The Chicago Bears (3-5) will host the Detroit Lions (2-6) at Soldier Field in a matchup of the bottom of the NFC North. The Bears could use a win, as they’re 0-2 against divisional opponents. Detroit won its first divisional game last week in an upset of Green Bay, ending a five-game losing streak.
Chicago has an excellent chance to win and gain their fourth win of the season. Detroit has the worst defense in the NFL and is plagued with injuries at running back and wide receiver.
The Bears’ offense has built incredible momentum over the past three weeks and should continue against the worst team in the NFL.
Here are five things to watch in their Week 10 matchup — and a final prediction.
1
Lions receivers vs. Bears pass defense
The Bears defense is fifth worst in the NFL regarding yards allowed per pass attempt. The Lions have a top-10 passing offense but will travel to Soldier Field injured and without a receiving threat besides Amon-Ra St. Brown.
After trading away second-leading receiver, tight end T.J. Hockenson, last week, the Lions had their worst game passing with 137 yards. It will be interesting to see if this is the new normal for the offense or if it was simply a lousy week throwing the ball against Green Bay.
2
Lions running backs vs. Bears run defense
Detroit averages 5.0 yards per rush and has the eighth-ranked rushing offense. However, their run success has trailed off over the past few weeks. After averaging 6.1 yards per rush in the first four games of the season, the Lions are averaging 4.1 yards per rush in their last four games.
Not only has the rushing production dropped off, but Detroit scored seven rushing touchdowns in the first four games compared to two in the last four. Most of this is due to the injuries to D’Andre Swift, who will be on a pitch count Sunday as he recovers from an ankle/shoulder injury.
The Bears have the 30th-ranked rushing defense in the NFL, so will they have a good game against Detroit or allow the Lions to break their recent downward trend? It’s hard to know since the Bears have given up 200+ yards rushing three times this season.
3
Justin Fields vs. Detroit secondary
The Lions have struggled to stop teams from throwing the ball successfully. Quarterbacks are averaging 268.5 yards and a quarterback rating of 101.5 compared to the NFL average rating of 89.2.
Will Justin Fields be able to take advantage of Detroit’s weak pass defense? Over the last three games, he is averaging 150 yards per game and a quarterback rating of 103.7. The Lions will offer an excellent opportunity for Fields to have his second 200+ yard passing game this season.
4
Chase Claypool's impact in his second game
The new wide receiver has another week in Chicago’s offense and will likely see more snaps. Against the Dolphins, Claypool only played 26-of-74 snaps (35%) but had six targets.
He only had 13 yards receiving but was on the end of a missed pass interference call on a 30+ yard pass in the fourth quarter that would’ve moved the Bears just outside the red zone. Nevertheless, his early impact on the offense is hard to miss.
The addition of the former Steelers wide receiver has helped Darnell Mooney. After struggling this year, the third-year wide receiver recorded his first receiving touchdown since playing the Giants in week 16 of the 2021 season. Look for Claypool to continue positively impacting the Bears’ offense against Detroit.
5
Cole Kmet's touchdown streak
Cole Kmet is starting to assert himself as a receiving threat. After only recording two touchdowns in his first two years, he has three this year and has caught at least one touchdown in back-to-back games.
The Lions have given up five touchdowns to tight ends this season. Will Kmet continue his streak against Detroit?
6
Final Prediction: Bears 33, Lions 17
While the Lions have a top-10 offense running and passing the ball, the stat is misleading. Detroit’s defense has constantly put them in a position where they needed to score to stay competitive – and they couldn’t score enough in six of eight games.
The running game has been struggling since D’Andre Swift’s departure, and he will be limited against the Bears as he recovers from his injury. The Lions’ passing game is also trending down due to injuries to Detroit’s top four receivers. As a result, Jared Goff has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3:4 in his last four games.
While Amon-Ra St. Brown will return, the loss of T.J. Hockenson (trade) and wide receivers DJ Chark (IR) and Josh Reynolds (doubtful) will force Detroit to rely on Trinity Benson, who was signed from the Broncos’ practice squad this week as a second option.
Meanwhile, the Bears offense has momentum. They are averaging 31.3 points per game in the last three games. With the dual-threat capability of Justin Fields, the NFL’s best rushing offense, and the addition of Chase Claypool, this offense should score plenty against Detroit’s last-place defense.
