field-goal range. On a third-and-8, Jeffery made his first catch in Soldier Field since he played for the Bears. When fans jeered Jeffery, he cupped his hand at his ear and wanted them louder, evidence of his insistence of how much he enjoys playing on the road. The Eagles settled for a 43-yard field goal, but it was enough for an early lead _ and the only points in the quarter. In fact, it was the first home game this season that the Bears failed to score in the first quarter.
The Eagles reached Chicago territory with a 30-yard catch by Jeffery on the first play of the second quarter, and it looked like they could build to their lead. Instead, Foles' short pass to Smallwood was wrestled away by Roquan Smith for an interception.
And just when the defense appeared to respond with a three-and-out, Michael Bennett was flagged for an unnecessary roughness because of a scuffle with Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long after the Eagles made a third-and-5 stop. The Bears were given new life, and they reached range for a 36-yard field to tie the game.
The Eagles' next drive ended the same way: with a Foles interception. After a key third-down catch by Tate in which the veteran receiver secured the ball and traffic and withstood a big hit, the Eagles were at the Bears' 22-yard line. It seemed like they could at least take the lead with a field goal, and perhaps even find the end zone. Instead, Foles made a poor pass into traffic in the end zone, taking an unnecessary risk on second down. Adrian Amos made the interception, taking potential points off the board for the Eagles. It was Foles' first multi-interception since coming back to Philadelphia in 2017.
Maddox almost made up for it with an interception of his own when he stepped in front of a Trubisky's pass to Robinson, except an official review determined that Maddox did not have control of the interception inbounds. The Eagles still forced the Bears to punt, although they could have had possession in scoring range. The Eagles went three-and-out to give the ball back to the Bears before halftime, and then they helped them score.
It seemed the Eagles forced the Bears offense off the field when they made a stop on third-and-3 at midfield, except Nigel Bradham was flagged for illegal use of hands to keep the Bears on the field. It was the second Bears scoring driving extended by a third-down penalty.
The Eagles could have entered halftime with a tied score, except Tre Sullivan couldn't secure an interception in the end zone on a pass that seemed targeted to him. The Bears settled for a field goal as the clock expired, and they had a 6-3 lead even though the Eagles outplayed them in the first half.
The Eagles' best drive of the game came in the third quarter _ and they were helped by penalty flags. Foles led the Eagles on seven-play, 83-yard march that included three 53 yards of penalty. Amos was charged with unnecessary roughness when he hit Ertz after a pass attempt, giving the Eagles 15 yards despite a third-down incompletion. The big penalty came when Foles tried going deep to Jordan Matthews, but Prince Amukamara pulled at Matthews for a 33-yard pass interference. One play later, Foles hit Dallas Goedert in the end zone for a 10-yard score _ the first touchdown of the game. That gave the Eagles a 10-6 lead.
The lead bounced between the two teams in the fourth quarter, but it finished with the Eagles on top. They'll still be underdogs, but who cares? It's worked for them before, and it worked for them again on Sunday.
