Joe's Gameday Preview: Bears at Lions

For everything that couldn’t have been predicted so far this season, at least one thing in the NFL remains a constant: the Detroit Lions are still awful. However, now that Matt Millen has been fired as team President that might not be the case much longer. Though for Bears fans there’s no need to worry, I’m confident that the Lions will continue to be an embarrassment for at least the rest of this season. Changing a GM or President won’t change the product on the field but it can affect the mentality of a team, but the Lions’ morale is so low it won’t make any difference for the foreseeable future. With that in mind, the Chicago Bears need to avoid being embarrassed by the dregs of the NFC North.

Offensively, the Detroit Lions are the opposite of the Philadelphia Eagles offense that the Bears met last week. Their quarterback Jon Kitna is average, but they have perhaps the best wide receivers in the league with All-Pro Roy Williams, emerging Calvin Johnson, and dependable Mike Furrey. Their running back is unproven rookie Kevin Smith, but despite claims of a new orientation towards the run, the Lions always revert to the passing game when they need a win. Why wouldn’t they? That’s what their personnel would dictate. The Bears secondary is going to have a hard time keeping those wide-outs under wraps, even with Charles Tillman and Nathan Vasher expecting to play. Each were injured in the game with the Eagles but returned to practice on Thursday. The Bear defense behind All-Pro linebacker Brian Urlacher is known for shutting down the run but being vulnerable to the pass. They simply don’t get enough pass rush on opposing QB’s while their coverage schemes allow for the underneath throws. With defensive tackle Tommie Harris suspended for Sunday’s game for disciplinary reasons, it’ll be even harder to bring Jon Kitna to the ground. Kitna may have a big day if defensive coordinator Bob Babich isn’t careful.

When Chicago is on offense, things look to be much easier. The Lions defense hasn’t even stopped anyone in practice. Atlanta rushed all over them while Green Bay lit them up with the pass. This will help a struggling Bears offense to find their rhythm, and it can’t come too soon for coordinator Ron Turner. Even with his normally inept play-calling, the Bears offense should be able to muster twenty points without turnovers from the defense. Running back Matt Forte should have no problem rushing for over 100 yards against Detroit’s front seven, while backup RB Kevin Jones will certainly be looking to stick it to the team that cut him. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd is out for this game, which means Kyle Orton must find the tight ends with regularity, as he has not developed a rapport with any of his other receivers. Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark need to have a big game to stabilize this offense. This is also the game that Devin Hester needs to impact, as he can take advantage of a poor Lions secondary. Without Lloyd, there truly is no number one wide receiver, so another committee effort is expected throughout the game.

This contest on paper favors the Bears, but coming off their emotional win against Philly one has to wonder if there’s a letdown in the works. Lovie Smith must focus his team after the Harris suspension, so they don’t lose a game against a clearly inferior Detroit team that seems to have the Bears’ number. If all goes according to plan, the Bears should see themselves at 3-2 after five weeks. After last season’s two losses to the Lions, the Bears ought to be looking for some vicious payback.