The Detroit Lions are the only remaining winless team in the NFC North, but up next for them is a tasty opportunity to break out of their slump. The Lions will be meeting the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday. Like the Lions, Chicago is coming off a loss and has been having problems in a lot of areas. Check out our preview of this game below.
Just when it looked like the Lions were finally going to score a win, the football gods gave their fans a reason to drink, as Detroit lost on a historic made field goal by Justin Tucker in last Sunday’s 19-17 home loss to the Baltimore Ravens. But if the Lions are looking for something encouraging, they can start by checking in on their defense that held Lamar Jackson and company down to just 19 points. Detroit’s pass rush also sacked the extremely mobile Jackson a total of four times. That’s not a good sign for Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who got beaten up by the Cleveland Browns’ defense. There’s also hope in the Lions’ backfield, with D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams teaming up nicely on the ground. They combined for 99 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns against Baltimore.
The Lions are 6-2 against the spread in their last eight Week 4 contests.
Maybe Justin Fields is indeed a little bit raw for the NFL. He will just have to continue learning on the job, though, with Andy Dalton still out. Fields was mercilessly mauled by the Browns’ defense in Week 2’s 26-6 road loss, as he was sacked nine times for a loss of 67 yards. The Bears also couldn’t get anything going on the ground in that game, as they came away with only 46 rushing yards on 13 carries. There’s no way but up for Chicago after that forgettable loss to the Browns. In any case, it appears that Chicago should have an easier time containing Detroit’s offense than that of Cleveland’s. The Lions are still struggling with sustaining drives because of their problematic third-down executions. They are just 29th in the league with a 32.35 third-down completion percentage.
The over is 6-1 in the Lions’ last seven games against teams in their division.
