The Chicago Bears will face the Detroit Lions in Week 17 at Ford Field in a game that could come to define their 2022 campaign as the season grinds to a halt. Detroit is still in contention for a spot in the NFC playoff picture, and if Chicago can come out with a gritty road win against their divisional rival in this matchup, it would prove that the Bears are continuing to develop despite their less-than-stellar results this season.
Head coach Matt Eberflus addressed the media on Friday and told reporters what he expects to see in this matchup. Despite being underdogs, he made it clear that he is emphasizing fundamentals heading into the game, and wants his players to execute his coaching staff’s game plan in all four quarters.
“It’s like we said all along, [in] these last four games, we’re looking [for] sharp execution,” Eberflus said. “We have two [games] left against two divisional opponents. The Lions are this week, and we’re excited about getting the execution going, especially in the critical moments. You talk about third down, goal [to go], red zone, a sudden change, two minute, all those situational areas that we do have to do a good job with, but we’ve been working hard at that.”
Against such a capable and motivated opponent, Eberflus’ team certainly won’t have much room for error in this game, and he is wise to stress discipline ahead of this matchup. Especially for Justin Fields and the Chicago offense, execution and conversion of key opportunities will play a major factor in their chances of success against Detroit, as they will need to score enough to keep pace with the Lions’ air attack led by Jared Goff.
The odds may be stacked against them, but the Bears could turn heads around the league if they are able to come out on top against Detroit in this matchup.
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