Tag: Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

Lions inactives for Week 4 include two new additions to the roster

The Detroit Lions inactive player list for Week 4 includes two new additions to the roster

The Detroit Lions released their inactive player list for the Week 4 matchup in Chicago against the Bears. There weren’t any surprises on the sheet.

Outside LB Trey Flowers was ruled out of the game on Friday in the final injury report. Flowers is out for a second straight week with injuries to his knee and shoulder. All three players who were listed as questionable–DE Michael Brockers, OLB Romeo Okwara and RB D’Andre Swift–are active for Sunday’s game in Soldier Field.

The Lions inactives:

  • DE Eric Banks
  • DE Jashon Cornell
  • OLB Trey Flowers
  • RB Jermar Jefferson
  • WR Tom Kennedy

Banks and Cornell both joined the team this week, with Cornell returning from his 3-game NFL suspension.

Lions vs Bears: Final injury report for Week 4

Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears: Final injury report for the Week 4 matchup in the NFC North

The Detroit Lions enter the Week 4 matchup in Chicago with the NFC North rival Bears in relatively healthy condition. Only one player, starting outside linebacker Trey Flowers, has been ruled out for Detroit.

Flowers also missed Week 3 with the combination of a shoulder and knee injuries. He did not practice all week and his absence in Chicago was widely expected.

Head coach Dan Campbell was upbeat about replacing Flowers and understanding that the long-term of the veteran is more important than one single game.

“I think, to be honest with you, we’re in a pretty good place just depth-wise and it’s more – I just feel like if we are – this is the right thing for Trey, too, which in turn is also the right thing for us long-term,” Campbell said Friday. “I think if we can get him back to where he’s feeling really good, I think in the long run, that’s going to be a good thing for him and for us.”

Three Lions players are officially questionable:

  • DE Michael Brockers (shoulder)
  • OLB Romeo Okwara (shoulder)
  • RB D’Andre Swift (groin)

All three were limited participants in practices all week. Swift has been questionable for every game but has not been held back by the lingering groin issue.

The Bears have just one player ruled out, LB Joel Iyiegbuniwe. Starting safety Tashaun Gipson is doubtful, while top pass rusher Khalil Mack is among the questionable.

Lions vs. Bears: 3 film observations on Chicago and how Detroit can use them to win in Week 4

Here are a few areas of emphasis for Dan Campbell and the Lions to focus upon for the Week 4 matchup with the Bears in Chicago.

The 0-3 Detroit Lions head to Chicago in Week 4 to try and break into the win column. The 1-2 Bears offer some legit potential for Dan Campbell’s Lions to go and notch that first victory of the 2021 season.

I reviewed the Bears’ last two games, with a special emphasis on their Week 3 humiliation at the hands of the Cleveland Browns, to see where the Lions might have some advantages. And even the most pessimistic Lions fan will find some legit paths to victory for Detroit in this matchup, based on how the Bears have played and are currently trending.

Here are a few areas of emphasis for Campbell and the Lions to focus upon for the Week 4 matchup with the Bears in Chicago.

4 things I learned from the Lions Week 13 film review

On Matthew Stafford’s brilliance, bad Lions run defense, OL play and more

The Lions knocked off the Chicago Bears in a thrilling comeback victory in Week 13. Detroit balled out for interim coach Darrell Bevell in upsetting the division rivals and finally beating Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky, the most celebrated foil of now-fired coach Matt Patricia.

There was a lot to discover from the all-22 coach’s film of the game. After poring over the coach’s film and another viewing of the broadcast feed, here are a few things I picked up on the Lions.

Lions Week 13 pivotal play of the game: Romeo Okwara strips win away from the Bears

The Detroit Lions steal one from the Chicago Bears winning 34-30 on the help of this week’s pivotal play from Romero Okwara.

The Detroit Lions managed to claw their way back and beat the Chicago Bears 34-30 for their first win against their division foe in five games and first in the post-Matt Patricia era.

The Lions looked like a completely different team than they had in quite some time, with the energy each player brought on and off the field. Interim coach Darrel Bevell wanted the players with a sense of purpose while having fun, and that is exactly what they brought to the table today even though they were playing behind the entire game.

Bevell opened the playbook this week and allowed Stafford to do what he does best; sling the ball down the field. He attempted eight passes for 20+ yards even though he only completed three of those passes, two of them went for touchdowns — and that was without two of his main weapons, Kenny Golladay and D’Andre Swift.

Even though the defense looked sluggish the first half with missed tackles and porous run defense, they buckled down when the game was on the line and came up big when it absolutely was a must. After allowing 23 points in the first half, they locked up the Bears and only gave up seven points for the rest of the game.

The Setup

In the fourth quarter, after giving up a long drive led to a touchdown to put the Bears up 30-20, Stafford then threw an ill-timed interception that stalled the drive. It did not look good for the Lions’ chances to break the Bears’ curse.

The defense managed to dig deep and force a 3-and-out on the next two Bears’ drives, giving the offense a chance to mount a comeback. The Lions finally got back on the scoreboard, marching 96 yards down the field on a Marvin Jones touchdown: 30-27.

With the Lions still down by three, they needed to come up with another stop. Instead, they got something better:

Romeo Okwara worked his way around Germain Ifedi enough to reach out with his freakishly long arms to rip the ball away from Mitchell Trubisky — and the Lions recovered.

With the excellent field position, the Lions went back to Adrian Peterson and he scored his second touchdown of the game, giving the Lions their first of this game: 34-30.

With plenty of time still left on the clock, the Bears were on the move to mount a comeback, and once again, the Lions’ defense was able to come up big. This time it was Kevin Strong’s turn, as he stonewalled David Montgomery on a fourth-down, securing the Lions victory.

Emotions are high for everyone, especially after seeing this team come out lifeless the last two weeks. The energy and tempo have been missing from this team for quite some time, and for once, the players looked to be enjoying themselves.

The new Bevell regime has started strong, and they will look to continue this high ride next week when they face off against another division nemesis, the Green Bay Packers. There are a few areas they need to clean up to get ready for that matchup but they need to take this time and celebrate this high-flying victory.

Experts give slim edge to the Bears over the Lions in Week 13

The Detroit Lions face off against the Chicago Bears in hopes of breaking their losing streak, but experts believe the home team prevails

The Detroit Lions (4-7) are on the road this week, hoping to notch out their first win in the post-Matt Patricia era, facing off against their division rival, the Chicago Bears (5-6) in Week 13.

The Bears have come out victorious in the last five games against the Lions, and the most recent being the opening game of the 2020 season. In that game, the Bears scored 21 unanswered points in a comeback win and D’Andre Swift had his welcome to the NFL moment.

Most of the time, people could have an idea of what to anticipate for a particular game, but for the Lions this week, it is full of unknowns. Will the team rally behind Bevell? Will we see a different sense of offensive tempo? Will the defense bring more pressure? The list goes on and on, but for this reason, this makes for an interesting game because we are not sure what is going to happen.

With Mitchell Trubisky’s history against the Lions, that usually brings the Bears a lot of hope, but the unknown element creeps up again. Was his success more due to Patricia’s defensive style, or was he bringing a new level against the Lions? With Cory Undlin running the defense now, it will be interesting to see what he brings to contain the Lion killer.

With the Lions already cleaning house, the Bears on the cusp of it, and the sheer amount of unknowns, experts are almost evenly split this week, but according to NFL Pickwatch, 56-percent of the experts give a slight edge to the home team.

Division games are difficult to predict because of the extra effort players bring, but the number of changes to the Lions, combined with the Bears suffering from a five-game losing streak, makes this game a hard one to predict.

If the Lions can follow the key concepts laid out in this week’s Honolulu Blueprint, they can overcome the recent coaching changes and break this losing streak against the Bears.

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the Chicago matchup with Bears Wire

Behind Enemy Lines: Breaking down the matchup with Chicago with Bears Wire

It’s Lions vs. Bears week, and throwing in a coaching change in Detroit and an ongoing quarterback controversy in Chicago makes it an interesting matchup despite the poor performances of late from both teams.

I asked Alyssa Barbieri of Bears Wire a few questions about the Bears, their own coaching dilemma, how Chicago views Detroit and much more.

Thanks to Barbieri, who always gives down-to-earth and informative answers about the Bears.

How long is Mitchell Trubisky’s leash after another dismal performance?

It doesn’t matter who’s the quarterback at this point for the Bears, this offense is just broken. Any sort of progression that Trubisky appeared to have made earlier this season – before being benched by Matt Nagy for a poor first half against the Falcons – that’s gone, as evidenced by Sunday night. With that said, Trubisky still gives the offense the best chance to succeed, mostly because Foles is a sitting duck behind a porous offensive line. It hasn’t helped Foles has made some ill-advised decisions as well.

The one thing Trubisky has going for him is that he’s been successful against the Lions during his career, which the Bears could certainly use as they look for their first win in nearly a month and a half.

What’s the Chicago perception of the Lions firing Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia?

Bears fans are certainly going to be sad to see them go, especially considering Patricia has helped Trubisky look like a competent quarterback whenever he plays the Lions. But at the same time, it’s hard to ignore potential parallels between the two situations. The Lions waited too long to finally cut the cord while the Bears are potentially in the midst of doing the same thing if they don’t cut ties with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy at the end of the season.

The defense struggled against the Packers, notably against the run. Was that just a bad day/matchup, or has the Bears’ vaunted defense fallen off?

This Bears defense has carried the team all season, and they’ve done it despite boasting one of the worst offenses in the league. Chicago was without perhaps their most important player in Hicks on Sunday, which, coupled with the absence of Eddie Goldman for the season, was disastrous for their run defense. Last week was just a blip for this Bears defense, which has a good opportunity to get back on track against the Lions.

How hot is Matt Nagy’s seat?

If you would’ve asked me prior to the season, I’d say it was lukewarm. Following a five-game losing streak, and an absolutely embarrassing loss to the Packers on national television where Nagy’s defense appeared to have quit on him, I’d say his seat is on fire at this point. Especially considering the one thing he was brought here to do – bring this abysmal Bears offense into the modern NFL – hasn’t panned out.

The one thing that could ultimately save Nagy’s job is Chicago’s schedule down the stretch. If the Bears can find a way to win four of the last five games and finish 9-7, he might just buy himself another season.

Who is a player or two that deserves more recognition for their play?

The one that immediately comes to mind is defensive tackle Akiem Hicks, whose absence was felt in last Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Not only is Hicks an absolute monster of a player when defending the run or pressuring the quarterback, he’s the heart and soul of the entire Bears defense. Hicks is still nursing a hamstring injury, although there’s hope that he’ll be able to suit up on Sunday.

I’d also say linebacker Roquan Smith, who is coming off his worst game of the season against the Packers. But aside from that game, Smith has been having an All-Pro season. Prior to the Packers game, Smith was tied for fourth-most total tackles and led the NFL in solo tackles and tackles for loss. Look for him to have a bounce-back game against Detroit.

Who wins and why?

While the Bears have no business winning a football game right now, you could say the same about the Lions. This game could be brutal to watch, but it’s sure to remain as close as several of these previous contests. But I feel like the Bears defense will come to play Sunday after being embarrassed by the Packers last week. And it doesn’t hurt that Trubisky, who has a good track record against Detroit, will get the starting nod.

Bears 24, Lions 20

Experts confident the Lions will beat the Bears in Week 1

Experts are feeling confident the Lions will come victorious against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season

With no preseason games and minimal information coming out camps, it is hard to figure out how the teams have been progressing during the offseason. Likely that doesn’t stop the experts from blessing us with their best guesses on which teams will come out victorious in Week 1.

The Detroit Lions will be kicking off their season against division foe Chicago Bears at home in hopes of bucking their four-game losing streak to the Bears over the last two seasons.

At the time of this writing, 68% of experts feel confident the Lions will reign supreme against the Bears, according to NFL Pickwatch. The Lions have been getting some national recognition as a sleeper team who can make a run this season, so it is nice to see the trend continue to start the season.

Last year, the Matthew Stafford-less Lions lost both games against the Bears by a combination of 11 points, so they weren’t too far off the mark. With a healthy Stafford slinging the ball and a potentially improved defense, you have to think the outcome will be different than last year.

Unfortunately, for the Lions, they will look to be shorthanded with right tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai already ruled out, wide receiver Kenny Golladay doubtful for the contest, and Jeff Okudah reportedly out for the matchup. Expect Marvin Hall to get a healthy dose of Golladay’s snaps,  Tyrell Crosby should be next in line to fill Vaitai’s spot, while Amani Oruwariye was likely already a likely start at corner.

Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 10 notebook from Stafford-less game vs. Bears

Lions 2019 rewatch: Week 10 notebook from the Lions vs. Bears, the first game without Mathew Stafford at QB for Detroit

The film review of the 2019 Detroit Lions season continues into unchartered territory in Week 10. This is the first week where another QB other than Matthew Stafford started for the team in almost 10 years.

Jeff Driskel got the nod in Chicago against the NFC North rival Bears. Stafford was shut down due to a back injury suffered sometime in the heartbreaking Week 9 loss in Oakland. The Lions enter the game at 3-4-1 after their impressive 2-0-1 start. Chicago has lost four games in a row after starting the season 3-1 and ranks 28th in scoring offense entering the game.

Pregame notes

Stafford is the most notable Lions out and not on I.R. Safety Tracy Walker and DEs Da’Shawn Hand and Romeo Okwara are also out with injuries. Sam Martin is still punting but has ceded the kickoff duties to kicker Matt Prater due to a minor injury.

Carl Cheffers and his crew are the officials. Game time temp at Soldier Field in Chicago was 40 degrees with a fairly steady 10-15 MPH wind blowing left to right across the field.

First quarter

The Lions come out playing up-tempo and aggressive on offense, playing to Driskel’s strengths. Ty Johnson gashes the Bears for 10 well-blocked yards on the first play, and then quick passes move the ball nicely.

Chicago quickly ascertains that when FB Nick Bawden is in the game and offset, it’s going to be a run. Bawden and T.J. Hockenson both land nice blocks but the formational giveaway still results in a pretty easy stop for Chicago’s impressive LBs, two plays in a row.

Driskel catches Chicago’s defense in a pre-snap state of confusion and quickly strikes, hitting an uncovered Marvin Jones to get into the red zone. That’s the kind of quick snap we don’t see enough of with Stafford under center. Matt Prater nails the FG when the drive sputters inside the Chicago 10 and it’s 3-0 Lions on the road.

Lions defense comes out in a straight 4-3 scheme that morphs with Christian Jones playing EDGE on 3rd down. As the FOX broadcast crew notes, they are focused on making Mitchell Trubisky beat them with his arm and decision-making. He can’t on the first drive, missing an easy 3rd down throw high that gives Mike Ford enough time to recover and make a stop short of the conversion.

The Lions finally run play action with Bawden offset and it works. Would have worked even better if Bawden didn’t get caught inside too far before releasing as a safety valve, but it’s still nice to see self-awareness from the Lions. They haven’t done this in several weeks.

The second Detroit drive ends with a gimmick that I wish the Lions would have actually followed through. Lined up to punt on 4th-and-7 at the Chicago 40, TE Logan Thomas slides up under center. He was a QB at Virginia Tech and played some for the Cardinals before switching to TE. The Bears don’t bite on the potential trick play, and looking at who the Lions have on the field it’s easy to see why; the wideouts are backup safety Cory Moore and reserve CB Dee Virgin. Rookie safety Will Harris is the motion/slot receiver. It’s an obvious attempt to simply draw the Bears offside to get some extra yards into field goal position. Sam Martin ultimately punts and the Lions net just 30 yards on the exchange against an offense that is struggling badly. Should have followed through on the fake/play…

After some nice run defense by the interior DL (notably A’Shawn Robinson and Trey Flowers) the Lions defense sacks Trubisky on the final play of the quarter on what can best be described as a coverage sack. It’s aided by a truly awful schematic design by the Bears; there are no receivers shallower than 30 yards down the field and none anywhere near between the hashes when Devon Kennard smashes Trubisky into the ground from behind.

Second quarter

Driskel’s limitations as a passer are on display. He doesn’t have the pinpoint accuracy Stafford does on the shorter throws and it forces a stalled drive. Worth noting the line is doing a very good job at nullifying Khalil Mack to this point. He’s lining up on both sides and both Detroit tackles are handling business.

The Soldier Field crowd goes crazy when Trubusky completes a designed rollout pass to his left to Allen Robinson. His inability to go to his left is legendary enough that the home fans mock Trubisky for it.

The defensive front is showing some creativity. A third down throw (dropped by Taylor Gabriel) sees Jahlani Tavai twisting behind Kevin Strong on a 2-man line. The Bears OL screws up the transition and Strong nearly gets a sack out of it. Christian Jones attacking RT Bobby Massie’s inside shoulder is consistently successful. Jones playing the JACK more against his old team than he has all year.

The teams trade punts twice (with excellent coverage by Dee Virgin on both for Detroit) on uneventful drives. It’s more bad offense than good defense, particularly when the Bears have the ball. Dating back to their Week 9 loss to the Eagles, Chicago has managed just 11 first downs in 15 offensive possessions, one in their first four today. Trey Flowers, Mike Daniels in limited reps and Christian Jones are all dominating up front and Trubisky is quite clearly not as good as Driskel at playing QB. That is not meant as an endorsement of Driskel either…

Note: Tyrell Crosby has taken over for Rick Wagner at RT. Wagner appeared to get injured on the final play of the first punt drive.

Detroit manages a long Prater field goal after an uneven drive that began at midfield. A Golladay drop (difficult high catch but he got both hands on it) and an utter lack of vision from RB Paul Perkins on runs stymie a couple of nice throws by Driskel. Crosby lines up too far off the line of scrimmage on 3rd down for a penalty as well. It’s 6-0 Lions with just over four minutes in the half.

A crushing kick coverage tackle by Jalen Reeves-Maybin gets the Lions defense fired up. Trubisky tries to kill WR Anthony Miller with a hospital ball. Yet the Bears still gamble and go for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 30. And they (barely) make it; Damon Harrison makes a nice play but the help from Robinson and Jarrad Davis didn’t quite make it on time.

The successful conversion seems to wake up Trubisky and the Bears offense. Detroit’s defense goes primarily zone behind a 4-man rush and Trubisky is finding holes and making quality throws. He’s aided by an iffy defensive holding call on Tavon Wilson that negated an offensive hold where Flowers absolutely annihilated James Daniels.

Chicago hits paydirt on the next play when Will Harris gets beaten in coverage by reserve TE Ben Braunecker. It’s not a good route but it might be Trubisky’s best throw to beat Harris over the top with the plodding 3rd-string TE. Eddy Piniero makes the extra point and it’s 7-6 Bears going into the half.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2

Lions are now officially eliminated from playoff contention after loss to the Bears

It’s the earliest the Lions have been eliminated since 2010

With Thursday’s turkey of a loss to the Chicago Bears, the Detroit Lions have officially been eliminated from postseason contention. It’s a mathematical confirmation of what has been the working reality over the last few weeks.

The loss dropped Detroit to 3-8-1. Both Green Bay and Minnesota have already topped 8 wins on the season in the NFC North, meaning the Lions have no chance of catching them; the best Detroit can finish is 7-8-1.

The strength at the top of the NFC shatters any longshot dreams. Seattle and San Francisco have also already surpassed the 8-win barrier in the NFC West. There is no mathematical possibility of the Lions finishing with a better record than either team, and that ends the Wild Card chase.

Washington has a worse overall record than Detroit at just 2-9, but the Redskins can still win the NFC East. Dallas’ loss in the late afternoon game on Thanksgiving drops the first-place Cowboys to 6-6. That’s how Washington remains alive despite being worse in the standings.

This is the earliest the Lions have been eliminated from postseason contention since 2010.

[lawrence-related id=34299]