September 30-October 6, 2004

naked city

How They'll Lose

Week Four vs. Chicago

The Eagles are 3-0. Whoop, whoop. There's no way they'll run that tally to four before their upcoming bye week.

Say you have a vacation coming up. Kind of hard to focus on the work ahead of you, no? If history's any guide, that's certainly the case when it comes to Andy Reid squads. Consider these failures:

• Oct. 7, 2001: Cardinals 21, Eagles 20.
• Oct. 6, 2002: Jaguars 28, Eagles 25.
• Sept. 14, 2003: Patriots 31, Eagles 10.

All of which brings us to Oct. 3, 2004, with the Birds heading midwest to face a hobbled 1-2 Bears team that managed to put up a fight before losing 27-22 in Minnesota. Even if he hadn't suffered a season-ending knee injury, Bears QB Rex Grossman wouldn't have put much of a scare into a defense that bitch-slapped Detroit's Joey Harrington. But with Jonathan "Who the hell is that?" Quinn taking over for Grossman, logic would deem calling the Bears an 8.5-point dog charitable.

Yeah, about as charitable as considering the Eagles a lock the week before a bye. Particularly against a team that owns an all-time 26-8-1 record against them.

Sorry folks, but tradition says Soldier Field will be the epicenter of an epic, inexplicable meltdown.

Bears 17, Eagles 14.

—Brian Hickey