Chicago (AFP) – Ryan Matthews scored two touchdowns as the Philadelphia Eagles maintained their unbeaten start to the season with a 29-14 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field.
Matthews barreled over from close range twice while rookie quarterback Carson Wentz connected with Trey Burton for a two-yard touchdown pass as the Eagles made Chicago pay for two costly turnovers.
The victory leaves the Eagles level with the New York Giants at the top of the NFC East with both sides winning their opening two games.
A miserable night for Chicago, who fell to 0-2, was compounded by an injury to quarterback Jay Cutler, who left the game nursing his hand after throwing an interception to Nigel Bradham who returned 28 yards back to Chicago’s two-yard line.
The game was effectively settled after a disastrous start to the second half which saw Chicago concede turnovers on three of their first four possessions after the half-time break.
Cutler made 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards but was sacked three times by a rampant Eagles defense.
The high point for Philadelphia came in their only long-range touchdown drive, when the increasingly assured Wentz led his team 68 yards up the field.
Matthews appeared to have been halted in his tracks by Chicago’s cover but somehow bounced clear of his tackler and wriggled over the line for 16-7.
Bradham’s interception followed on the first play after Philadelphia kicked off, leaving Wentz to gift Burton a simple touchdown.
A fumble from Chicago’s Jeremy Langford soon afterwards led to a recovery from Ron Brooks to help set up Matthews for his second score to put the visitors out of sight at 29-7.
Eddie Royal scored a consolation touchdown with a 65-yard punt return with five minutes left, but Chicago never looked capable of a comeback.
The pre-match national anthem ritual meanwhile saw three Eagles players — Brooks, Malcolm Jenkins and Steven Means — raise clenched fists in solidarity with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has attracted criticism for his protest this season during “The Star-Spangled Banner.”