After the Firing Controversy, a Football Game
The drama surrounding a possible postgame firing of Matt Nagy on Thursday has vanished for now thanks to George McCaskey finally standing up for what's right.
They decided Nagy had been dragged far enough under their proverbial bus.
It doesn't mean the intrigue over the Bears and Lions game has disappeared all together, only to be replaced by two teams at the bottom of the NFC sort of doing battle.
There is a sidebar to it all.
According to Hub Arkush of Pro Football Weekly, McCaskey had been the one responsible for forcing Nagy to switch and use Justin Fields as starting quarterback beginning with Week 5. The story said Nagy was very much opposed to naming Fields starter
At the time, it seemed odd for Nagy to say Dalton was starter and then two days later name Fields the starter without another game being played.
So if the report is accurate, Thursday's game could be a chance for Nagy to gain a bit of redemption, and it is all based on the performance of quarterback Andy Dalton.
If Dalton lights up the Lions in his first start since being designated a backup, and breaks the team's five-game losing streak in the process, Nagy will at least be able to say "I told you so" about the veteran passer as a starter.
Fields did beat the Lions earlier 24-14 but it was before he had been named starting quarterback and the running game proved as important as the passing game in that one.
Regardless of all the he said, she said, they said, it said, this week the Bears and Lions are going to play a game and it means much more to one team than the other. The Lions haven't had a win for coach Dan Campbell and want to get it for him.
One of the teams also can pretty much assume they'll have their coach back next year, and it's definitely not the Bears. Although, no one can ever really be certain of such things based on Detroit's history.
Nagy's teams have beaten the Lions five out of six times and there's no reason to think emotion over a coach first being fired and then not being fired could take any starch out of them.
Whatever unsubstantiated report is floating around, players say they have to remain focused on the job at hand.
"When things are going great, you have to block out the outside noise," quarterback Andy Dalton said. "When you're on a losing streak, you have to block out the outside noise."
After all, they already played one game without Nagy this year so why would they be thrown off by being told they had to play the final six without him this year?
Here's who wins this turkey of a game in Motown and why.
Bears running vs. Lions run defense
Only two teams failed to run for at least 116 yards against the Lions this year, Green Bay and the Rams, and both of them scorched Detroit through the air anyway. David Montgomery has been aching to get going after the Bears let him run only 14 times against the Baltimore Ravens when they were getting comparatively good returns from the running attack even against a good defense. The Lions are 31st against the run and the Bears ran for 188 yards against them last time, with only 9 coming on Justin Fields quarterback runs, as Khalil Herbert and Montgomery tore up Detroit's front seven. Edge to the Bears.
Bears passing vs. Lions pass defense
Dalton throws short and takes fewer risks than Justin Fields would. The trouble for the Lions is their pass defense is one worth taking risks against. The stats say they're 13th in the league but that's because everyone runs on them so much. When teams do pass on them, they have success as well. Only three teams threw for less than 227 yards on them, and, of course when this happened the Lions lost anyway. Not having Allen Robinson will be a blow to the Bears passing game as he averages almost five catches and 71 yards a game receiving against Detroit. Someone else will simply have to torch them. Edge to the Bears.
Lions running vs. Bears run defense
Roquan Smith, Eddie Goldman and Bilal Nichols should be able to handle the interior of the Lions' beat-up offensive line. Power running has hurt the Bears in the past and normally the Lions could be counted on for this but Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift could find running lanes crowded considering their line's injury problems at guard. The interior seemed to compensate well last week for Akiem Hicks' absence and should do it again against a makeshift Lions offensive line. No Edge.
Lions passing vs. Bears pass defense
The Bears could have Eddie Jackson back from a hamstring injury and considering all the communication breakdowns in their secondary this could not be a bad thing. Jared Goff legitimizes the Lions passing attack and the presence of T.J. Hockenson and Josh Reynolds makes for a threat from their receivers. Detroit's offensive line has solidified as pass blockers but they're facing a pass rush now tied for the NFL lead in sacks again. No Edge.
Special Teams
Lions receiver Kalif Raymond is more consistently dangerous as a punt returner than Jakeem Grant for the Bears, averaging 12.5 yards a return. Lions punter Jack Fox remains among the very best in the league with 49.0 yards per punt. Bears punt protection will get picked on by the Lions after giving up a tipped punt against Baltimore. Edge to the Lions.
Coaching
Considering all of the controversy at Halas Hall and firing rumors for Nagy, it negates any edge he would have over a coach who hasn't won a game yet in 10 tries. Dan Campbell calls plays now but even in a draw and a close loss it's apparent he is not one to open up the attack. No Edge.
Prediction
The Line: Bears by 3. Over/under 41 1/2.
BearDigest Record: 9-1 straight up, 8-2 vs. the spread.
Final Score: Bears 23, Lions 17.
The Bears have plenty of intangibles working against them in this one but one they have in their favor is fear. They have to fear what it would be like being the first team to lose to the Lions, so they'll be sharper than expected considering they've had almost no time to prepare and George McCaskey's soap opera blocking their path.
Twitter: BearDigest@onFanNation
