Three Ways Bears Offense Can Exploit Lions Defense

The Detroit Lions defense struggled to stop anyone last year and it should be apparent by the fact a pitiful Bears offense managed to score 20 and 24 points against them in wins.

The Bears couldn't get to 20 against nine of their opponents last year.

The Lions had the league's worst pass defense and ranked next to last in total defense. It's why much was made of efforts by Detroit to upgrade in the offseason, and getting 345-pound Patriots defensive lineman Danny Shelton was a good start. However, the Lions left several key areas untouched, or are counting on players not yet ready at other spots.

This invites the new-look Bears offense of offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and coach Matt Nagy to attack several spots in different ways.

Here are three matchups the Bears can exploit Sunday in their noon season opener at Ford Field.

Tarik Cohen vs. Middle/Right Side Linebackers

Expect the Bears to get Tarik Cohen into the backfield more than they did last year in an attempt to match him up one on one with either middle linebacker Jarrad Davis or former Bears linebacker Christian Jones.

The Bears have three tight ends they feel are more capable of doing damage now than in the past and they might be able to use more 12 personnel because of this. If the Lions decided they have to respect Jimmy Graham, Cole Kmet or Demetrius Harris, they'll have to devote defensive backs to the coverage on these players and it would leave Cohen isolated on Jones or Davis. Of course the Bears know Jones well from his first four years in the league at Halas Hall. He was an undrafted player with some straight-line speed and good size but totally unable to play in space. He wasn't a good enough pass rusher to devote his energies to being an outside linebacker in a 3-4, either.

Davis is a player with good physical skills and an ability to deliver an occasional big hit, but also has had real problems diagnosing plays and arriving at the right location. If the Bears get Cohen isolated on most linebackers it would be disaster for the defense. If they do it with these two, they can count on big plays like Cohen produced in 2018.

Cordarrelle Patterson vs. Lions' Edges

The Lions brought in Jamie Collins to help with their problems at linebacker. He had been a strong pass coverage linebacker for New England who received high marks from Pro Football Focus at times for his pass rush, although he wasn't much of a closer with sacks until last year. Where Collins struggled is against the run. He has gone four straight years with diminished grades defending the run. His PFF grades have been 65.9 or lower in that time stopping the run and twice dipped into the 50s. The Lions already have a problem on the other side when undrafted journeyman Jones is playing. The Bears really like what they see with Patterson as a ball carrier to the outside, if they can manage to get it blocked. They'll have to trust new line coach Juan Castillo found ways to make up for their inability to block the run.

Anthony Miller vs. Justin Coleman

Anthony Miller came on last year in the second half of the season and the Bears will look to exploit a matchup against Justin Coleman, a slot cornerback who commanded a big contract from the Lions but had a 103.1 passer rating against and six touchdowns allowed last season. The rating and TDs were courtesy of official NFL statistics by Sportradar. The Lions might be able to cover Allen Robinson with Amani Oruwariye, who is 6-foot-2 and is Robinson's height. It's unknown whether Jeff Okudah will even be ready to start in the opener, but Coleman will have the slot and Miller has become adept at route running over the past two years. He burned the Lions in Detroit with a huge catch last year. The Lions had one of the league's least effective pass rushes last year and that goes hand in hand with their coverage problems. They brought in Jamie Collins, but he has never been regarded as a great pass rusher. His career high came last year with seven sacks and he'd never had more than 5 1/2 prior to this. It's basically the Trey Flowers show in the pass rush for Detroit, so the Bears should have time to exploit the middle of the field with Miller.

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