Tag: Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions

Bears crack top 15 in Touchdown Wire’s way-too-early Week 1 power rankings

The Bears landed at No. 14 on Touchdown Wire’s way-too-early Week 1 power rankings ahead of two Monday Night Football showdowns. 

The Chicago Bears have started the season at 1-0 for the first time in seven years following a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback, where Mitchell Trubisky tossed three touchdowns, in a 27-23 win over the Detroit Lions.

The Bears landed at No. 14 on Touchdown Wire’s way-too-early Week 1 power rankings ahead of two Monday Night Football showdowns. Though, to be fair, they’re the lowest-ranked of the teams that won so far this week. I’ll give you one guess as to why.

In the first half, Trubisky completed eight of 20 passes for 110 yards and looked so bad, you couldn’t blame anyone for wanting head coach Matt Nagy to pull the kid and put Nick Foles in there. But then, Trubisky threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, which was a highly improbable event under any circumstances. As a result, we still have no earthly idea what Trubisky is. Perhaps the Giants can provide clarity next Sunday. Perhaps not.

While Trubisky orchestrated one heck of a comeback in the fourth quarter, where he completed 80% of his passes and tossed three touchdowns each to a different receiver, he struggled through the first three quarters with his accuracy and footwork.

Until Trubisky can prove that he can operate on a consistent basis — if he even can — there are going to be questions about the Bears, and rightfully so.

While not mentioned, the defense was certainly an area of concern for the Bears in Sunday’s win. The pass rush was suspect and the run defense clearly missed the presence of nose tackle Eddie Goldman in the middle. The Bears are going to need to find a way to generate pressure on the quarterback and find an answer at nose tackle if they’re going to be better than they were last season.

Chicago’s schedule is certainly favorable in these next three games, where they’ll face the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and the Indianapolis Colts. We’ll see if the Bears can establish an identity in the reminder of this first quarter.

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Lions pivotal play of the game: Dagger time comes up dull against the Bears

The Detroit Lions dropped their season opener against the Chicago Bears after a heartbreaking play that will be felt by every Lions fan

Well, Detroit Lions fans, this wasn’t the start we were looking for to start the season.

Another 4th quarter implosion, the Lions dropped their fifth straight against their division foe, the Chicago Bears, and start the season 0-1. After several critical injuries to the secondary and the patchwork that was implemented, the Bears took advantage. They picked apart the Lions through the air after shredding them on the ground for the majority of the game, handing them their first loss of the season.

There were a few bright moments in the game like the ageless wonder Adrian Peterson showing a resemblance of a running game almost rushing for 100 yards and Trey Flowers bringing the pressure. However, the Lions still manages to find ways to lose games.

Unfortunately, there were a few plays that ultimately sealed the deal for the Lions heartbreaking loss. You can either choose the Aikem Hicks sack on Stafford, which led to Prater attempting a 55-yard field that sadly donged so loud it echoed in the empty stadium. Then, there was the tipped interception that led to the Bears taking the lead late in the game.

Woefully, there wasn’t more a heartbreaking moment than this one:

You can hear the pain in Lomas Brown and Dan Miller’s voice when rookie D’Andre Swift had the game-winning touchdown in his hands and failed to secure it to give the Lions the victory. This play could’ve been the dagger that sealed the deal, but it ended being the dagger that is felt by every Lions fan who watched the game. The drop is a tough pill to swallow for the rookie.

The Lions will have to put this one behind them because next week, they have the Green Bay Packers, another division foe on the docket, and it won’t be easy after the Packers beat the Vikings 43-34. Hopefully, the Lions can recover from the multiple injuries in the secondary, because they will need to be healthy against the high powered air attack of Green Bay with Aaron Rodgers slinging the rock.

Bears RB David Montgomery expected to play vs. Lions

There’s some good news on the injury front for the Bears as running back David Montgomery (groin) is expected to play vs. Lions.

There’s some good news on the injury front for the Chicago Bears.

Running back David Montgomery, who suffered a groin injury in late August, is expected to play against the Detroit Lions, according to Ian Rapoport. Montgomery was listed as questionable, but he practiced in full on Thursday and Friday. Rapoport says Montgomery won’t be limited in any capacity, and he’s expected to receive his full workload.

Elsewhere, versatile weapon Cordarrelle Patterson, who was listed as questionable with a knee injury, is also expected to play against Detroit.

Montgomery has been cautious this week in preparation for the season opener. He didn’t want to rush back too quickly. Ultimately, it sounds like Montgomery feels good about where he’s at to take the field Sunday.

“Your best ability is availability,” Montgomery said before practice on Thursday. “With me, it’s being sure I take care of myself. I’d be hurting the team more if I was to come back earlier than I was supposed to and continue to be hurt and hurt myself again. So I hurt the team, but I hurt myself, too. The biggest thing is being smart with myself, being smart with my body and being sure I communicate with the training staff and the coaches to let them know how I feel.”

But it’s not all good news for Chicago. Unfortunately for them, pass rusher Robert Quinn is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game with an ankle injury.

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Bears promote K Cairo Santos to active roster ahead of Week 1 vs. Lions

As expected, the Bears have elevated kicker Cairo Santos to the active roster for their Week 1 game vs. the Lions.

The Chicago Bears have promoted kicker Cairo Santos to the active roster from the practice squad, the team announced Saturday.

The move isn’t a surprising one considering the Bears placed Eddy Pineiro on injured reserve this week as he continues to nurse a groin injury. Earlier this week, head coach Matt Nagy said it was “a safe bet” that Santos would be the team’s kicker heading into Week 1 against the Detroit Lions.

Under new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) rules this season, the Bears are allowed to elevate two practice squad players each week without having to waive an existing player on the 53-man roster.

Nagy has liked what he’s seen from Santos so far during practices, and he’s confident in what Santos can do in Pineiro’s absence.

“I just know from my history, playing outside in Arrowhead and other places for three years with Cairo, it was just one of those deals where you never were concerned that when he got up to kick a field goal or an extra point, you really weren’t concerned at all if he was going to make it or miss it,” Nagy said. “They’re all going to have some misses, but it wasn’t something where you were holding your breath. That’s just how I felt. Right now, he’s in here, in training camp and these last practices and, you know, knock on wood, but he’s making a lot of kicks right now, which I like.”

Santos impressed during his only real practice making kicks during the team’s scrimmage at Soldier Field in late August, where special teams coordinator Chris Tabor came away impressed.

“No and knock on wood he doesn’t miss a lot of kicks and I think that’s what we like,” Tabor said. “To his credit that was his first time that we’d been down there. It was a nicer day, we all understand that. But it is a tough place to kick and to be able to walk into Soldier and make all your kicks, that’s a good sign.”

The last time Santos kicked in a regular-season game, he missed four kicks for the Tennessee Titans, who released him the following day. Santos chalked it up to it just not being his day, and he’s moved on from it.

“I think it was just a freak day, something that not even in my worst nightmares I could think of that could happen,” Santos said. “I was, thought I was killing it out there in practice, pregame warm-ups, for the five weeks I was in Tennessee. It was a rainy warm-up, it was just kind of, things fell out of sync. I was, it just kind of happens. . . So I knew I had to move on and I did that and I stayed confident and here we are in Week 1 and I’m just ready to get going.”

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3 keys for Bears defense vs. Lions offense

The Bears defense has found success against the Lions in the past, and they’ll be looking to slow down Detroit’s passing attack.

The Chicago Bears will be looking to win their first season-opening game in seven years when they face off against their NFC North rivals the Detroit Lions.

While there’s some apprehension about the Bears’ offense, that hasn’t been the case for the defense. They’ll be returning some key pieces in Year 2 of Chuck Pagano’s system, as well as adding some new talent in pass rusher Robert Quinn, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Tashaun Gipson.

The Bears will be without Quinn on Sunday, as he’s missed practice all week and has been listed as doubtful, but there’s still plenty of talent on this Chicago defense to take care of business against Detroit.

Here are three keys for the Bears defense when they open the season against the Lions.

1. Bring the pressure on Matthew Stafford

AP Photo/Paul Sancya

While the Lions have been bad as of late, they’re going to get a boost with the return of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who was playing at an MVP level before injuring his back and missing most of last season. The Bears defense has had their way with Stafford in the past, but they’re going to need to bring the pressure and make it as uncomfortable back there as possible.

They should take advantage of a battered Lions offensive line that will be vulnerable on the right side. Detroit will be without veteran right tackle Vaitai Halapoulivaati, and they’ll be starting rookie Jonah Jackson at right guard, who will be challenged immediately going against Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols.

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RB David Montgomery being smart as he recovers from groin injury

David Montgomery is being cautious as he returns from his groin injury. But there’s a good chance he’s able to suit up Sunday vs. Lions.

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There was a time not too long ago when many were wondering what the Chicago Bears would do at running back without David Montgomery to start the season. Montgomery, who suffered a groin injury during training camp practice on Aug. 26, was believed to be out anywhere from two to four weeks.

Montgomery, like many, feared the worst at first. Especially with reports that he was carted off the field. (Note: The practice field is a good distance from the facility, so a cart was necessary.)

“I thought I tore something, actually,” Montgomery said, via ChicagoBears.com. “Just how it happened, when it happened, what it looked like after it happened. Really just trying to be sure that it wasn’t as serious as I thought it was. Luckily there wasn’t a tear, so to the grace of God, I’m able to get back to rehab and training so I can get back on the field.”

But Montgomery appears to have recovered quickly from his groin injury — as he practiced in full both Thursday and Friday — and his availability for Sunday’s Week 1 opener against the Detroit Lions is more than favorable.

“I feel like the injury was a bigger deal in the media than it really was here,” Tarik Cohen said earlier this week. “He bounced back off of that so fast; it’s like it never happened. He’s already back doing the things you love to see him doing: running hard and making that first person have a tough day tackling him. I just see him having a great year this year.”

With a presumed strong emphasis on the run game this season, the Bears are going to need Montgomery to take the lead. But Montgomery is also being smart about this whole thing. He doesn’t want to rush back too quickly and risk hurting himself worse and ultimately hurting his team

“Your best ability is availability,” Montgomery said before practice on Thursday. “With me, it’s being sure I take care of myself. I’d be hurting the team more if I was to come back earlier than I was supposed to and continue to be hurt and hurt myself again. So I hurt the team, but I hurt myself, too. The biggest thing is being smart with myself, being smart with my body and being sure I communicate with the training staff and the coaches to let them know how I feel.”

After practicing in full both Thursday and Friday, there’s a good chance that Montgomery will be ready to go Sunday against the Lions.

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Bears announce team captains for Week 1 vs. Lions

The Chicago Bears announced their team captains for their Week 1 contest against the Detroit Lions.

The Chicago Bears announced their team captains for their Week 1 contest against the Detroit Lions, which includes an encouraging sign for one Bears player who’s currently questionable for Sunday.

Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, receiver Allen Robinson, inside linebacker Danny Trevathan, outside linebacker Khalil Mack, defensive tackle Akiem Hicks and punter Pat O’Donnell will all serve as captains in Week 1.

While most teams have their established captains throughout the season, Bears head coach Matt Nagy has typically rotated captains every week, and that looks to continue this year.

Mack, who was limited in practice throughout the week, was listed as questionable for Sunday’s game with a knee injury. But given Mack was listed a captain and spoke with the media on Friday, it sounds like he’ll be good to go against the Lions.

The Bears will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak in season openers when they face the Lions on Sunday at noon CT. It’s a good thing Chicago has found success against Detroit over the last two years.

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Bears injury report: Robert Quinn doubtful, Khalil Mack and David Montgomery questionable vs. Lions

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report of the week, and it’s not good news for the Bears’ pass rush.

The Chicago Bears have released their final injury report of the week, and it’s not good news for the Bears’ pass rush.

Outside linebacker Robert Quinn did not practice for a third straight day, and he’s been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. Meanwhile, outside linebacker Khalil Mack was limited for his third straight practice, and he’s been listed as questionable.

But there is some good news on offense. Running back David Montgomery was a full participant in Friday’s practice, and he’s officially questionable for Sunday’s game. But considering Montgomery suffered a groin injury just two weeks ago — and he’s practiced for the last two days — that’s a good sign that he could be good to go against Detroit.

Elsewhere, receiver Cordarrelle Patterson, offensive lineman Jason Spriggs, receiver Javon Wims, offensive lineman Germain Ifedi and cornerback Buster Skrine were all full participants in practice. They’re all listed as questionable.

There’s definitely cause for concern for the Bears defense, who will likely be down one, possibly two starting edge defenders come Sunday. Quinn won’t be playing Sunday, which means Barkevious Mingo, rookie Trevis Gipson and James Vaughters will get plenty of opportunities early to prove themselves. Mack, who was limited all week, will possibly tough it out against Detroit.

On the Lions injury front, star receiver Kenny Golladay has officially been listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.

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5 bold predictions for Bears’ Week 1 matchup vs. Lions

The Bears open the season vs. the Lions on Sunday, and there are sure to be fireworks from both sides. Here are our bold predictions.

We’re creeping closer to the start of the 2020 Chicago Bears season as they’ll take on their NFC North division rival Detroit Lions at Ford Field beginning at noon CT on Sunday. The Bears are looking to snap an opening-game losing streak that dates back to 2014.

Week One in the NFL is always the most unpredictable and that will not change this year, especially considering the circumstances surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that severely limited the preseason. But this game is sure to see some fireworks from both sides.

Here are my five bold predictions for Sunday’s game.

1. The Bears score multiple offensive touchdowns

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

On the surface, this doesn’t seem like a bold prediction at all. But if you go deeper, you’ll realize the Bears have scored just one offensive touchdown in the last two openers combined under head coach Matt Nagy. The offense tends to start the season slow and I believe that trend gets bucked this year, especially since quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has played lights out against the Lions throughout his career. They will get going earlier, taking some of the pressure off the defense. Not the boldest of claims, but you have to start somewhere.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down Chicago with Bears Wire

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down Chicago with Bears Wire and editor Alyssa Barbieri

The Chicago Bears are a familiar foe for the Detroit Lions. But the NFC North rivals from Illinois have made quite a few changes.

To help catch up on the changes, or lack thereof at one key position, I turned to Bears Wire colleague Alyssa Barbieri for some questions and answers on the enemy from I-94 West.

What are the expectations like for the Bears in Chicago this year?

It’s pretty clear from a national perspective, and even from a local view, that there’s not much confidence about what this Bears team can accomplish in 2020. There have been some that believe the Bears will be one of the worst teams in the league, which is a tad surprising considering that they made improvements on offense and defense, and last year’s team still managed to finish 8-8.

Although, the lack of confidence is certainly warranted, especially with questions at the quarterback position. But the Bears have been a team that’s done better when there are no expectations, at least since Matt Nagy’s arrival.

Mitchell Trubisky appears to have won the starting job again. Was there really a competition or was Nick Foles just a pawn? Did Foles deserve to win it?

When you look at everything that the Bears did this offseason — declining Trubisky’s fifth-year option, trading for Foles and bringing in coaches that were familiar with Foles — it appeared that the Bears were setting Foles up to succeed. Obviously, the unorthodox offseason affected the QB battle greatly, and it’s possible Foles could’ve won the battle had it been fair in that regard.

My belief was always that Foles would have to outright win the job if he was going to be named the starter. And he didn’t. Neither Trubisky nor Foles really impressed during training camp. But Trubisky showed the coaches enough in terms of improving in some key areas, including decision-making, accuracy and mechanics, where they felt confident riding with him into the 2020 season.

But I still don’t believe the QB competition is over yet this season.

What do you think David Montgomery’s status will be for Week 1, and how does the Bears run game look?

Matt Nagy has been pretty secretive with injuries up to this point, but I have a hard time believing the Bears roll with Montgomery in Week 1 just two weeks removed from his groin injury. Maybe I’m wrong, perhaps the Bears feel confident about where Montgomery stands right now. One thing’s for sure, Chicago is showing a lot of confidence in their running back depth with not going out and seeing a veteran free-agent. Or it could be because they’re confident where Montgomery stands.

Aside from Montgomery and Tarik Cohen, the Bears have some new faces at running back — Ryan Nall, who saw limited action last season, and converted running back Cordarrelle Patterson, who the Bears are looking to get more involved in the offense. The Bears had one of the worst ground attacks in the league last season, and there’s definitely been an emphasis to fix that in 2020. We’ll see how that goes.

Who are the key new pieces for the Bears, especially on defense?

The Bears had one of the worst tight end groups last season, so it wasn’t a surprise to see them completely overhaul that position. They brought in veteran Jimmy Graham and drafted Cole Kmet in the second round of the NFL Draft, and both of those guys have impressed during training camp to the point that Nagy called tight end a “strength” for this team.

On defense, the Bears will have three new starters at pass rusher and the secondary. Chicago signed former All-Pro Robert Quinn to pair with Khalil Mack off the edge, which should serve their pass rush well (also the return of DT Akiem Hicks from injury.) The Bears signed veteran Tashaun Gipson to assume the strong safety role opposite Eddie Jackson. Jaylon Johnson will get the start at cornerback opposite Kyle Fuller, and the second-round rookie will certainly be challenged from the start.

And it wouldn’t be the Bears without a kicker problem. Eddy Pineiro has been placed on injured reserve, as he’s been battling a groin injury during training camp. That means Cairo Santos will get the nod against the Lions in Week 1.

Who wins and why?

Given the Bears’ recent success in this series in having won the last four — and Trubisky’s success against Detroit in his last three outings — I’m going to go with Chicago. But, as we’ve seen in these last couple of years, the games played at Ford Field have gone down to the wire. Bears 24, Lions 17

Thanks to Barbieri for the insightful answer!