Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions – Week 14 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears (4-8) enjoyed their bye week after an ugly win on the previous Monday night in Minnesota against the Vikings. They were able to prevail in a defensive slugfest 12-10, scoring all their points on four Cairo Santos field goals including the go-ahead kick in the final seconds. Now they welcome the team they easily could have beaten just three weeks ago, the first-place Detroit Lions (9-3), for a matchup at Soldier Field this Sunday.
Dan Campbell‘s squad scored 16 unanswered points the final four minutes of that contest to erase a 12-point Chicago lead. The Lions then were beaten by the Packers on Thanksgiving and nearly gave up a three touchdown advantage against the Saints in New Orleans last Sunday.
Detroit’s defense has really struggled recently giving up an average of 30.3 points a game the last four. The secondary in particular has been an issue most of the season. Justin Fields was able to scramble for over 100 yards in the first matchup, carving up what had been a unit that was stout against the run.
Quarterback Jared Goff has been much more inconsistent in the second half of the season after playing great early on. That said, the Lions offense is still putting up the second most yards per game in all of the NFL. The two-headed running back monster of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs has combined for 1330 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2023.
Chicago has already demonstrated they can hang in with Detroit but finishing has been a big problem this season, even their victory on Monday featured numerous missed opportunities to have taken control much earlier. Old friend Mitchell Trubisky has helped put the Bears in excellent shape to get the top pick in the draft through Carolina’s selection, so they should go all-out to try to win these games down the stretch. Let’s see if they can pull another surprise at home.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, December 10 at 12:00pm CT on FOX, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Keep generating turnovers. The Bears have generated eight turnovers their last two games including four against Goff and the Lions in Week 11 which gave them a chance to win that one.
- Fields should keep using his legs to generate opportunities. The quarterback was very successful doing this in Detroit but didn’t do it much against the Vikings as the offense struggled.
- Pressure the quarterback. Montez Sweat finally made an impact in Minnesota with 1.5 sacks and hopefully he can keep that going in this one.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
Detroit is favored by 3.5 points on the road in Chicago and the over/under is a relatively low 42.5.
It’s Football Weather
The weather is going to be cloudy and cold at Soldier Field Sunday afternoon with a high of 35.
My Prediction
The Bears will make this game interesting but the Lions high-powered scoring attack will come out ahead at the end in a 31-28 victory.
Official Bears Preview
Jeff Joniak and Tom Thayer are joined by Len Kasper, White Sox radio announcer and lifelong Lions fan, to preview the Bears matchup against the Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field on the Bears, etc. podcast.
