Bears vs. Lions: Three Things To Watch
CHICAGO (CBS) -- It's a matchup of two teams with one win combined since October as the Bears host the Lions Sunday at Soldier Field. Here are three things to watch:
Mitchell's Mastery Over Lions
Will Mitchell Trubisky continue his mastery over Detroit? Nobody may have been sadder to see Matt Patricia go than Trubisky. In four starts against the now-fired Lions coach, Trubisky threw for 12 touchdown passes and the Bears were 4-0. Part of it could be that Trubisky likes going against man coverage, but also Patricia's defense failed to put much pressure on Mitch or mix up coverages much. The big question, of course, is how different will the Lions defense look this week? Yes, Patricia was the architect, but they still have the same defensive coordinator who has been calling the plays all season, including in Week 1, when Trubisky threw for 3 late touchdowns in a Bears win. So watch to see if the Lions play more zone or try to bring some more heat.
A Different Defense?
Will Matt Nagy calling out his defense make a difference? It seemed like a bold move for the man behind the Bears anemic offense to criticize the unit that has carried the team for most of his time in Chicago. The defense is coming off easily its worst performance of the year, and there have been some season-long issues. Maybe the motivational talk will inspire some better play from former all-pro safety Eddie Jackson. Jackson has no interceptions this season, not all his fault, but at times he hasn't seemed that interested in tackling. A rejuvenated Jackson and of course a return of a healthy Akiem Hicks could boost this team down the stretch.
Offensive Line Improvement
Will the Bears' new-look offensive line be able to push around the Lions? The Bears offensive line has frankly been a mess all year, but with Cody Whitehair at guard and Sam Mustipher at center last week, they seemed to have one of their best games, albeit against a not great Packers defense. Well, guess who else is not great? The Lions defense. They are 28th in the league in rushing defense. Maybe David Montgomery can get back to back 100 yard rushing games for the first time in his young career.
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