Even though the Lions and Bears are familiar division foes, quite a bit has changed since the last meeting in Chicago. To help get caught up on all the changes and get more info on what’s going on with the Bears, I called upon Bears Wire managing editor Alyssa Barbieri.

She graciously shed some light on the myriad injuries Chicago brings to Ford Field, Khalil Mack’s “down” season, Mitchell Trubisky and more.

What has changed with the Bears since the last meeting health-wise?

Quite a bit. Linebacker Danny Trevathan remains out with an elbow injury, but there are two surprising developments in the form of receiver Taylor Gabriel and tight end Ben Braunecker, who suffered concussions against the Giants [in Week 12]. They’re doubtful for Thursday’s game, as is right tackle Bobby Massie, who suffered a high-ankle sprain last Sunday. Massie will be replaced by Cornelius Lucas, which makes the right side of Chicago’s already struggling offensive line the weak part of the line.

The Bears are also incredibly thin at the tight end position, as Trey Burton is on injured reserve, Adam Shaheen dealing with a foot injury and Braunecker’s concussion. They’ll have Jesper Horsted (who’s still learning the tight end position) and J.P. Holtz as their tight ends.

Then there’s special teams standout/cornerback Sherrick McManis, who is dealing with a groin injury that’s expected to keep him out on Thanksgiving. The Bears are certainly having worse luck with injuries this season.

With the Lions losing so much lately (seven of the last eight), is there a chance the Bears could be overconfident?

To be honest, they don’t have much to be confident about. They narrowly escaped losing to the lowly Giants, who nearly mounted a comeback that would’ve embarrassed the Bears. Also considering the last time they faced the Lions they played backup Jeff Driskel, who at times moved the ball up and down on the defense, and only put up 20 points on a struggling Lions defense, it wasn’t a convincing victory. The Bears need to prove they can win back-to-back games before having extreme confidence over an opponent, regardless of their record.

[Note: Third-string quarterback David Blough will start for the Lions against the Bears.]

Khalil Mack’s stats are not eye-popping this year (6.5 sacks in 10 games). Is he having a down year, or do the stats not reflect how well Mack is playing?

Considering the amount of double and triple teams Mack faces, his performance can’t always be quantified by stats. Rather it’s about how he impacts a play, which even when he was absent in the box score against the Rams he was affecting the quarterback.

Mack is certainly struggling with the absence of defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, who is someone that teams typically have to account for in the middle of that defense which typically frees up Mack. Although Mack is coming off a great game against the Giants, where he had his first strip-sack since Week 4 and was all over the field.

I watched Mitchell Trubisky look really solid in the third quarter against the Giants but largely inadequate the rest of the game. Are the high points like those winning over fans and teammates, or has that ship sailed?

I wouldn’t say his performance is exactly winning fans over, but they’re starting to recognize that the offense’s struggles are more than just Trubisky. It’s Matt Nagy’s play-calling. It’s the offensive line’s lack of protection. It’s the receivers dropping passes or running the wrong routes. It’s the complete absence of tight ends. It’s self-inflicted mistakes. And it’s Trubisky.

Trubisky has looked much better over these past three games than he has earlier this season, particularly in the third quarter and when utilizing the no-huddle offense. But the offense as a whole lacks consistency.

Who wins and why?

I wouldn’t say that I have confidence in the Bears’ ability to string together back-to-back wins, but I do feel like they’re catching the Lions at their worst this season. No Matthew Stafford, riddled by injuries and coming off a loss to the Redskins, I like the Bears in this game because of their defense alone. That and the fact that Trubisky has played well against the Lions over the past two seasons. Bears 24, Lions 14