Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: Complete Week 13 Preview for Chicago
The Chicago Bears went into their Week 12 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers needing a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive. After putting themselves in a hole to start the game, the team bounced back and came away with a 21-13 victory. The Bears will now head to Detroit on a short week to take on the Lions on Thanksgiving Day.
The Bears hold a 16-14-2 all-time record on Thanksgiving Day and are 8-7 versus Detroit. Thursday will mark the 169th overall meeting between the Bears and Lions. Chicago leads the all-time series 96-67-5.
Despite their win against the Buccaneers, the Bears have a long way to go if they want to make the playoffs this season. Defensive end Jared Allen acknowledged on Sunday the Bears put themselves in this position with a handful of poor performances earlier this season, but they have a chance to make up for that on Thursday.
“We put ourselves in this hole; we’re trying to slowly dig out of it,” Allen said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “We’ve got to focus on winning. This was a huge game. Detroit lost [Sunday]. We got some momentum, and we’ve got to carry that through.”
The Lions are coming off back-to-back losses and currently sit in second place in the NFC North division at 7-4. Detroit's offense sputtered in its 34-9 loss to the Patriots in Week 12. Matthew Stafford threw for 264 yards on 46 pass attempts, was intercepted once, was sacked twice and finished the game with a 49.5 quarterback rating. Wide receiver Golden Tate was the lone bright spot for the offense, hauling in four catches for 94 yards.
While much of the focus this week will be on Chicago's struggling offense going up against Detroit's menacing defense, the Bears may be able to dictate the pace of the game if they can rattle Stafford early on Thanksgiving Day.
Here is our Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions preview for Week 13.
Week 12 Recap
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Despite falling behind 10-0 in the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Bears bounced back in the second half and came away with a 21-13 victory.
Chicago's offense struggled out of the gate against the Buccaneers, but it fought back after halftime and put up 21 points in the second half.
“Certainly not the way we want to start offensively, but overall just to hang in there, to hang in there at halftime, bring it together—tough conditions today—we’ll take the win," head coach Marc Trestman said after the game, via Hub Arkush of ChicagoFootball.com. "Played a good football team today, so we’ll take the win and be excited to move forward.”
Jay Cutler completed just 10 of his 18 first-half pass attempts for 72 yards and finished the game with 130 yards through the air with one touchdown on 17 pass completions. Running back Matt Forte once again carried the load on offense for the Bears, finishing the game with 89 yards rushing on 23 carries with two touchdowns.
On the other side of the ball, defensive tackle Stephen Paea stole the show with his dominant performance. He finished with two sacks, three tackles and three quarterback hits.
"[Paea] is a beast," ex-Bears cornerback and current Buccaneer Isaiah Frey told CSNChicago.com after the game. "He's been balling all year. I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the Pro Bowl. He's been doing the same thing. He had a couple of injuries but this year he's been healthy and getting sacks. He's been doing real good."
In order for the Bears to slow down Detroit Thursday afternoon, Paea is going to need to once again be the dominant force up front that he was against the Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon.
News and Notes
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Marc Trestman Says Struggles on Offense Have Been "Disturbing"
After finishing second in the league in scoring last season, Chicago's offense is currently 20th in the NFL in scoring, averaging just 21.5 points per game.
Chicago's offense gained just 204 total yards in Week 12 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and head coach Marc Trestman has been disturbed by the team's inability to move the football in recent weeks, via 670TheScore.com's Dan Durkin:
"It’s been disturbing that we haven’t been able to move the ball the way we would like to in games; that’s a fact.
But just based on where we’ve been over the last five or six weeks, no doubt about it. We’ve got another opportunity Thursday to move forward, and we’re going to do everything we can to get that done. It’s not what we want.
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Life will not get much easier for Chicago's offense on Thursday against the Detroit Lions. The Lions are allowing an average of 233.1 yards through the air this season and have only allowed 14 passing touchdowns this season.
Youngsters Are Making an Impact on Defense
The bottom third of Chicago's roster has been in a state of flux all season long, but the Bears are starting to get production from young players who have bounced back and forth between the 53-man roster and the practice squad.
On Sunday against the Buccaneers, first- and second-year players Demontre Hurst, David Bass, Christian Jones and Cornelius Washington all made impacts.
Hurst was productive as a blitzer out of the nickelback position, Bass was credited with a sack and forced fumble, Jones recovered a fumble, and Washington notched his first career sack.
“They’re getting practical playing time in crunch-time situations,” Trestman said about those four, via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “And the good part about what you’re seeing is the result of our veterans working together with them, spending time with them one-on-one and in meetings when the coaches aren’t around as well.”
Hurst, Bass and Washington are all expected to remain crucial contributors in rotational roles this season, but Lance Briggs' injury on Sunday will likely push Jones into a more prominent role moving forward.
“He’s stepping up,” Trestman said about Jones, via Mayer. “He’s running to the football. You can see the growth in practice; the learning curve is getting much better. He’s part of this young group of guys that we have that are getting opportunities and making the most out of them.”
Penalties, Penalties, Penalties
After committing just nine false-start penalties last season, via The Football Database, the Bears have already committed 17 this season, via BearReport.com's Jerem Stoltz:
"#Bears have 17 false start penalties this year, tied for 3rd most in NFL, while their 8 holding calls are tied for third fewest in NFL.
— Jeremy Stoltz (@BearReport) November 24, 2014"
Trestman knows his team needs to work on eliminating penalties moving forward, via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune:
"Trestman on offensive penalties: "The things that we can control are the things that we've got to continue to work on--and will."
— Rich Campbell (@Rich_Campbell) November 24, 2014"
One major reason for Chicago's stumbles on offense this season has been its plethora of pre-snap penalties. In order to stand any chance of beating the Lions at home on Thursday, the team is going to need to stay disciplined inside the often loud Ford Field.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Brock Vereen | FS | Limited |
| Darryl Sharpton | LB | Did Not Practice (DNP) |
| Kyle Fuller | CB | DNP |
| Brandon Marshall | WR | Limited |
| Chris Williams | WR | DNP |
| Brian de la Puente | C | DNP |
| Lance Briggs | LB | DNP |
| Jeremiah Ratliff | DT | DNP |
| Trevor Scott | DE | DNP |
All injury statuses are from Kevin Fishbain of ChicagoFootball.com.
Because of the short week, the Bears did not practice on Monday or Tuesday. If they had, linebackers Darryl Sharpton and Lance Briggs, cornerback Kyle Fuller, offensive lineman Brian de la Puente, defensive linemen Jeremiah Ratliff and Trevor Scott and wide receiver/kick returner Chris Williams all would not have practiced.
The biggest names to keep an eye on are Briggs and Fuller. Head coach Marc Trestman said the team may not make a decision on their statuses until closer to game time on Thursday, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times:
"Marc Trestman said decisions on Fuller (knee) and Briggs (groin) could come as soon as 90 minutes before game time Thurs.
— Patrick Finley (@patrickfinley) November 25, 2014"
Safety Brock Vereen and wide receiver Brandon Marshall were both listed as limited.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Alshon Jeffery vs. Rashean Mathis
Through 11 games this season, wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has 58 catches for 783 yards and five touchdowns. Even with Chicago's offense stumbling at times this season, Jeffery has proved to be a reliable target for Jay Cutler.
Thursday afternoon, he will have a chance to build off the success he had last season against the Detroit Lions. In two games against the Lions in 2013, Jeffery hauled in 14 catches for 221 yards and one touchdown.
With Brandon Marshall lined up on the opposite side of Jeffery, the Lions will likely have Darius Slay defending Marshall, leaving veteran Rashean Mathis on Jeffery.
Mathis is currently in his 12th NFL season and has struggled at times this year. From a technical standpoint, Mathis is an above-average cornerback, but at 34 years old, he no longer possesses the speed to match up with younger wide receivers.
If Jeffery can work himself to the outside on a deep route or make a quick cut off the line of scrimmage on a slant route, he has a chance to pick up big yardage against Mathis on Thursday.
Jermon Bushrod vs. Ezekiel Ansah
Signed to protect Jay Cutler's blindside in 2013, left tackle Jermon Bushrod has struggled at times this season.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Bushrod has given up three sacks and four quarterback hits and leads the team with 20 quarterback hurries allowed. He did miss two games due to injury earlier this season, but he no longer looks like the same player who helped protect Drew Brees in New Orleans.
Bushrod will face the difficult task of slowing down Detroit's Ezekiel Ansah on Thursday afternoon. The fifth overall pick of the Lions last season, Ansah has registered 5.5 sacks in 2014. Pro Football Focus currently has him listed as the league's 10th-best 4-3 defensive end with a plus-10.6 overall grade. In addition to his 5.5 sacks, Ansah has registered 11 quarterback hits and 19 quarterback hurries this season.
Ansah has a terrific combination of speed and athleticism, but he is still very raw. In order to keep Ansah away from Jay Cutler, Bushrod is going to need to rely on technique and smarts to use Ansah's overaggressiveness against him.
X-Factor of the Week: Jay Cutler
Quarterback Jay Cutler has had his fair share of ups and downs this season. While he has thrown for 2,825 yards and 22 touchdowns, he currently leads the league in turnovers with 18.
Throughout Cutler's tenure in Chicago, the Bears have been far better when he doesn't turn the football over, via Chicago Bears radio network sideline reporter Zach Zaidman:
"#Bears are now 22-5 in the regular season when Jay Cutler does not throw an interception, including 4-0 this season.
— Zach Zaidman (@ZachZaidman) November 24, 2014"
Luckily for Cutler, he has played well against the Detroit Lions in his career. In 11 career starts, he has thrown for 2,389 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Despite his strong career numbers against Detroit, Cutler will need to have a strong showing against the Lions on Thursday after looking mediocre at best in Chicago's last two wins.
Detroit's defense has been terrific against the pass this season, allowing just 14 passing touchdowns in 11 games this season. The Lions have done most of their damage against the pass playing zone coverage. Rotoworld.com's Raymond Summerlin expects Cutler to struggle against the zone on Thursday:
"While Brady carved up the Lions' zone looks, Cutler has struggled with it all season long. Not expecting a huge game on Turkey day.
— Raymond Summerlin (@RMSummerlin) November 24, 2014"
If the Bears want to have any shot at beating Detroit on Thursday, Cutler is going to need to be their X-factor.
Prediction
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Even though the Bears came away with a much-needed victory on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they are going to face off against a difficult opponent on Thursday in the Detroit Lions.
The Lions are coming off a loss against the New England Patriots in which they gave up 439 yards, including 349 yards through the air to quarterback Tom Brady. While they struggled to slow down the Patriots on offense, their own offense failed to get the football in the end zone. The Lions lost 34-9.
Even though the Lions are coming off a poor performance, they have the benefit of playing at home on a short week. They currently rank third in total defense, allowing an average of just 303.8 total yards per game. In 11 games this season, the Lions are allowing just 70.7 yards per game on the ground, the best in the NFL.
None of that is good news for a Bears offense that has struggled to get into a rhythm this season. Chicago currently ranks 16th in total offense, 20th in rushing offense and 14th in passing offense. In order to beat the Lions on Thanksgiving Day, Chicago's offense will need to come to life at Ford Field.
In the end, Detroit's dominance on defense may simply be too much for Chicago's sputtering offense to overcome.
Prediction: Bears 20, Lions 33
Record/statistical information provided via email from the Chicago Bears or NFL.com unless otherwise noted.
Matt Eurich is an NFL/Chicago Bears Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report and a member of the Pro Football Writers of America.
Follow @MattEurich
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