The matchup

Jerome Bettis, NBC Sports: Each of these teams has a distinct personality. The question with Philadelphia is which team will show up. Is it the team that couldn't touch Tony Romo? Or is it the team that punished and beat up Ben Roethlisberger? For the Bears the question is can they close out a team in the fourth quarter? Are they the team they've showed the first three quarters or the fourth quarter?

JD Wright, DaBearz.com: The weather forecast for Sunday doesn’t include an outlook for fog, but neither did the forecast 20 years ago. Rival fans at DaBearz.com still site that fateful game from the 80’s when they talk about the Bears.

To me, they should be talking more about the match up from last year, when the Bears pulled out a kicker exhibition against the Eagles in their stadium. Bears fans remember that game as the “broken headset” game. Brian Griese led the Bears down the field methodically towards an eventual Muhsin Muhammad TD reception in the final moments. After the game, it was revealed that Griese’s helmet speaker wasn’t working, and that he engineered the last minute drive on his own play calls. That was the pinnacle of his popularity in Chicago. After the loss to Griese’s Buccaneers last week, his popularity in town has reached new lows.

About Philadelphia

Tiki Barber, NBC Sports: Philadelphia looks great but they need to overcome their old nemesis - injuries. It seems to always bite them.

Wright: This is not last year’s Eagles team though. Both McNabb and Westbrook appear on the injury reports, though most expect them both to play. The Eagles have seen an offensive resurgence this year, showing more potency than in the last few years.  Through 3 games, they are averaging 9 more points/game than last year. McNabb seems to have fully recovered from all his injury woes, and is playing with the confidence fans had grown accustomed to seeing.

About Chicago

Cris Collinsworth, NBC Sports: The Chicago defense has to finish like a championship team. They have to close the game with their defense if they are to have a chance.Tony Romo may be the best.

Bettis: If the Bears are to have a chance they are going to have to prepare for a lot of exotic blitz packages. There's no way Philly's going to let Chicago sit back and relax.

Wright: Likewise, Chicago’s offense personnel are completely different from last year. Wholesale changes to the receivers have led to reduced production. Shuffling of linemen provided more push in the run game, but the jury is still out on the effect changes have made in pass protection.  Fan favorite Matt Forte has brought some swagger back to the running game, and has the second most carries in the NFL. The Bears can once again say that they “run off the bus”.

Issues for Orton

Peter King, Sports Illustrated: Kyle Orton should expect a heavy dose of what Ben Roethlisberger got in Week 3: Blitz, biltz, blitz. The Eagles smelled blood in the water with a gimpy Roethlisberger, and I bet they'll go after Orton just as hard.

Wright: The problem with “running off the bus”, especially for Chicago, is that everyone in the stadium knows what to expect when the Bears line up, including the Eagles. Eagle Defensive Coordinator Jim Johnson has a myriad of looks for struggling Bear QB Kyle Orton. Expect a few jail break blitzes early, and if they are successful, late too. Eagle corners should have no trouble covering the Bear corps of receivers, and are too savvy for underneath passes to be effective. If the Bears continue to call quick outs and screens almost exclusively (as they have all season), look for at least one Eagle interception return for a TD. The key for the Eagle defense will be the play of the linebackers in the passing game. If they can neutralize the TE’s and RB screens, it will be a long day for Chicago’s offense.

Final analysis

Barber: This is a pivotal game for Chicago even though it's early in the season. At 1-2, they are in danger of falling behind so many good teams in the NFC. They need to find a way to close games out.

Wright: Many have tried to find the cause of the Bear’s recent late game woes on defense. In each game this year, the defense has been stellar through 3 quarters. However, in the last two games, they have collapsed miserably in the final minutes. Some think it is due to poor conditioning, others think it is playing “prevent” defense, others think it is poor coaching. No one seems to have a definitive answer, but everyone is frustrated.

Thank god for home field advantage.