Bear Digest

Where Lions pose real matchup problems for Bears despite eight defeats

Detroit's explosive offense presents difficult situations for the Bears' defense, after a loss in San Francisco where many flaws were exposed.
Gene Chamberlain|
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown beats Nick McCloud for a second-quarter touchdown at Detroit in Week 2.
Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown beats Nick McCloud for a second-quarter touchdown at Detroit in Week 2. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

So many final games of the regular season devolve into exhibitions with practice squad players doing battle instead of competitive football.

It happens for virtually every team already eliminated and for some of those getting ready for the playoffs. They'll rest players for the greater good. Trying to focus on matchups becomes a guessing game.

Fortunately, the Bears and Lions both say they're playing to win and it makes total sense for the Bears due to their chance to keep the second seed.

As for the Lions, coach Ben Johnson's experience as the offensive coordinator there provides a peek into Detroit's mindset, even if it probably doesn't make much sense—playing to win hurts their draft status in addition to jeopardizing any players who might be on the fence health-wise.

“This group has talent all over the place," Johnson said of the Lions. "Offensively their skill positions are absolutely loaded. Receiver wise, they're fast. Quarterback is playing at a super high level. He's so accurate. You give him a clean pocket, he can just pick you apart.

"And then these runners are dangerous, both of them. And so, I think defensively we’ve got a tall task at hand, a lot like we did last week. That's Step 1, and then their defense is, I get it, they've given up some points over the last few games, but they're still a very stout front. These guys are flying to the football, they create pressure, and you see some explosive plays, but they're all contested. It's tight coverage on the back end. So I think Shep's (Lions defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) doing a great job getting those guys going. They play hard, they play fast and they play physical.”

Detroit's defense still has a few players who cause problems even if they have given up 30.1 points per game to their last six opponents, with no opponent in that stretch scoring less than 23. They must, otherwise they couldn't have held the Vikings to 3 net yards passing in the last game, a 23-10 Vikings win

Here are the matchups on both sides of the football where the Bears have cause for concern. Considering how poorly their secondary played last week against the 49ers, it should be no surprise the Lions' receivers are viewed as real problems.

CB Jaylon Johnson vs. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

The last time Johnson covered St. Brown, he stretched out to break up a pass and injured his groin. This is a problem for the Bears because it's obvious Johnson isn't in the peak physical condition he would have been as a result of core muscle surgery. The Bears could come into this dodging the matchup against Detroit's top receiver because he has a knee injury that is cutting into his practice time. Still, if it's possible at all the top Lions receiver will be ready for a game against his old offensive coordinator. He had nine catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns in the first game at Detroit. Even with an injury last week he had eight catches for 68 yards and has made 31 catches in the last four games. At least one analytic site says Johnson continues improving, and allowed only a 70.8 passer rating against in the 49ers game after rough game against Green Bay. His 78.5 passer rating against on the year says he hasn't lost it despite the surgery.

CB Tyrique Stevenson vs. WR Jameson Williams

This is a problem for the Bears because of Williams' speed, and it has shown up often in recent matchups. The two always seem to be looking for ways to jaw at each other, too. Williams had a slow start to his season but has 28 catches for 451 yards and two TDs in his last five games. It would probably not be beyond Dan Campbell and Co. to have a trick play or two with Williams involved just because of the opponent they face this week. Stevenson has had passer ratings against of 77.1 or lower in four of his last five games, according to Stathead/Pro Football Reference. He gave up 1 yard after the catch total for the last two games, but the speed is the problem here for him and he can't let himself get a half step behind or Williams is gone.

CB Nahshon Wright vs. WR Isaac TeSlaa

This wouldn't necessarily be the natural matchup but it needs to be in the red zone. The Lions, with tight end Sam LaPorta out for the year, have turned more to their 6-foot-4, 214-pound rookie wide receiver in the red zone. Of his 15 catches, six were touchdowns. His great leaping ability, height and long arms make it so the best way to handle him is with a 6-4 cornerback like Wright. If they wind up with C.J. Gardner-Johnson or Jaylon Johnson guarding TeSlaa in the red zone, it could be a terrible mismatch for the Bears. Wright was said by many to have been slighted in a bid for the Pro Bowl but his passer ratings against the last two weeks—93.7 and 116.7—say otherwise, even if he leads the NFL in takeaways with eight. He also hasn't had an interception since Jaylon Johnson returned to the lineup against the Eagles, and Dennis Allen started rotating cornerbacks.

LB T.J. Edwards vs. RB Jahmyr Gibbs

The Bears on defense must stop the run in this game better than against the 49ers, when Christian McCaffrey ran for 140 yards and also caught four passes. Gibbs is certainly capable of doing that and more, as his 219-yard rushing game with 45 more yards receiving against the Giants earlier this season says. His speed is a problem and Edwards must be coming downhill in a hurry to get to him. In passing situations, it might be on a safety or Tremaine Edmunds to cover Gibbs out of the backfield and it's still a problem. The Bears might even need to drop defensive ends into covering the flat on occasion in those instances.

T Darnell Wright vs. DE Aidan Hutchinson

This shouldn't be a mismatch but it has sometimes been because Hutchinson is persistent and extends his rushes, even if matched against a tougher tackle to beat like Wright. Hutchinson has heated up in the pass rush, too, with five in his last three games after he had a fast start but then had cooled off. He has 13 1/2 sacks, 44 pressures and 32 quarterback hits. He is no picnic against the run, either, with 13 tackles for loss. Wright isn't having a poor year, as Pro Football Focus grades him 10th among 86 tackles and 24th in pass-blocking of the 86. Stacked against the production Hutchinson has had, though, it does look like a mismatch. Chipping and double-teaming could be the order of the day for Hutchinson.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

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.