It is amazing how high the Chicago Bears fans are on their team despite the lack of wins. The Bears have a record of 3-6 and lost five of their last six games. What the fans are looking at, though, is how fun this team is. Sure, they are still losing. However, they are playing hard and are in nearly every game. Additionally, they are seeing an actual decent offense racking up points.
Just last week, the Bears went toe-to-toe against the Miami Dolphins, one of the best offenses in the NFL. They ultimately lost 35-32, but the difference was a blocked punt that the Dolphins took in for a touchdown that was the difference.
This week, the Bears get a break. They face the Detroit Lions. At 2-6, Detroit is just a half-game behind the Bears in the standings. Their offense isn’t as high-powered as Miami’s. The Bears’ defense could therefore perform better.
The Lions have the worst defense in the league. With the Chicago Bears offense performing so well in the past month, we could once again see the points piling up.
Quarterback Justin Fields had a historic game against the Dolphins. He rushed for 178, the most ever for a quarterback in a game. With Detroit’s defense, he could have another stellar game.
Here are some things to look for in the Chicago Bears Week 10 matchup against the Detroit Lions.
Chicago Bears: The defense has to stop the run
While the Chicago Bears offense has been flying high recently, the defense has regressed. Early on in the season, the unit had trouble in the first half but then made adjustments and was a tough second-half team.
That has changed, however. Now the defense is getting torched early and often. In the past three games, while the offense averaged 31 points per game, the defense gave up 33 points per game. The Bears now rank 21st in points given up.
The run defense has been bad this season. The Bears rank 30th in rushing yards allowed and last in rushing touchdowns allowed. Unfortunately for them, the Lions come in with a good rushing attack. They rank ninth in both rushing yards and rushing touchdowns.
D’Andre Swift is a good running back but he is dealing with injuries, already missing three games. It is still unknown if he will play this week. Jamaal Williams has done a good job in Swift’s absence. He has 545 rushing yards and 8 touchdowns, averaging 4.3 yards per run.
If the Bears force the Lions to pass the ball. Despite ranking 8th in passing yards and 6th in passing touchdowns, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has a tendency of throwing the ball to the defense. The Lions rank 22nd in interceptions thrown. The Bears’ defense rank 5th in interceptions.
The Bears’ defense has to make a stand at some time, right? It is rare to see the offense carrying the defense. With last place in the NFC North on the line, this is the time for the defense to just do enough to allow the offense a chance to win the game.
Chicago Bears: Show the Lions why they have the top rushing attack in the league
The Chicago Bears lead the league in rushing by a large amount. They have 1,759 yards and the Baltimore Ravens are 246 yards behind them in second. Chicago has to hit the Lions early with the rushing attack. Detroit ranks 31st in rushing yards allowed and 30th in rushing touchdowns allowed. Also, they give up 5.0 yards per run and 148.8 yards per game. The Bears average 5.4 yards per carry and 195.4 yards per game.
The Lions, like every other team for the rest of the season, will focus on Fields. They don’t want him to run wild like he did last week. That is easier said than done, though. The Dolphins learned that even when you know what’s coming, it is difficult to stop Fields’ running.
Fields cannot be the only one running, however. Have David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert get their touches on the ground. All three could have a big day against this defense. Running the ball will help the Bears control the clock. With a struggling defense, it will be nice to limit the unit’s time on the field.
Chicago Bears: The Bears need to win on third down
One of the most underrated aspects of the Chicago Bears’ improvement on offense is their third-down conversions. They have done an excellent job of improving in that area. Last season, the Bears ranked dead last on third downs.
This season, they rank 10th. Being able to convert and move the chains not only gives a team a better opportunity to score, it also helps keep the defense on the sideline to rest. We saw many times in the past how the defense was too tired late in games to make key stops.
Once again, Fields is key here. This season, he’s run for 42 first downs. He’s been instrumental in converting third downs. This season, Detroit ranks last in allowing third-down conversions. The Bears have converted 43.4 percent of their third-down attempts. The longer the Bears’ offense is on the field the better the results. They have to continue to have success on third down so they come away with a victory.
Chicago Bears: Attack the Lions vertically
While the running game is important to win the game, the Chicago Bears have to also throw the ball effectively. If Chicago establishes the run, Detroit will have to stack the box to curtail it. When that happens, Fields will have plenty of space to find his receivers.
There will be open receivers against Detroit’s passing defense. The Lions rank 30th in sacks so their pass rush is weak. Furthermore, their secondary is struggling, ranking 29th in passing yards allowed, 23rd in passing touchdowns allowed, and 21st in interceptions.
The Lions are especially weak against the deep pass. They rank last in average yards per completion. They allow an average target depth of 9.3 yards. Fields ranks 9th in completed air yards per completion. He is very good at completing passes deep so we could see a lot of big completions this week (if the Bears receivers cooperate).
Once Fields makes big plays downfield, he then needs to target tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet went 28 straight games without a touchdown reception. He has three of them in the past two games, however.
Having Kmet involved in the offense really helps the offense. He provides Fields a big target and could be a security blanket. He could also help in converting on third down. We’ve seen Fields break out with the running game. Against the Detroit Lions in Week 10 we could see a huge passing game as well.