Chicago Bears: Storylines to follow in Week 11 matchup against the Detroit Lions

Can the improved pass rush slow down Detroit's Jared Goff?

The Lions come in with one of the top offenses in the NFL. Detroit ranks sixth in points scored and second in total offensive yards. Breaking it down, they rank fourth in passing yards, 12th in passing touchdowns, and fifth in interceptions. They throw downfield a lot but don't turn the ball over much. That is a great combination.

The Bears struggle against the pass. They rank 26th in passing yards, 30th in passing touchdowns, and 20th in interceptions. A big part of that is because of the lack of a pass rush. The Bears ranked last in sacks last season with just 20. They have 13 this season.

When a quarterback is allowed to stand in the pocket without any pressure he will eventually find an open receiver. That is what has happened.

The Bears have improved in that area, however. They brought in Montez Sweat to help and he did just that. In the two games he's played in Chicago, the pass rush looks different. While the Bears have 13 sacks, they had three of them in last week's win. Sweat is pressuring the quarterback and his hard play is infectious. With teams giving him attention, others like Yannick Ngakoue, Rasheem Green, Justin Jones, and Gervon Dexter can make plays.

The Bears need to put pressure on Jared Goff. If he is able to stay in the pocket and wait for a man to get open he will carve the Chicago's secondary. However, in addition to the improved pass rush, the Bears are also getting healthy. A lot of the defensive backs are coming back. Let's see how they perform if the pass rush does its job,