Matt Forte, Jay Cutler and the Bears just want a little respect!
(Matt Slocum – AP)
The Chicago Bears went into Philadelphia on Monday night as 8-point underdogs.

The Bears entered with a 4-3 record, having won three of four. The Eagles came in at 3-4 with a modest two-game win streak.

Based on talent alone, the Eagles should have been given the edge on their home turf. But eight points?

That didn’t sit too well with the Bears, who did their best to change NFC perceptions with a come-from-behind 30-24 win.

“The Chicago Bears should not be 8-point underdogs in a game like this on the road. And our guys played like they felt that way,” Bears coach Lovie Smith said. “We feel like we have a pretty good team that is not getting a lot of respect.”

When they play the way they did Monday, there’s little doubt the Bears deserve more respect than they’re getting.

Jay Cutler threw for a pair of touchdowns — including the go-ahead score with 2:21 left — and running back Matt Forte continued his campaign for a first Pro Bowl bid with yet another 100-yard day.

Forte, who last week said his team was “grinding (him) into a pulp,” bounced back from a pair of early fumbles to rush for 133 yards on 24 carries against the Eagles porous run defense. He’s now second in the NFL (behind Eagles RB LeSean McCoy) with 805 rushing yards.

Don’t look now, but the Bears are smack dab in the middle of the playoff hunt. They’re currently one game behind the Detroit Lions for second place in the NFC North… and look who’s coming to Soldier Field on Sunday.

The Lions rode a raucous Monday night crowd to a 24-13 win in Week 5, but the Bears have now won three straight with Forte’s 365 yards during that stretch.

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 3-5 and now trail the NFC East leading Giants by three games.

When the Chicago Bears (4-3) meet the Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) on Monday Night Football, it will be the 50^th appearance on the show for the Eagles in team history. From Randall Cunnigham’s awe-inspiring acrobatics in 1988 to the Michael Vick’s(notes) fantasy explosion against the Washington Redskins last year, the Eagles’ mobile quarterbacks have had a knack for shining during that Monday night party.

This Monday will be no different.

Although the Bears edged out the Eagles last year during the regular season and have a better record than Philadelphia this year, there are too many compelling reasons to believe that Bears will be the ones getting mauled on national television.

Here are the top ten reasons the Eagles will mangle the Bears:

10. The Birds enjoy a top ten team defensive ranking in the league, while the Cubs are ranked below the Miami Dolphins.

9. Eagles have scored the 9^th most points in the league versus the Bears’ 14^th.

8. Chicago is only average at stopping the run, a fatal deficiency against Philadelphia and LeSean McCoy(notes).

7. The Eagles have the 9^th best passing defense in the league; the Bears’ is near the bottom.

6. Chicago have a pathetic passing offense; Philadelphia, again in the top ten.

5. Philly has the number one ranked rushing offense in the NFL. Chi-town can’t contain the run and can’t even run as effectively as Miami.

3. Because the Eagles have won their last two games, including a thrashing of the Dallas Cowboys, and the Bears are coming off of a bye-week, momentum is on Philadelphia’s side.

2. Eagles total offensive ranking according to Yahoo! Sports? 1. Chicago Bears? 17.

And the number one reason Chicago will fall on Monday night:

1. QB Michael Vick

Rhetorical question:

What tends to happens when one team does almost everything better than another and boasts more talented and athletic players?

A slaughter.

More from the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

Top Four Reasons Green Bay Packers will not repeat as Super Bowl Champions

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Are the Green Bay Packers Just Another 2007-08 Patriots?

Banning Hank Williams Jr.’s Song is Un-American

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It’s been a decade since the Detroit Lions have appeared on Monday Night Football. Why? Well, no one really wanted to see them play. But now the Lions are 4-o and if they beat the Chicago Bears tonight, they’ll be off on their first 5-0 start in more than half a century.

Kicker Jason Hanson, who will be playing his 300th game with the Lions tonight, was on the Lions the last time they play on Monday Night Football in 2001 against the St. Louis Cardinals. In that game, the Lions lost 35-0.

Hanson said:

“Wow, it has been that long… Monday Night Football is the NFL’s showcase game and it’s exciting that people want to see us play on it again.”

The Lions are just one of six teams to have four wins so far this season. The Lions and division rivals the Green Bay Packers are the only teams to currently be undefeated. The Associated Press reports that if the Lions win tonight, it will be their first 5-0 start since 1956.

But the Lions could have a tough time against the Chicago Bears. The Bears are just 2-2 at the moment, but they do have history on their side. The Bears have defeated the Lions in their last 6 match-ups. The Bears are also in a dire need for a win if they want to get back to the NFC title game.

Chicago Linebacker Lance Briggs said:

“It’s a game that puts us right in the mix or will set us back three games. This is a must-have. We have to have it. Period.”

Win or lose, it looks like the Lions are going to be heading to the playoffs this year for the first time since 1999. STATS LLC reports that 70 percent of teams who have won their first four games have made the playoffs since Chicago’s 4-0 start in 1933.

So will the Detroit Lions be able to earn their first 5-0 start in more than a half a century? Or will the Chicago Bears break the streak tonight on Monday Night Football? Or has the abrupt dismissal of Hank Williams Jr. left you too depressed to even think about football on a Monday night?