NFL Picks Week 10: 3 Reasons Chicago Bears Will Stop Detroit Lions

The Chicago Bears play host to the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon in a game with huge NFC playoff implications.

The winner will take control of second place in the NFC North, behind the 8-0 Green Bay Packers.

The winner will also be the favorite to win the top NFC wildcard spot.

The Bears come into this game on a hot streak, after taking care of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles in their last two games.

Here are three reasons they’ll keep their good play going and extend their winning streak to four games.

Improved offensive line play

The biggest reason for the Bears’ early season struggles was inconsistent offensive line play.

Jay Cutler was ending up on the ground way too much to be an effective quarterback.

But now it seems the Bears offensive line has figured out a way to keep Cutler relatively clean in the pocket. If they can hold the Lions to less than three sacks this week and give Cutler a little bit of time to throw, they have a great chance to win the game and improve to 6-3.

That would be good enough for a tie with the Lions for second place in the NFC North.

Devin Hester will play

Hester is dealing with an ankle injury, but will be returning kicks Sunday afternoon.

He’ll likely not play as much at wide receiver, but that’s not where he makes his biggest impact anyway. Having him returning punts and kicks will give the Bears a chance for a touchdown every time.

It’ll also make the Lions’ punter have to try to keep the ball out of Hester’s hands, which may lead to more mistakes than normal.

Mike Martz has improved offensive balance

When the Bears lose, they tend to pass the ball way more than they run it.

When the Bears win, they tend to run and pass an equal amount.

Offensive coordinator Mike Martz finally seems to have figured that out. The Bears have been much more balanced on offense the past few weeks, and they’ve been winning.

A balanced offense keeps the defense guessing. That will be important this week against the Lions. 

If Ndamukong Suh and Cliff Avril get to rush the passer without worrying about the run, the Bears will be in for a long game.