STAFFORD FIELD
Bears B shut h him hi down at Soldier, but Lions QB is a stud in Detroit’s dome
When the Lions came to Soldier Field in October, quarterback Matthew Stafford was on a roll — with a 105.0 passer rating through three games, including a 385- yard, three- touchdown performance against the Packers the previous week.
But a Bears defense missing Pernell McPhee, Eddie Goldman and Danny Trevathan shut him down. Stafford threw for only 213 yards. His longest pass play was 22 yards to fullback Zach Zenner. His longest pass play to a wide receiver was 19 yards to Marvin Jones. He was intercepted twice, both on plays that appeared to be miscommunications. Two reserve cornerbacks, Jacoby Glenn and rookie Deiondre’ Hall, were in the right place at the right time for the picks. Stafford’s 56.8 passer rating against the Bears is his lowest of the season.
“We worked a lot on our disguises in that game,” cornerback Bryce Callahan said. “Stafford likes to sit at the line and kind of wait to see what the defense is doing. We held our disguises pretty good. I don’t think he knew what we were in, and that kind of threw off his game a little bit.”
It’s the only game in which the Lions have not scored an offensive touchdown.
“They were extremely physical with us,” Lions coach Jim Caldwell said. “They’ve got a real good scheme. Vic Fangio does as fine a job as anybody in preparing a team to disrupt some of the things that you do well.”
The Bears’ defensive performance against Stafford looks better every week. He threw three touchdown passes against the Eagles the next week and four against the Rams the week after that. Since losing to the Bears, Stafford has thrown 14 touchdown passes and one interception for a 104.2 passer rating.
Therein lies a new challenge for the Bears — to defend Stafford and the Lions’ offense as effectively at Ford Field, where Stafford almost always is better. In his career against the Bears, Stafford has a 73.6 passer rating ( nine touchdown passes, 11 interceptions) at Soldier Field but a 103.6 rating ( 12 touchdown passes, four interceptions) at home.
McPhee and Goldman are back, but Trevathan is out for the season with a torn right patellar tendon, and Jerrell Freeman is serving the third game of a fourgame suspension. The Bears are playing well defensively — they rank seventh in the NFL in yards allowed, sixth in net passing yards and fifth in sacks per pass play.
They’re coming off their best game statistically — 147 net yards, six net passing yards and five sacks against the 49ers in the snow at Soldier Field. But the degree of difficulty will be much higher against Stafford on Ford Field’s fast track Sunday.
The Bears are concerned with Stafford’s mobility. Though Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson have gained more yards on the ground, Stafford’s ability to buy time is a constant threat.
“He’s playing more efficiently,” Fangio said. “He’s using his legs a lot more. He’s scrambling to create plays — both creating and throwing after a scramble, pulling it down and running for critical first downs that have really helped them and hurt people.”
Being fundamentally sound and disciplined is a key for any defense, but especially for the Bears. They are tied for 30th in the NFL with eight takeaways. The Lions are tied for first with eight giveaways. Still, the Bears present a challenge for Stafford, as well.
“They’re unique in how they play, but they’re playing really well on defense,” Stafford said. “They’re doing a nice job of keeping everything in front of them, making teams drive it multiple plays to score — not giving up big plays over the top and stopping the run well. We’ll have to play well to give ourselves a chance.”