Why playing a game is a relief for Bears

Through all the introspection over an embarrassing defeat, the criticism, the internal debate over who calls plays and which quarterback is healthy enough to start on Sunday, the Bears have had a game lurking at the end of the week.

Oh yeah, the Detroit Lions.

It's a winless team but one that played much stronger opponents than the Bears to tough losses. How does it get any tougher than being cheated on the time clock by officials and then giving up a game-winning, NFL-record 66-yard field goal?

The Bears are actually looking at this game as a relief but not because they're facing Detroit, which is rebuilding so often over the years. Instead, the game is a welcome distraction after all the sideshows and histrionics over a 47-yard offensive effort against Cleveland.

"I mean that's the benefit of the NFL, I think it's beneficial for everybody to be able to get out there and play another game," wide receiver Allen Robinson said.

Taking a week's worth of looking in a mirror and worrying about their quarterback position, and then converting it into a victory is the Bears' goal for this week.

Here's how the Bears and Lions match up, who wins the game and why.

Bears running the ball

When the Bears actually focused on running and committed to giving it to David Montgomery in a game, they had decent success at 4.4 yards a carry. When they've given up on the run or came in trying to use the run only as filler in their offense, they achieve nothing. In this game, they could get some quarterback rushing yards, but Detroit was good last week at containing the best running QB, Lamar Jackson. Detroit's run defense has held up against the No. 1 running attack in the league, Baltimore, and strong running teams like Green Bay and San Francisco. They are 16th against the run, and adding Michael Brockers on the line this year has helped. But how much of Detroit's effectiveness against the run is simply because teams prefer to throw at will on them? After all, they are 24th in rushing attempts allowed and 23rd against the pass. Edge to the Bears.

Bears passing the ball

The Detroit secondary presents an inviting target with the top two cornerbacks gone due to injuries and converted safety Bobby Price manning one spot. The problem is Justin Fields hasn't exactly established he can attack any NFL defense with his arm. The Lions do have a better group of pass rushers than last year and players like Brockers or Romeo Okwara can pose a problem. However, not having Trey Flowers available due to injury is a huge loss for Detroit. No Edge.

Lions running the ball

This is one key reason Detroit has been competitive with good teams. They rely on probably their greatest strength, the offensive line, and have used both D'Andre Swift (123 yards) and former Packer Jamaal Williams (121 yards) to complement the passing game. They stick to the run, too. The Bears had been stout stopping the run before caving in last week after they had been on the field almost all game (39+ minutes). The Lions ran on the Bears with a different coaching staff last year in both games, but the Bears this week have nose tackle Eddie Goldman back, and this can make a huge difference if his injured knee holds up. When Goldman and Akiem Hicks are together on the field since the start of 2018, the Bears have allowed less than 80 yards rushing a game. They could also have Danny Trevathan back, and one thing he still does well is play off of his defensive line to attack running backs. Edge to the Bears.

Lions Passing the Ball

Jared Goff was considered a minor part of the Matthew Stafford deal by some but that's hardly true. Even with a shaky group of wide receivers, he has the Lions 14th in passing yards and owns a 94.3 passer rating. The key here is the Lions' offensive line gives him time to get in a rhythm and he is a rhythm passer. Finding his tight ends against Bears nickel coverage won't be that hard in the short passing game considering how poor the coverage has been from Duke Shelley, Kindle Vildor and it could give him time to get in a rhythm. On the other hand, the Bears do have a history of being able to disrupt him and force turnovers when he was with the Rams. He threw four interceptions against them in 2018. No Edge.

Special Teams

Detroit started over in its kicking game with inexperienced kicker Austin Seibert, who has been an average to below-average kicker (80.5%) in his NFL career after he had a strong start as a rookie in 2019 with the Browns (86.2%). The Bears last had a missed field goal from Cairo Santos in Week 3 of the 2020 season. Jack Fox has been one of the league's better punters the past few years for Detroit, but Pat O'Donnell might be coming off his best game as a Bears punter. The return game favors Detroit with Kalif Raymond averaging 10.5 a punt return while the Bears have worried about Nsimba Webster simply catching the ball. No Edge.

Coaching

Lions coach Dan Campbell has been far more effective than some of his detractors suggested he could be and seems able to focus limited resources on a particular opposing weakness to keep his team close. Matt Nagy has had two of his worst game plans in the last three weeks and in the other game the game plan was disrupted by a quarterback injury. Nagy has had to cope with distractions, like questions about his job, as well as the fact his attack just doesn't seem to work. Changing play callers or even considering it is always a sign of panic. Edge to the Lions.

Prediction

Bears 23, Lions 17

Gene Chamberlain's Record to Date: Straight up 3-0, against the spread 3-0.

The defense and Santos' kicking again win one in Chicago for the Bears. They'll actually use the running game as well as the screen game as they once again rediscover David Montgomery, easily their most dependable offensive weapon and a guy standing right there in front of them all the time. Remember him, the guy in the No. 32 jersey?

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven