Lions (3-5) at Bears (5-3)
Sunday, 1 p.m.
Field, Chicago
TV: Fox
Danny Sheridan’s line: by 6
Lions’ keys to victory: The offensive line has to give QB Matthew Stafford time to throw — he was sacked 10 times in the Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings as the Lions were dominated at the line of scrimmage. Stafford can only do so much when he doesn’t have a running game or time to find a receiver. Injuries to LT Taylor Decker and RG T.J. Lang have only made matters worse as they prepare for an opportunistic Bears defense. Chicago got back on track the last two weeks even with OLB Khalil Mack sidelined by an ankle injury.
Bears’ keys to victory: The Bears can’t allow the Lions defense to get into the head of QB Mitchell Trubisky. When he’s under pressure or facing a heavy blitz, his mechanics and accuracy tend to vanish, and he’s more apt to use his legs to try to make a play. The New England Patriots made that their defensive game plan against the Bears three weeks ago, and Lions coach Matt Patricia could try something similar. The Lions’ pass rush hasn’t been great, but with DE Ezekiel Ansah back, the Bears offensive linemen will have their work cut out for them.
Matchup to watch: Lions LB Jarrad Davis vs. Bears RB Tarik Cohen. Bears coach Matt Nagy is great at isolating his versatile playmaker in a favorable matchup. The second-year Lions linebacker should be just that.
Who wins? The Lions are as volatile as any team in the NFL, and their matchups with the Bears are always back and forth. But these teams are trending in opposite directions.
Bears, 27-24 ET, Soldier Bears LIONS SCHEDULE
L ......... N.Y. Jets ......... 48-17 L ...... at San Fran . ...... 30-27 W .... New England .... 26-10 L .......... at Dallas .......... 26-24 W ....... Green Bay ....... 31-23 Oct. 14 .............. Bye .............. W ......... at Miami ......... 32-21 L ........... Seattle ........... 28-14 L ...... atMinnesota ...... 24-9 Nov. 11 ...... at Chicago ...... 1 Nov. 18 ........ Carolina ........ 1 Nov. 22 .... Chicago .... 12:30 Dec. 2 ........ L.A. Rams ........ 1 Dec. 9 ..... at Arizona ..... 4:25 Dec. 16 ....... at Buffalo ....... 1 Dec. 23 ...... Minnesota ...... 1 Dec. 30 ...at Green Bay .... 1
L ..... at Green Bay ..... 24-23 W .......... Seattle .......... 24-17 W ....... at Arizona ....... 16-14 W ....... Tampa Bay ....... 48-10 Oct. 7 ............... Bye ............... L ..... at Miami ..... 31-28 (OT) L ..... New England ..... 38-31 W ......... N.Y. Jets ......... 24-10 W ......... at Buffalo ......... 41-9 Nov. 11 ......... Detroit ......... 1 Nov. 18 ...... Minnesota ...... 1 Nov.22..atDetroit..12:30 Dec. 2 ..... at N.Y. Giants ..... 1 Dec. 9 ........ L.A. Rams ........ 1 Dec. 16 ...... Green Bay ...... 1 Dec. 23 ..at San Fran. .. 4:05 Dec. 30 ...at Minnesota ... 1