For some Lions, matching up becomes more crucial and challenging; the Bears must put the previous game behind them and concentrate on the task at hand.
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Three weeks after the collapse, the Bears face the Detroit Lions this week, and they may be treading carefully.
The collapse occurred in a game they were leading 26-14 at one point, but they managed to lose it so quickly that they had 29 seconds to try to rally, and a safety on a strip sack gave Detroit two more points.
There’s a thin line being walked between being furious that they blew a game they were dominating and thinking they are a better team because they controlled the previous meeting before it ended.
They’re not comparable to the division leaders with nine wins just because they couldn’t close the game, caught the Lions at a lower point, and led for three and a half of the contest.
“Since we lost the first time we have a lot of anger, especially losing like that in that type of fashion, it was a heartbreaker,” Jaquan Brisker, the safety, said.
Instead of focusing their rage on an abstract idea like vengeance, they should make specific goals their goal. Otherwise, they risk ending up like New Orleans did last week, trailing 21-0 before the crowd gets comfortable in their seats.
The last four minutes of the Lions’ 31-26 victory over the Detroit Lions made it clear that they have superior talent and plenty of matchup advantages to worry the Bears.
These are the Lions that have the most potential to harm the Bears.
DE Aidan Hutchinson, first
The Lions edge rusher surfaced long enough to finish them off with a strip-sack of Justin Fields, despite their best efforts to contain him for the majority of the first game. Additionally, he played a crucial part in preventing Fields from going crazy by forcing him to run up inside most of the time when he would have preferred to be outside. Out of his 104 rushing yards, Fields gained 29 on a single carry and a solid 75 on 17 other carries. When tackle Darnell Wright feels the play may be over, he should be as physical as possible and keep up his pass blocking because that’s when Hutchinson performs at his best. Despite having only five and a half sacks, Pro Football Focus ranks Hutchinson fourth among edges in pass rush efficiency and sixth overall on the edge.
RB Montgomery, David
A runner who lacks the speed to be regarded as a breakaway threat was horribly contained by the Bears. With that excellent Lions line in front of him, Montgomery is difficult to stop, but his blocking can get him going, and he is very difficult to bring down. With 12 runs for 76 yards and no carries longer than 20 yards, he averaged 6.3 yards per carry against the Bears. He also had two 22-yard receptions from passes. Even though the 115 yards Montgomery gained on the ground in the first game was the most the Bears had allowed in nine games, you have to figure the Lions will want to outperform Montgomery and put on a great show at Soldier Field. In the last five games, Detroit’s rushing performance was at its lowest point.
Quarterback Jared Goff
Although Goff had one of his worst games ever against the Bears for the Rams at Soldier Field in a loss, there is a chance that the conditions he faced on Sunday were worse. Last year, Goff visited Soldier Field in mid-November when it was 34 degrees outside and there was a 13 to 15 mph wind. The Lions won 31–30, and he had a 113.6 passer rating in that contest. Therefore, the Bears’ pass rush strategy will need to be similar, led by Montez Sweat and company. as in their Week 11 opener, and from their linebackers and defensive backs, who intercepted Goff three times. Preventing Goff from settling in for timing throws is essential to stopping him. With 20 touchdowns to 8 interceptions, Goff ranks eighth in passer rating (98.1). In a state of rhythm, he is nearly uncontrollable.
TE The Sam LaPorta
The Bears should think they can handle this one because they kept him to a season-low three catches and eighteen yards in the opening contest, even though Tremaine Edmunds was still a little tentative following a knee injury. But the Bears should be able to contain LaPorta with Edmunds running at full speed, T.J. Edward playing as well as any weakside linebacker in the league, Jaquan Brisker back and healthy, and Jack Sanborn allowing just an 87.8 passer rating on the strong side. The Saints believed they were as well, and after 140 yards and nine catches, they were defeated.
Amon-Raya St. Brown, WR
The Bears have contained him in both of the previous games, but it is ineffective to contain him for the majority of the game only to allow him to unleash devastating damage when it matters least. With eight catches for just 77 yards, including a touchdown, this is what he accomplished in the previous game. If they can just stop him from breaking those two or three big plays, then playing him the way they did in the previous game might still be effective. In five games against the Bears, his catch percentage is 82.1%.
Penei T. Sewell
Last time out, the best lineman for the Lions couldn’t stop Montez Sweat from scoring touchdowns twice in a row for Goff, but he managed to do so just enough at the end of the game to give him the victory. As the game progressed, Sewell’s run blocking increased in importance as he approaches another Pro Bowl selection.
CB Brian Branch
He has performed admirably in Detroit’s challenging slot position and can be a vital component when the Lions apply pressure due to his independence in covering receivers on one side of the sideline. According to Sportradar, the 6-foot, 203-pound receiver has two interceptions, five pass breakups, and a strong 93.5 passer rating against, which is a very respectable figure in the slot.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Gibbs is the perfect back for this offense because he can also be a lethal receiver, and coordinator Ben Johnson has devised ways to get unsung receivers like Josh Reynolds to produce even though this offense lacks a lot of big-play receivers. In his final Bears game, he hauled in six passes for 59 yards. In an attempt to concentrate on the receivers, LaPorta occasionally allows Gibbs to slip away, so the Bears will need to have linebackers prepared to pursue him in the open field. Edwards performed admirably in this regard against Minnesota last week.
