Bear Digest

How Facing Lions Would Make for a Poor Bears Season Opener

Analysis: One of the last teams the Bears would want to face in the opener as a team has to be the defending division champions and here's why.

Gene Chamberlain

Jaquan Brisker tries to drag down former Bears running back David Montgomery.
Jaquan Brisker tries to drag down former Bears running back David Montgomery. / Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports
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 The Lions and Bears are drawing a strong reaction across social media as a potential season-opening matchup in advance of Wednesday's schedule release.

One popular suggestion calls for this in a Sunday Night Football setting at Ford Field.

Part of the reason for this push is the Lions' status as division champions, and part is because of the Bears' perceived improvements from this past offseason with Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

For the Bears, it wouldn't be the worst opponent to face to start the season because they managed to win one of the games and led by 12 with four minutes left in the other game before finding a way to squander a win.

That was last year and this is now. Circumstances have changed greatly and if the NFL did choose that game for the Bears opener it would be less than ideal from a Chicago standpoint. Here's why.

1. Location, Location, Location

Even worse than the opponent is the suggestion being made that this would be ideal for a Ford Field setting.

Williams could have few worst settings for his debut than at Ford Field in a prime-time game. Green Bay might have been one, but the Packers aren't even opening on this continent, let alone at night, at home and against the Bears. 

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With both the Packers and 49ers already engaged in opening week, the next toughest situation Williams could face is a game against the division champions. Playing an NFL game for the first time in a road game is tough enough but the Lions think they are going to a Super Bowl and the Bears are trying to get Williams and their rebuilt passing attack some traction coming out of the gates.

The road, the dome, the noise and a rookie in his first start would all combine to make chances for any kind of success tough to achieve.

2. Fields Comparison 

If the Bears lose or fail to make it a tight game, the inevitable comparisons will come out immediately afterward: "Justin Fields did better against the Lions."

Williams can stand not to face that type of negativism from his NFL baptism.

The Lions almost always had matchup problems against Fields because of his running ability. They almost always struggled against him, even before Matt Eberflus became head coach. Fields' first home-field start was a win over the Lions. 

Earlier in 2022, they played a back-and-forth game against the Lions at Soldier Field and the Bears lost 31-30. The Bears should have had two wins against the Lions last season.

Dan Campbell's reaction when Fields got traded was no act.

"I'm not gonna lie, it's nice to have Fields out of that division,” Campbell said at the owners meetings.

A main reason the Bears fared well against the Lions with Fields compared to how they played against other teams was Detroit's linebackers have not exactly been high NFL quality. They struggled to come up and takeaway Fields' running lanes when he scrambled.

An unconventional approach always throws an element of uncertainty into the equation and the Lions couldn't account for this. Fields ran for 450 yards against the Lions in five games, averaging 8.04 yards a carry. Other teams with better linebackers had far greater success making Fields look bad.

Except for the 41-10 loss on New Year's Day, 2023, one obvious affected by lack of Bears incentive--they were finishing a 3-14 season and Detroit was trying to get into the playoffs--Fields' running gave the Bears a chance against the Lions.

Detroit's linebackers are not yet to a highest quality but they'll be facing a more conventional Bears offense now and it's going to be easier for them to cope.

3. Lions Running Game

The Bears last year led the NFL in run defense and had held opponents below 100 yards rushing for seven straight games until running up against Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. Then the Bears gave up over 100 yards two times to Detroit in three games. It's a damaging ground threat and the Bears struggle to contain it when they also must worry about the passing of Jared Goff.

The Bears' scheme wants to be in pass coverage. It's their greatest strength. But the Lions were fifth in rushing last year and teams with serious running games will always be a problem for a defense trying to play as many players in coverage as possible, the way the Bears do.

Also, there are questions about the Bears run defense for this year with Justin Jones gone and unproven Gervon Dexter slated to replace him at the critical 3-technique spot defensive tackle spot. The 3-technique is huge in run defense for this scheme.

4. Time on Task

With so many Bears changes in this past offseason on offense, they need time to work into their offense initially before they face an opponent so important to their success or failure this season.

Especially with Williams being a rookie, it's critical. But they also have one new starting receiver a new third receiver and second tight end and starting running back. Their starting center will be new, as well.

Chaos can reign supreme on the road in an opener with their offense.

They need the time to get things in order before facing the Lions.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain

GENE CHAMBERLAIN

BearDigest.com publisher Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.