[FONT="]The Detroit Lions are 7-6 and looking to keep pace with an NFC wildcard race that is currently just beyond their reach. The Chicago Bears are 4-9 and out of the hunt, though they're a young and ascending roster that would love to play spoiler.
DETROIT POINT OF VIEW
[/FONT][FONT="]Offensive player to watch: RB Theo Riddick[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Lions decided to take a different approach to running the ball last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is to say, they pretty much didn't. They benched Ameer Abdullah for the contest and only ran it 18 times compared to 44 passes. And now, their run game ranks last in the league.
That approach got a tired Bucs defense on its heels with tempo, but this Bears defense will likely demand some balance. Whether Abdullah plays and how much remains to be seen, but you can bet Theo Riddick will be active again after he received 16 touches against Tampa Bay. He's always been prolific as a receiver, but he's now run for three scores the past two weeks. He'll never be a high-volume runner, but he needs to be effective on the touches he does get.
[FONT="]Defensive player to watch: DE Anthony Zettel[/FONT]
The last time the Lions played the Bears, they fell victim a read-option running attack that helped Mitchell Trubisky find himself as a rookie. The Bears ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns on an absurd 7.4 yards per carry, and much of it was due to the confusion they created on whether Trubisky would keep it or hand off to Jordan Howard or Tarik Cohen.
Simply put, the defensive ends have to be more sound, and that means Zettel especially. The second-year player has taken a nice leap as a pass rusher, but he'll be counted on in this game to execute the proper reads on misdirection runs and to keep Trubisky better contained on scramble drills than he did the last time.
[FONT="]Opponent to fear: Bears RB Jordan Howard[/FONT]
The Lions own the Bears overall, winning eight of the past nine meetings. But one Bears player who is starting to own them is Jordan Howard. The second-year running back is physical and patient and has evolved into arguably the best outside-zone runner in the NFL. Those plays can hurt Detroit when its ends get twisted up trying to defend the quarterback so much. In three games against the Lions, Howard is averaging 107 yards per contest. He's gotten some of these games into the lower-scoring, grind-out types the Bears need to win, and that's dangerous territory for Detroit to play in all the time. It'll be essential that the Lions ends set the edge much better this time around. Otherwise, the struggles to tackle at the second level could appear again this week.
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The Bears came dangerously close to knocking off the Lions just a few weeks ago, and although a return home should help Detroit and especially its offense, it's worth noting that Chicago's rookies have come quite a way since that point. Trubisky is getting more comfortable as a passer, and his young targets more comfortable with him, which just makes his read-option and scrambling abilities that much harder to deal with. Chicago is going to score points on this fast track, but I still see Detroit scoring more. The Bears pass rush has diminished after the injuries to Willie Young and Leonard Floyd, which will allow Stafford to stay in command of a game his team has to win to keep its playoff hopes alive.
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DETROIT POINT OF VIEW
[/FONT][FONT="]Offensive player to watch: RB Theo Riddick[/FONT]
[FONT="]The Lions decided to take a different approach to running the ball last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That is to say, they pretty much didn't. They benched Ameer Abdullah for the contest and only ran it 18 times compared to 44 passes. And now, their run game ranks last in the league.
That approach got a tired Bucs defense on its heels with tempo, but this Bears defense will likely demand some balance. Whether Abdullah plays and how much remains to be seen, but you can bet Theo Riddick will be active again after he received 16 touches against Tampa Bay. He's always been prolific as a receiver, but he's now run for three scores the past two weeks. He'll never be a high-volume runner, but he needs to be effective on the touches he does get.
[FONT="]Defensive player to watch: DE Anthony Zettel[/FONT]
The last time the Lions played the Bears, they fell victim a read-option running attack that helped Mitchell Trubisky find himself as a rookie. The Bears ran for 222 yards and two touchdowns on an absurd 7.4 yards per carry, and much of it was due to the confusion they created on whether Trubisky would keep it or hand off to Jordan Howard or Tarik Cohen.
Simply put, the defensive ends have to be more sound, and that means Zettel especially. The second-year player has taken a nice leap as a pass rusher, but he'll be counted on in this game to execute the proper reads on misdirection runs and to keep Trubisky better contained on scramble drills than he did the last time.
[FONT="]Opponent to fear: Bears RB Jordan Howard[/FONT]
The Lions own the Bears overall, winning eight of the past nine meetings. But one Bears player who is starting to own them is Jordan Howard. The second-year running back is physical and patient and has evolved into arguably the best outside-zone runner in the NFL. Those plays can hurt Detroit when its ends get twisted up trying to defend the quarterback so much. In three games against the Lions, Howard is averaging 107 yards per contest. He's gotten some of these games into the lower-scoring, grind-out types the Bears need to win, and that's dangerous territory for Detroit to play in all the time. It'll be essential that the Lions ends set the edge much better this time around. Otherwise, the struggles to tackle at the second level could appear again this week.
***********
The Bears came dangerously close to knocking off the Lions just a few weeks ago, and although a return home should help Detroit and especially its offense, it's worth noting that Chicago's rookies have come quite a way since that point. Trubisky is getting more comfortable as a passer, and his young targets more comfortable with him, which just makes his read-option and scrambling abilities that much harder to deal with. Chicago is going to score points on this fast track, but I still see Detroit scoring more. The Bears pass rush has diminished after the injuries to Willie Young and Leonard Floyd, which will allow Stafford to stay in command of a game his team has to win to keep its playoff hopes alive.
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