The Chicago Bears (4-8) take on the Detroit Lions (9-3) at Soldier Field on Sunday. Three factors should improve their chances of winning the game:
(1) Maintain a strong defense and force turnovers.
A resurrected Since October, the Bears defense has made significant strides in key areas, most notably in run defense, takeaways, and quarterback pressure.
A run defense that was ranked 18th in the NFL after Week 4 will be tested Sunday by the Lions’ dynamic 1-2 punch of veteran David Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, who combined for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries in a 31-26 win over the Bears in Detroit on Nov. 19.
The defense intercepted three passes from Jared Goff in that game and has seven in the last two after intercepting four passes from the Vikings’ Joshua Dobbs. Goff’s performance was out of character, as he has 11 games with at least two touchdown passes and no interceptions since 2022, the most by an NFL quarterback.
On Sunday, the Bears will face one of the NFL’s most explosive and balanced offenses, the Lions, who rank sixth in scoring, second in total yards, fourth in rushing, and fourth in passing. In its last five games, Detroit has averaged 30.6 points, including victories of 41-38 over the Chargers and 33-28 over the Saints on the road.
Goff’s top targets are Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has 84 receptions for 1,042 yards and six touchdowns, and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, who has 64 catches for 679 yards and six touchdowns, which is tied for the most among NFL tight ends.
The Bears’ defense has improved significantly on third downs, but they struggled to get off the field in their first meeting with the Lions, allowing a season-high 72.7% third-down conversion rate (8 of 11). A stronger showing in that crucial aspect of the game on Sunday will increase the Bears’ chances of avenging their Nov. 19 loss at Ford Field.
(2) Score touchdowns rather than field goals.
Cairo Santos was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November after making four field goals in the last two games against the Lions and Vikings. However, it would have been far better for the Bears if he had kicked extra points instead of field goals.
The Bears took a 26-14 lead in Detroit after scoring on their first four possessions of the second half. However, three of those drives ended in field goals, allowing the Lions to stay in the game and eventually win.
Santos’ fourth field goal, a 30-yarder with:10 remaining, lifted the Bears to a 12-10 win over the Vikings in Minnesota eight days later. It was the Bears’ first win without a touchdown since 1993, and it came in a game in which their defense produced four takeaways.
The Bears have only advanced inside the red zone four times in their last two games, settling for three field goals and scoring one touchdown.
“It’s about, ‘How do we generate explosive plays?'” coach Matt Eberflus explained. “You score touchdowns by acquiring explosives.” That is something we are all aware of. But how do we accomplish this in the running game? How do we create advantageous positions for the offense through motions and formations to create the advantages and angles we need to pop those runs? And in order to make those explosive plays in the passing game, we’ll have to take more shots downfield. Those things exist. We just have to make the most of it.”
The Bears will almost certainly rely on Justin Fields to make those plays. Fields has rushed for 104, 132, and 147 yards against the Lions in his last three games, and he has a 108.5 passer rating with nine touchdowns and two interceptions since Week 4.
(3) Bring it home with a bang.
Three weeks ago in Detroit, the Bears outplayed the NFC North leaders for three-and-a-half quarters before the Lions rallied for a comeback victory, scoring 17 points in the final 2:59.
The Bears bounced back a week later, coming from behind to defeat the Vikings after Minnesota scored the game-winning touchdown with 5:54 remaining.
Cole Kmet, tight end, called the comeback victory “a good step for us.”
“I think if we can just kind of carry what we did the first 56 minutes of the game against Detroit the first time and finish it out like we did against the Vikings this last week, we’ll be in pretty good shape,” he told reporters.
While pleased with the victory, Kmet wishes to see strong finishes on a regular basis.
“We’ve got to be able to do it consistently if we want to be a team that can vie for the playoffs and win playoff games,” he told reporters. “We’ve got to show that we can do it on a consistent basis before we can say it’s a change.”
In the first meeting, the Lions rallied with 75-yard touchdown drives that took only 1:16 and 2:04 off the clock. If the defense is faced with a similar situation on Sunday, linebacker T.J. Edwards said the defense needs to be able “to create a negative play or one of us [has] to kind of get them off their rhythm.”
“It’s all stuff we looked at and made some adjustments too,” Edwards was quoted as saying. “We’re excited, but this is a really good football team, and we have to play our best.” It will undoubtedly be a worthwhile challenge.”
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