The NFC North is for the Green Bay Packers to lose, but that won’t stop the Chicago Bears from dreaming of ruling the division. On the heels of back-to-back wins against Oakland and Kansas City, the Bears head to Ford Field for a showdown with the 0-5 Detroit Lions, who are wallowing in the cellars of the NFC North standings.
For more Week 6 game previews, you can also read our breakdown of Chiefs vs. Vikings and Seahawks vs. Panthers.
[sc:Football ]
Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Preview and Prediction
[sc:NFL240banner ]All the Bears need is Jay Cutler. Despite missing some key components on their offense, the Bears successfully managed a come-from-behind 18-17 road victory over Kansas City on Sunday. With the victory, the Bears are now 2-0 SU in their last two games.
Cutler passed for 252 yards and two touchdowns without an interception against Kansas City. Even more impressive was the fact that Cutler did all that without the services of Eddie Royal (ankle), Alshon Jeffery (hamstring), and three starting offensive linemen. Instead, Cutler utilized a receiving corps made up of backups in Marquess Wilson and Cameron Meredith. Fortunately, for Chicago, both second-stringers delivered, as Wilson caught for 85 yards and a touchdown, while Meredith had 52 receiving yards on four receptions.
Perhaps another week of rest would be enough for Royal and Jeffery to get their bodies ready for the game against Detroit. Having both players on the field for Week 6 would be big for Cutler, who’ll work against a Lions’ defense that surrenders 248.8 passing yards per game. In any case, look for the Bears to give Matt Forte lots of touches in the backfield. Forte, who rushed for 71 yards on 18 carries in the loss win over Kansas City, is staring at a Lions’ defense that allows 126.6 per game.
The Bears’ defense, meanwhile, appears solid enough up front to take away Detroit’s passing game, as the Chicago is third in the NFL with 185.8 passing yards given up per contest.
Chicago has covered the spread in two of its last three games.
It’s one heartbreaking loss after another for the Lions. A week after losing a close one against Seattle, Detroit was beaten black and blue by another NFC West team in the form of Arizona, which dealt the Lions a soul-crushing 42-17 loss on Sunday.
Matthew Stafford had an awful game against the Cards, as he passed for only 188 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions before being substituted by backup Dan Orlovsky midway in the third quarter. By that time, the game was practically in garbage time mode with Arizona comfortably ahead. Stafford failed to get his game going largely because of the obvious ineptitude of Detroit’s backfield. The Lions only had 57 rushing yards against Arizona, with Zach Zenner and Ameer Abdullah combining for 47 yards.
With Stafford’s confidence left in tatters, the Lions’ backfield will have to step up and take away some pressure off the quarterback’s shoulders. That would be easier said than done, however, if Joique Bell continues to be sidelined. Bell, who is second to Abdullah in carries (22), didn’t play in the Arizona game because of an ankle injury.
Stopping Chicago’s offense also appears to be a challenge for Detroit, especially if defensive tackle Haloti Ngata misses another ballgame. Ngata hurt his calf in the Seattle game, forcing him to Detroit’s Week 5 date with Arizona.
Dating back to 2014, Detroit is 7-3 SU and 5-5 ATS in its last 10 home games.
