Lions vs. Bears: Giving the Edge at Each Critical Matchup

The Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions on Sunday in what is an important divisional matchup with potential playoff implications. But haven't we been saying every game is important for the Bears?

Well, that's because the team started slowly and has had to win three consecutive games to lift its record to 5-3. Still, that is only good for third best in the NFC North.

The Lions stand at 6-2 and are coming off of a bye week.

With the Packers undefeated, we could be looking at the possibility of all three NFC playoff teams coming from the same division for the first time.

As far as injuries are concerned, the Bears will still be without rookie right tackle Gabe Carimi, but that shouldn't be a problem with Lance Louis playing well there.

The Lions, however, will likely be without the services of running back Jahvid Best, who is recovering form another concussion.

If you recall, Best ran for 163 yards on just 12 carries in the Lions 24-13 victory in Week 5.  

Meanwhile, for the Bears to gain revenge, they have to be able to win the individual battles. Let's see how they match up.

Lions DE Cliff Avril vs. Bears OT J'Marcus Webb

Following the loss to Detroit in Week 5, Mike Martz has done a better job of protecting his offensive tackles by giving them help in passing situations.

The first Detroit game was not good for the Bears tackles. The Bears committed nine false-start penalties. Webb had three of them.

Meanwhile, Cutler was sacked three times and hit six times in that game, but he has been sacked only three times in the past three games. 

Martz will need to stick to what has worked in the last three games if Cutler is to remain in an upright position in this game with Detroit.

Webb has not demonstrated a whole lot of improvement this year, and while he is athletic enough to protect Cutler's blind side, he needs to continue to get help from the tight ends.

Avril has four sacks in his last two games against the Bears, and even backup Willie Young (two sacks) can rotate in and be very capable of bringing pressure off the edge, too.

Advantage: Lions, especially if Martz goes away from max protect.

Lions DE Kyle Vanden Bosch vs Bears OT Lance Louis

As indicated in the previous slide, a lot of the Bears offensive line success is predicated on Martz continuing to chip in tight ends and other help in a more max-protect type of scheme.

However, unlike Webb, Lance Louis has played well since replacing Gabe Carimi at right tackle.

Vanden Bosch, like Avril, has five sacks this season, but his backup, Lawrence Jackson three-and-a-half sacks), has been even better than Avril's backup.

Still, I like what Louis has done, and that consistency on the line has helped lead to a better performance over the past three weeks.

In fact, to show how well Louis has handled himself, even if Carimi was healthy, I seriously doubt that he would take over the starting spot at this critical junction in the season.

Yet Vanden Bosch cannot be ignored. He plays with a reckless abandon and displays great energy on the field.

Vanden Bosch, who was drafted by Arizona in 2001, had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks in 2005 with the Titans and 12 in 2007.

Advantage: Even.  

Bears QB Jay Cutler vs Lions Secondary

Cutler has been playing well, and he is facing a Lions team that is ranked fourth vs. the pass. Detroit has allowed just 1,549 yards passing against them.

They actually rank first in the NFL in average yards per pass attempt against them (5.8).

The Lions have allowed just nine touchdowns, and only three teams have been better against the pass. They are also tied for fifth in picking off opposing quarterbacks (11).

The Lions have sacked more QBs than only three other teams this season (24). Plus, they rank sixth in passing yards allowed per game (194).

All of that does not bode well for Cutler and the Bears this Sunday.

Only Dallas has been better in limiting big pass plays against their defense. The longest pass play vs. the Lions this season has been just 49 yards.

Having said that, Cutler played a nice game against the Lions in their last meeting despite poor pass protection.

He completed 28-of-38 passes for 249 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. He completed almost 74 percent of his passes.

Advantage: Lions 

Lions WR Calvin Johnson vs. Bears Coverage

Johnson gained 130 yards against the Bears in their last meeting, but more than half of those yards came on a 73-yard touchdown catch.

Since then, the Bears have played their safeties, especially Chris Conte, very deep and have avoided the big gain.

In fact, since that game, Chris Harris has been released, and Brandon Meriweather has been demoted.

The Bears mixed in a lot of man coverage against the Eagles receivers Monday night, and it worked well, but it would be no surprise if they stayed with a zone more often against Johnson, who has a league-high 11 TD receptions.

"Megatron" has a rare combination of size, speed, power and body control, and the Bears will need to have a safety over the top as the last line of defense.

Advantage: Lions

Bears Matt Forte vs Lions Run Defense

The Lions rank just 28th against the run, and that doesn’t look good when facing a back like Matt Forte who is playing very well, those two fumbles on Monday night notwithstanding.

Every Bears opponent, including the Lions in Week 5, has struggled to keep Forte contained. He has had at least one 20-yard gain as a running back or as a receiver in every game.

He also has had 100 or more yards rushing in every game except against Green Bay.

Forte has usually done well against the Lions, though this Detroit team is certainly not the same as past years teams.

In his rookie year, he rushed for 126 yards against them, which was a career-high at that point.

Forte has four 100-yard rushing games against the Lions and has gained 6.5 yards per touch in his seven career games against Detroit.

Meanwhile, the Lions run defense has not been going good. They have allowed 110 yards rushing or more in seven consecutive games.

Opponents have averaged 5.9 yards per carry over the past three games.

The Bears have had great success running to the right side.

Lions DTs Corey Williams and Ndamukong Suh are a brutal duo, of course, but they must play with discipline.

It's likely defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham will put eight defenders in the box frequently to try to keep Forté from finding a running lane.

Advantage: Bears, assuming Forte doesn't fumble.

Lions Run Game vs. Bears Run Defense

Normally, this matchup would concern me, but if Jahvid Best doesn't play, that will help things quite a bit. He is suffering from a concussion.

That is good news for the Bears because in their last game, Best torched Chicago for 163 yards on just 12 carries.  Take away that 13.6 yards per carry average, and the Bears may have beaten the Lions. 

Even with Best, the Lions rank 27th in rushing yardage.

Meanwhile, Maurice Morris and Keiland Williams have the second-most rushing yards for the Lions this season.

Morris is averaging 4.1 yards per carry, but he has actually run better in losses this season.

Williams has more carries but is averaging just 3.0 yards per carry so far. Both backs have TDs, but each also has a fumble.

But this is not a slam dunk, because the Bears have not been good against the run this season. They held the Eagles' LeSean "Shady" McCoy down in the first half, but he did well in the second half.

On the season, only the Lions and the Saints have a higher average rushing average aginst them than the Bears.

Advantage: Bears, but just slightly

Matthew Stafford vs. the Bears Pass Defense

The Bears ranks 25th against the pass this season, while the Lions have the 10th best ranked passing game in the NFL.

That would not seem to bode well for Chicago. They have allowed 260 yards per game, on average, while Stafford is one of the best QBs in the game.

Stafford has 19 TDs vs. only four interceptions, which is the third best touchdown-to-interception ratio of any NFL quarterback.

His decision making has been much better this season, as he is willing to throw the ball away when no one is open.

Meanwhile, the Bears have been better at limiting the big plays lately, but they do not usually get a good pass rush and are vulnerable to the 10-15 yard pass in the cover-2.

They will start two young players at safety, a second-year player in Major Wright and a rookie in Chris Conte, and even though Stafford is young himself, he could be able to outsmart them.

As for the corners, they will likely throw away from the top Bears corner, Charles "Peanut" Tillman, so it will be critical that the other corners play well.

Advantage: Lions

Earl Bennett vs. Lions Secondary

If Earl Bennett is the Bears top wide receiver, as many believe, then how will he fare against the Lions secondary?

Sure, Devin Hester, who is not a real wideout, will have to be dealt with, and Johnny Knox always lurks in the background as a threat, but it is believed that Cutler trusts Bennett.

Although we already wrote that the Lions pass defense is very stout, a possession-style receiver like Bennett could actually make an impact.

The main success the Lions secondary has had is in limiting the big play.

But a healthy dose of Forte running and he and Marion Barber catching screen passes along with a safety valve like Bennett could allow Cutler to thrive if he is patient.

Julius Peppers vs. Lions Tackle Gosder Cherilus

Peppers was hurt the last time they played the Lions, but Stafford certainly knows who he is.

In Week 1 of last season at Soldier Field, Peppers dislocated Stafford's shoulder on a sack in a 19-14 Bears win. Stafford would not return to game action until Halloween of '10 and re-aggravated the injury in the following game.

A great pass rush will hide flaws in the secondary, and Peppers is without question the key to the Bears pass rush.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli doesn't want to have to blitz Stafford much; he wants the front four to generate pressure. Getting pressure from the front four keeps the linebackers and defensive in their usual coverage assignments and gives them a better chance to slow down Megatron.

Now, Peppers did re-injure his MCL injury in last week's win over the Eagles, but he managed to stay in the game and actually seems to play better in those situations.

Meanwhile, the Lions offensive line is a lot like the Bears—in games against Minnesota, San Francisco and Atlanta, they allowed 13 sacks. But they have just three sacks in the other five games.

Overall, Detroit has done a great job in keeping Stafford clean this season, allowing six sacks and 22 quarterback hits through five games. Right tackle Cherilus said it best:

"It's really hard when you're blocking a guy like Jared Allen, PepCheriluspers, Suh or Avril, and you still have to look inside at the ball," Cherilus explained. "One little flinch and they can run right by you. You have to be on your toes. It's not easy, but hey, I'm glad last game we had nothing to do with it. We just had a chance to sit on the bench with our water in our hands, and enjoy the show."

Advantage: Bears

Devin Hester vs. Lions Special Teams

We all know how great Hester is in returning kicks and punts, even if he looked very human against the Eagles on Monday night.

And he is facing a Lions team that has allowed more yards per punt returns than just four NFL teams (270).

Only eight teams have allowed more return yards, on average, per game than the Lions (12.3).

As for kickoff returns, Detroit has allowed the fourth most kickoff yards in the NFL (719).  

Meanwhile, Hester is one of the greatest return men of all time, and Chicago's special teams coach, Dave Toub, is the best in the business.

Advantage: Bears