Lions vs. Bears: How Bears Defense Must Attack Matthew Stafford and the Lions

The Bears defensive game plan should closely match what they did against Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles in order to maximize their chance at victory on Sunday.

Now I realize that Stafford isn't as mobile as Vick, but I liked the looks the Bears defense gave the Eagles and think those changes would work just as well against the Lions. 

What happened to Cover 2?

The classic Tampa 2, or Cover 2 defense, in essence, boils down to this: drop seven into coverage and let your four-man rush force the ball to come out with pressure. This allows the defense to swarm to the football, make a tackle and get off the field.

I've never been a big fan of the base Tampa 2 defense, but that's what Lovie Smith knows. Meanwhile, every teams employs some Cover 2 as part of their defensive alignment.

But on Monday night, the Bears mainly stayed away from the traditional Tampa 2 base defense and went with Cover 1 (man-free) quite a bit, while using zone pressure.

In certain situations, of course, we we will still see them rush four and drop seven into coverage. Specifically in the red zone and in 3rd-and-long situations, for example. 

Zone Pressure

I still expect to see more zone pressure against the Lions. However, in this contest, the Bears will be more concerned with covering "Megatron," aka Calvin Johnson, so we should see more two-deep looks. The corners will likely press at the line of scrimmage to get Johnson to have to re-route.

But that zone pressure, which was so effective vs. Philadelphia, will continue.

Rush Looks

I expect that the Bears will rush five men and drop six into coverage against the Lions. The goal will be to close off the throwing lanes for Stafford. But even with a three-deep shell, the key will be how the Bears are able to limit the big play.

Safeties are Key - Take Away the Deep Ball

To beat the Lions, and any team with a vertical passing game, it all starts with the play at the top of the defense.

Safety Chris Conte has been playing very deep, and while that opens up the short passing game, it limits the deep vertical threat down the field.

You can expect the Lions, especially if they are without the services of Jahvid Best, to try and run the deep post out of a slot formation. 

For the Bears to take that away, the safeties need to play the deep middle of the field with enough depth to force the ball to go underneath.

Major Wright and Conte also have to tackle well in the open field.   

Corner Play

The cornerbacks played very well against Vick and the Eagles on Monday night as Charles Tillman and Tim Jennings were very aggressive. 

For this to be duplicated against the Lions, they need to show those same press looks while taking away the inside breaking routes of the Lions offense.

With the safeties playing deep, the secondary will need to play well in man coverage situations.

In short, the defense that the Bears employed was a pleasant surprise. It seems they utilized their bye week very well in setting up a defense that limited the deep pass, while limiting Vick's ability to turn the corner and make plays with his feet.

I hope that the relative lack of mobility by Stafford won't lull the Bears back into their old ways. A return to man coverage would be useful against this Lions offense on Sunday.