While the season is more than half over, the Lions are prepping to play just their second divisional game when they host the Chicago Bears at Ford Field on Sunday.
Sitting atop the NFC North at 7-2, the Lions are obviously in a good spot but they see a rising team in the Bears (3-7). And they know the division title is not a lock yet especially with the Vikings winning five straight.
“If you aspire to win the division, you have to win your division games. That’s the bottom line and we’ve only – we’ve got one under our belt and this is number two. So, it’s as simple as that,’’ coach Dan Campbell said. “You don’t know how these games are going to unfold. You don’t know how the season’s going to entirely unfold at the end, but certainly, you better have a majority of the division wins if that’s what you plan on doing. So, it’s that – I always say they count for two. This is like winning two games a little bit when you play these division games. So, it’s important, it’s important. It’s a conference game and more importantly, it’s a division game.”
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said the Bears remind him of the Lions when they went on their big season-ending run last year.
“I think they’re a whole lot better than their record shows. They’ve been banged up a little bit throughout the year and getting their quarterback back now and have done some really good things on defense, so we’ll have our hands full,’’ Goff said.
Justin Fields, coming off a dislocated thumb, is expected to start after missing four games.
FIVE THINGS TO WATCH:
1. Lions must pressure quarterback Justin Fields, who is expected to return after missing four games with a fractured thumb. The mobile quarterback is always a threat even though he hasn’t been running as much this season. “(He) brings a whole other element to the game we haven’t seen in a while,’’ Campbell said. The Bears were 1-5 when he started the first six games. He had 11 touchdowns and six interceptions.
2. Overall the Lions defense must improve over the way it played in the 41-38 win at the Chargers on Sunday. Certain issues must be corrected. “Communication, to me, was the biggest piece of it. It’s not about the plays being made when they happen,’’ Campbell said. “Just like last week we know that’s a good offense and a good quarterback, you want to know if something comes up it wasn’t because of us – a communication error on a few plays.’’
3. The Lions run game has been on fire with 200 rushing yards against the Chargers and 220 against the Raiders in the past two games. The Bears’ rushing defense is ranked second in the NFL, allowing just 76 rushing yards per game while the Lions’ rushing offense is ranked fourth averaging 139 yards per game. “They’ve got length, they’ve got size, they’ve got quickness, they move a ton,’’ Campbell said of the Bears’ rushing defense. “This is a stunning defense. They’ve got a ton of different looks coverage-wise, and I think when you’re able to play multiple coverages, you have length, you play with speed and you move, it creates problems. It can create problems. If we can’t handle their movement upfront, it’ll be one of those long days for us.’’ With David Montgomery’s return and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs’ maturation they should be fine, but yards on the ground could be tough to come by.
4. Expect Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to call the same aggressive game that has brought them so much success. Johnson said against the Chargers, it felt like almost anything was going to work. “So that’s really a credit to the guys. It’s less the plays, it’s more the style of play. Those guys played hard from play one all the way until the end and were able to put up some yards and some points, which was great,” Johnson said. “And we kind of talked last week that some guys were going to be unhappy because we’ve got so many mouths to feed and, fortunately we were able to feed quite a few of them.’’
5. Veteran pass-rusher Bruce Irvin, 36, who was signed to the practice squad this week won’t be active on Sunday. After a workout for the team, Campbell said Irvin has superhuman genes. While he’s in great shape he wasn’t in football shape. “We want to be smart about this, let’s see where he goes,’’ Campbell said on Friday. “Just getting him in football shape is important. I don’t think you want to throw anybody out there and set him up for disaster with an injury when they’re not quite ready. I don’t see him being up this week.’’ Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said they will build different packages for Irvin and also in base he operates the SAM linebacker role.
INJURIES: DT Isaiah Buggs (illness) and LG Jonah Jackson (wrist/ankle) are out; S Ifeatu Melifonwu (hand) is questionable.
ROSTER MOVES: DL Quinton Bohanna and OL Connor Galvin were elevated from the practice squad on Saturday.
PREDICTION: Lions 24, Bears 10. While the Bears should put up a good fight, they don’t have the talent to match the Lions at Ford Field.
Lions Lowdown 