After their bye week, the Chicago Bears have a rematch against the Detroit Lions. Here are some bold predictions for the game.
The Chicago Bears had their bye week for the season. They got to rest their bumps and bruises and work out a game plan for the final five games of the season. That could come in handy in this week’s game against the Detroit Lions.
The Bears face a rematch with the team from Motown. When they faced each other in Week 11, Chicago thoroughly dominated the Lions. However, despite scoring on six drives, only two of them finished in the end zone.
Add a late-game collapse and the Bears found themselves blowing a 12-point lead and the game. It was the second time this season they suffered a collapse that led to a loss.
The Bears now know what to expect from the high-powered offense. They hope to play the same way this week. The difference, of course, is they hope to finish the game and come away with a victory.
In Week 12, the Bears finally broke through and won their first NFC North division game in the Matt Eberflus era. This week, they hope to end a couple of other streaks. First, they want to win back-to-back games since Eberflus took over. Also, they want to end their nine-game losing streak coming off of the bye week.
For the Bears to do that, they have to be bold and aggressive. These were two things they failed to show in the first matchup. With the Lions’ ability to score in bunches, the Bears cannot afford to be passive and settle for field goals instead of touchdowns.
Here are some bold predictions for the Chicago Bears’ Week 14 game against the Lions.
Coaches get aggressive
As mentioned before, the Chicago Bears have to be aggressive. There were a few times the Bears had a fourth and short on drives. In the first half, they had two fourth downs and converted them.
In the second half, however, the coaches did not attempt to convert any fourth downs. Instead, they either punted for field position or settled for field goals.
Defensive coordinator Luke Getsy has a habit of starting out with a dynamic game plan. He has quarterback Justin Fields move the pocket and play aggressively. Then, when the Bears have an early lead, it seems that he wants to sit on the lead.
Getsy becomes very conservative and does what he can to milk the clock instead of continuing to put pressure on the opposing defense.
That cannot happen again. The Bears are 4-8 and not going to the playoffs. They have to play freely and loosely. They don’t have to be reckless, but they need to be aggressive and take chances. If they succeed it adds life to the team. If they don’t, it won’t move heaven and earth.
Let’s hope the coaches let the players loose and play aggressively.
Prediction: The coaches let the players play and the team scores touchdowns instead of field goals. They put up 37 points.
Sweat makes his impact felt
General manager Ryan Poles made a huge gamble at the trade deadline. He traded one of his valuable draft picks, a second-rounder, for defensive end Montez Sweat.
Poles made a similar deal at last season’s deadline. He traded a second-round pick for wide receiver Chase Claypool. It was a mitigated disaster and blew up in his face. Claypool received criticism for loafing it on the field. At one point the Bears had to send him home. Finally they traded him to the Miami Dolphins.
Poles was not afraid to pull the trigger on a similar deal this season. Not only did he make the deal, he later gave Sweat a monster extension. Poles is all-in on Sweat.
This time, it seems like the move is working out. Sweat has added energy to the Bears’ pass rush. They are hitting the quarterbacks more with Sweat running around. That added pressure results in turnovers. The secondary has seven interceptions in their last two games.
Sweat wants to have a big game. On the Lions’ late-game drive that resulted in the game-winning touchdown, Sweat was on the sideline as Detroit marched down the field.
Sweat does not want it to happen again. He is Chicago’s best defensive linemen. Detroit’s best lineman, Aidan Hutchinson, was playing nearly every defensive snap and made a big play in the end that sealed the win.
Prediction: Sweat registers two sacks and takes over the team lead in sacks.
The defense continues to pressure Goff into more turnovers
The last time the Bears faced the Lions the defense got to Detroit quarterback Jared Goff. They intercepted three of his passes that day. There were a couple of opportunities for even more.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson had an opportunity to make a game-changing pick-six. Instead of making the play, he dropped the ball. On the very next play, the Lions got a touchdown to tie the game. That is a 14-point turnaround.
The Bears hope to have more of the same this time around. With the pass rush applying more pressure on Goff, they want to force more turnovers. They hope the defensive line holds down the Lions’ running game and make the offense one-dimensional. That makes it easier to defend.
Prediction: The Bears intercept Goff two times, one of them a pick-six. The defense records five sacks.
Fields continues to show improvement
Some people feel that the final five games are an audition for Fields. They feel that the Chicago Bears still aren’t sold on him. This regime did not draft him so they have no ties to him. Poles and team president Kevin Warren could part ways with Fields without a problem.
Since coming back from his thumb injury, Fields has shown improvement. In the two games he’s played, he has completed 71.7 percent of his passes. He has done a better job of going through his progressions and finding his receivers.
The problem is that Getsy is calling too many short-yardage plays. In the Bears’ Week 12 victory over the Minnesota Vikings, Getsy called 22 of Fields’ 37 passes for five yards or less. As a result, the Bears used up a lot of clock but failed to score even one touchdown. They were the first team this season to do that and win the game.
If it is true that Fields does not have Poles and Warren’s confidence, the resolution would be to have him attempt any type of pass. They have to let him prove one way or the other whether he is the one to lead the offense. What does having Fields throw a bunch of screens prove? Let him roll out and air it out. Cut the umblical cord and see what they have in him.
Prediction: Fields completes 65 percent of his passes for 267 yards and 2 touchdowns. He rushes for 118 yards and a touchdown.