What the Bears Need to Do to Upset the Lions on Thanksgiving
It has been a rough month and a half stretch for the Chicago Bears. It was well documented that the Bears would have to take advantage of the first half of their schedule before they got to all their challenging NFC North division games, and well, the division games are here, and they are punching the Bears in the mouth seemingly every week. This week could be more of the same as they travel to Detroit on a short week to take on the red hot Lions in front of a national TV audience on Thanksgiving. With that said, let's go over three things the Bears will have to do well if they want to pull off the upset in Detroit with the whole country watching.
Slow Down Detroit’s Rushing Attack
The Lions have one of the most lethal rushing attacks in the NFL, headlined by their two-headed monster at running back in Jahmyr Gibbs and former Bear David Montgomery. Gibbs is averaging over five and a half yards per carry, and Montgomery is averaging nearly four and a half. Not to mention, they both have double-digit rushing touchdowns on the season. The Lions rank 4th in the NFL in total rushing yards and 1st in the NFL in points per game. This Lions offensive line rarely loses at the line of scrimmage, making it very challenging for opposing defensive fronts to get any penetration into the backfield. If the Bears want to have any chance in this one, guys like Montez Sweat, Gervon Dexter, Darrell Taylor, and DeMarcus Walker are going to have to play exceptionally well upfront early and often to slow down Detroit’s run game and force them into predictable passing downs for Jared Goff.
Continue to Disrupt Jared Goff
This key is largely dependent on the Bears being able to stop the run game, but the Bears have had success defensively against Jared Goff since he has been a member of the Lions. Since the 2018 season, Jared Goff has 14 turnovers against the Bears, which is the second most by any player against a certain team over that span. In the two games these teams played last season, Goff had five interceptions in those two matchups against a Bears defense with many of the same players. In nearly every football game, when a team pulls off the upset, that team ends up on top in the turnover margin. It is crucial that the Bears force Goff into predictable passing downs and force him to turn the ball over, and give Caleb Williams and the offense extra possessions to work with.
The Bears Can Not Beat Themselves
This has been a constant issue for the Bears during this five-game losing streak. You can look at multiple games over the past six weeks and find various examples in each of them where the Bears lost the game more than their opponents actually won them. Whether it has been lack of focus on the Hail Mary against Washington, or the failed blocking on the field goal attempt against Green Bay, or the questionable challenges costing the Bears precious second half timeouts, the Bears can not have anything like that happen if they want to get a win in Detroit against one of the best teams in football. Turnovers have not been an issue for Caleb Williams and the offense as of late, and it is going to have to stay that way again this week. Communication must be sharp on all sides of the ball, and Matt Eberflus has to be better with his coaching decisions in critical situations. The Lions are an extremely well coached team that looks to take any advantage they can, so it is paramount that Eberflus and company make sure the Bears will force the Lions to beat them instead of the Bears just beating themselves like they have the past few weeks.
