Bears vs. Lions: Preview, score prediction for Week 15
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions
It’s been quite a while since the Chicago Bears have been in the playoff race. However, as we enter the final three weeks of the 2017 NFL season, they have the chance to play spoiler in a big way. The first team that comes up in that run is the Detroit Lions, who will welcome John Fox’s club to Ford Field on Saturday, Dec. 16.
In this special Saturday afternoon matchup, the Lions are currently on the outside of the playoff picture looking in. Detroit sits with a 7-6 record, but could still find their way into the postseason if they can go on a run.
With that said, the Bears showed perhaps more fire than they have all season last week in topping the Cincinnati Bengals. As such, Mitchell Trubisky and company will be looking to keep that momentum going to carry it into the 2018 season, where they will have much higher hopes than in this now lost season.
Keys to Victory
In the win over the Bengals, the Bears found something that they haven’t seen much all season: offensive balance. Relying on Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen in the run game has been just about all they’ve done this season, showing little faith in Trubisky since he took over as QB1. If they let Trubisky have a bit more freedom, that’s the best chance for this offense to succeed.
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As for the Chicago defense, they need their secondary to step up in a big way. Yes, Akiem Hicks has been a monster up front for this unit. However, they are banged up elsewhere in the front seven and their secondary has been able to produce all season. With the pass-happy Lions in the fold, they need to come up and make plays in this one.
Speaking of that Lions offense, they need to score big plays. With the likes of Marvin Jones on the outside, they’ve shown that they are more than capable of doing so. However, with this unit still unable to get their running game going this season, these big plays are critical to the success of the team as a home.
While the Bears need to have Trubisky throw more often, their bread and butter remains their run game. Subsequently, the unit up front for Detroit has to stay disciplined and tackle well. If they allow Chicago to control the game with Howard and Cohen, that’s going to be a critical blow to their chances of winning and keeping postseason hopes alive.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Detroit -4.5
Moneyline: Detroit -252, Chicago +212
Over/Under: 44
Next: NFL Week 15: Fatal flaw of each current playoff team
Prediction
From all that we’ve seen throughout the first 14 weeks of the season, the signs point to the Lions prevailing in this matchup. However, I like what the Bears showed last week. If they are able to unleash a balanced offense and not rely solely on the run, they’ll be able to challenge Detroit on the road. Not only that, but I think they’ll come up with a surprise victory.
Final Score: Chicago Bears: 27, Detroit Lions: 24