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Bears brace for passing game of Eagles

Sep 23, 2008 - 6:26 PM PHILADELPHIA (2-1) AT CHICAGO (1-2), 8:15 pm EDT

CHICAGO (Ticker) -- The Chicago Bears learned one thing last week: they need to fortify their passing defense.

The Bears can expect to face an aerial attack for the second straight week when they host the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night.

Former Bear Brian Griese attempted 67 passes - completing 38 - and threw for 407 yards to rally the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 27-24 overtime victory over Chicago last weekend.

That blueprint must have pass-happy Eagles head coach Andy Reid salivating. Philadelphia (2-1) has attempted 114 passes in its first three games.

Although the Eagles were slowed by injuries to quarterback Donovan McNabb (chest contusion) and running back Brian Westbrook, they rode a stifling defensive effort to a 15-6 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last weekend.

Philadelphia sacked Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger eight times and held Willie Parker to just 20 yards on 13 carries.

"Defensively, I thought it was a phenomenal job," Reid said. "That was quite a display right there."

Westbrook missed most of Sunday's game after suffering an ankle strain on the first play of the second quarter. He rushed for just 12 yards on five carries but the team got some good news Monday when an MRI exam revealed no torn or damaged ligaments.

"It's a day-to-day situation," Reid said. "I think we can manage it. We'll see how he does as we go on. He'll spend a lot of time in the training room getting himself right."

McNabb also exited the game in the second quarter, but the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback returned early in the third quarter.

The Bears (1-2) appeared on the way to victory when Kyle Orton threw touchdown passes to rookie running back Matt Forte and wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to give Chicago a 24-14 lead with just over 6 1/2 minutes to play.

"It's a game of momentum," Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher said. "We had the momentum for a while. We had it. We lost it. Then we had it. Then we lost it again, and they took advantage of it."

Forte has provided a boost to Chicago's offense, ranking fourth in the NFL with 304 yards through three games.