The Chicago Bears are back on the road for a big test in front of a national audience Friday afternoon. Chicago will play the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Black Friday.

Many didn’t expect this to be a marquee matchup when the schedules were released in May. The Eagles’ (8-3) success isn’t surprising after they won the Super Bowl last season. Not many projected that the Bears (8-3) would have won eight of their past nine games heading into Friday, no matter how highly they regarded Bears head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams.

But Friday will be a good test for Chicago. The Bears have been criticized for beating only bad teams this season. The Eagles will present a good opportunity to show how they compete against one of the NFC’s best as they make their playoff push in the final six games of the season.

Friday afternoon’s game kicks off at 2 p.m. on Prime Video and locally in the Chicago area on FOX 32. Here are the top five storylines to watch.

Scheming against Vic Fangio

Williams and the Bears offense have played well against some tough defenses this season. Friday might be their toughest test of the season, going against a familiar face.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has been one of the best defensive play-callers in the NFL. Fangio has instilled things into his defenses that other coaches have inserted into theirs. He built a dominant defense in Chicago as the Bears’ DC from 2015 to 2018 before Fangio left to become the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Fangio’s defenses are known for limiting explosive plays and disguising coverages. The Eagles’ talented defensive line has held opponents to 115.1 rushing yards per game, which ranks middle of the pack. Meanwhile, the secondary has taken advantage of those coverages by forcing seven interceptions.

Friday, it should be fun to watch how Johnson schemes against Fangio. It’ll also be interesting to watch how Williams handles the chess match on the field.

“They do a good job of holding the shell and trying to disguise and make things cloudy on the quarterback,” Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “So the main thing is, really, it’s still about us, still about [Williams’] process and being able to see the defense and make sure that his post-snap picture is either the same as what he saw pre snap, or very quickly, transition into, ‘Hey, I need to move on or move my eyes and my feet somewhere else.’ ”

Limiting Eagles’ playmakers

Philadelphia hasn’t had a special season on offense this season statistically.

Through 11 games, the Eagles are mostly middle-of-the-pack in most offensive categories. They average 303.6 total yards per game (ninth), 193.2 passing yards per game (23rd), 110.5 rushing yards per game (21st) and 23.2 points per game (17th). Philadelphia has failed to score more than 21 points in each of its past three games.

But there are still plenty of playmakers on the Eagles’ roster who can make game-changing plays. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has still performed at a similar level as before, as a two-time Pro Bowler. Hurts has thrown for 2,284 yards, completed 67.2% of his passes with 17 touchdowns and only one interception.

Running back Saquon Barkley is averaging 62.2 rushing yards per game, but has shown throughout his career that he can turn nothing into something in a second. Top wide receivers DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown are 13th and 31st, respectively, in the NFL in receiving yards. Smith might not play after missing practices with a shoulder/chest injury this week.

“Stats are something we can all look at and judge,” safety Kevin Byard said. “But at the end of the day, they’re finding ways to win. And I think that’s a testament to their culture and our culture. So it’s definitely going to be a challenge for us. Culture against culture. Whose culture is better?”

Cardiac opponents

The Bears have had a habit of winning in dramatic ways this season. But the Eagles haven’t been immune to some dramatic wins this year.

Seven of Philadelphia’s eight wins this season have been within one score. The Eagles won those close games by an average margin of 5.1 points and have won all their games by an average margin of 6.8 points. Philadelphia is coming off a dramatic loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, where the Eagles blew a 21-point lead.

The success shouldn’t come as a surprise. Philadelphia not only won the Super Bowl last season but has reached the Super Bowl in two of the last three seasons. The Eagles have compiled a 47-15 record over the past four seasons, including the playoffs, leading up to Friday.

That experience is why the Bears know they’ll need to take advantage of any moment to win.

“The way I look at it, this is a team that was just in the Super Bowl, so they have a winning culture, they have a winning mentality,” Byard said. “We know that. We preached 60 minutes. We know they’re gonna be a 60-minute team as well, so there’s gonna be no panic on us, but we just know that every single play, you never know what play could be the deciding factor of this game.”

Stopping the tush push

A key step to beating the Eagles will be limiting the most controversial play in the NFL right now: the tush push.

No team has run the play better than Philadelphia over the past few seasons. The play involves the quarterback receiving a snap and then being pushed forward by his teammates, usually in goal-line or short-yardage situations. NFL owners tried to ban the play over the offseason but were unsuccessful.

Chicago had some practice stopping the play Sunday when the Steelers ran their version of it. The Bears successfully stopped it the first time on a fourth-and-1 attempt in the second quarter. But they were burned by it on the Steelers’ second attempt when Kenneth Gainwell went around the mass of bodies for a 56-yard run that set up a touchdown.

That big run is why Bears coordinator Dennis Allen said the tush push is hard to stop. It’s not just a short run, but all the other plays off of it.

“It’s a tough play to stop,” Allen said. “I think this team runs it better than anybody else in the league. I think the best way to defend it is not to get in those situations and trying to create more third and longer, fourth and longer situations. Keeps them out of those types of situations, but it’s certainly, yes, it’s a difficult play to stop.”

Who’s going to play?

As Bears fans enjoy their Thanksgiving on Thursday, many will likely be checking their phones during the day to see who will be in the Bears lineup Friday.

There are some major injury questions to keep tabs on. Chicago will likely be playing with backup linebackers again after T.J. Edwards and Noah Sewell both missed practice Wednesday, while Tremaine Edmunds is on injured reserve.

“They do a good job of holding the shell and trying to disguise and make things cloudy on the quarterback. So the main thing is, really, it’s still about us, still about [Williams’] process and being able to see the defense and make sure that his post-snap picture is either the same as what he saw pre snap, or very quickly, transition into, ‘Hey, I need to move on or move my eyes and my feet somewhere else.”

—  Declan Doyle, Chicago Bears offensive coordinator

Fans will keep an eye on whether the Bears activate cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon from injured reserve. Both were full participants Wednesday in the team’s lone practice of the week. The Bears will have until Thursday afternoon to activate them to play Friday.

“We’ve got a plan in place for them, and we’re really right on track with what we’re hoping to get done with them,” Ben Johnson said. “So we’ll know soon enough.”