Bears vs. Lions: 3 things to watch in the Week 11 matchup
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Matt Eberflus era will turn 28 games old on Sunday, and he has a chance at a first: back-to-back wins. But this isn't your dad's or even your big brother's Lions team. The Lions are two games clear of everyone in the division. The last time Detroit won a division title was back in 1993. Justin Fields and most of the Bears weren't born yet, and the NFC North didn't exist. I'm CBS 2 Sports Director Marshall Harris, and this is three things to watch when the Bears visit the Lions in Detroit.
We start with all the attention that will be on starting quarterback Justin Fields, who will be back in the saddle for the first time in a month after dislocating his right thumb. The Bears went 2-2 without Fields under center and QB 1 even said he learned some things watching from the sidelines. Fields has a much higher ceiling than backup Tyson Bagent, but one thing the rookie did is get rid of the football quickly, with the ball coming out in 2.91 seconds on average. Fields' release time is at 3.23 seconds per pass. Against the likes of Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeil, Fields needs to play free and prove himself.
The second thing to watch is the area of the line where Hutchinson is going to be in attack mode, the right side of the Bears offensive line. Rookie right tackle Darnell Wright will have his hands full, and he'll be back to playing with Nate Davis at right guard after teaming up with Teven Jenkins while Davis was out with an ankle sprain. Now it's not Justin Fields' blind side, but it will be interesting what type of protection he gets up front.
The third thing to watch is what fans watch every week with feelings ranging from curiosity to downright anger: DJ Moore. Get that man the football, by any means necessary. The Bears are coming off a mini-bye. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy should be scheming up plays for the Bears' biggest playmaker in his sleep.
Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce talked about getting All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams the ball because "I'm not stupid. I know who to get the ball to."
Moore hasn't had double-digit targets since week 5. And it's only happened once all season.
The Bears and Lions kick off Sunday at noon.
