Twenty-four days after the Ford Field fiasco, the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions will meet again, this time at Soldier Field in a game that has very different meaning to both teams. The Lions are coming off a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the team’s first defeat in three months, and are still fighting to retain their grip on the top seed for the NFC playoffs.
The Bears, meanwhile, are left battling for pride, fighting to end a losing streak that has been dragging on since the Hail Mary heartbreak in Landover, Md., against the Washington Commanders in Week 8.
Even with a rash of significant injuries that has their injured reserve list up to 21 players, the Lions remain a heavy favorite for this weekend’s game.
As kickoff approaches, here’s our snapshot look of what to keep an eye on Sunday afternoon.
Player in the spotlight
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs
Three weeks ago, we were zeroing in on the Lions’ formidable backfield tandem of “Sonic and Knuckles” — Gibbs and David Montgomery. Now? Knuckles may he headed to IR after suffering a significant knee injury against the Bills.
Montgomery has been a beast this season, averaging 4.2 yards per carry on his way to 775 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns. In his absence, the Lions will lean heavily on Gibbs, who is a home run threat every time he touches the ball.
The second-year back went over 1,000 rushing yards for the season last weekend. And that total only figures to inflate over the final three weeks as he likely sees a heavier volume of touches.
Said Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson: “Gibby is ready for this. We’ve seen a lot of growth from him over the last year-and-a-half. And I think he’ll take the bull by the horns and run with it.”
Gibbs’ 14 touchdowns rank third in the NFL, only one behind leaders Derrick Henry and Ja’Marr Chase.
On Thanksgiving, Gibbs gashed the Bears for 83 rushing yards in the first half as the Lions rolled to a 16-0 lead. But after he fumbled near the goal line late in the second quarter, he only saw two carries the rest of the game.
Defensive coordinator Eric Washington said Thursday that it will be critical for the Bears to defend the run better than they did in the first meeting.
“I don’t see an advantage in that way (with Montgomery out),” Washington said. “Whoever they line up at the running back position, we have to be ready to do a great job. The other tailback (Gibbs) is averaging 6 yards a gain in their No. 1 running concept, and that’s the outside-zone bounce play.”
Pressing question
How much is truly left in the Bears’ emotional fuel tank?
The results of the past two weeks seem to provide evidence of a team that is totally spent and struggling to generate the requisite energy and focus to remain competitive against quality opponents. In blowout losses to the 49ers and Vikings, the Bears have been outscored 37-0 in the first half and, by their own admission, victimized by incredibly sloppy execution across all phases.
The last time the Bears even held a lead? Way back on Nov. 24. Whoa.
That leaves them with two choices. Either they make an admission that the toll of this eight-game losing streak and all the turmoil that has come with it has been significant and hard to overcome. Or they reach an uglier conclusion that they are a really bad football team without the firepower to win.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and interim coach Thomas Brown were each asked Monday night to detail how a team that seems totally worn out right now can get through the finish line of the season without suffering more embarrassment.
“I feel like we competed,” Johnson said. “But we clearly didn’t execute. There’s some fight left, I would say. But at the end of the day, things didn’t go our way.”
Brown also took exception to the notion that his team is out of gas.
“If you watch the tape, our guys battled until the very end,” he said. “Saying we don’t have a lot left in the tank alludes to our guys quitting. And I didn’t see that at all.”
To be clear and to be fair, no one has accused the Bears of quitting or lacking give-a-damn. The bigger question is whether they have enough physical and emotional fuel left to play at a high level when there is so little left to play for. Sunday will be the next test of that.
Keep an eye on …
The Bears offensive line
The Bears are dealing with yet another set of injuries on their offensive line and face significant uncertainty as they head for Sunday. Left guard Teven Jenkins missed practices Wednesday and Thursday with a calf injury and was limited during Friday’s on-field work. Left tackle Braxton Jones, meanwhile, is still working his way back from a concussion. And while Jones was again a full participant practice Friday, he still has not been cleared from concussion protocol.
Both players are listed as questionable for Sunday’s game.
Brown was asked if he was optimistic about Jones’ chances of starting.
“As much as I can be, yeah,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes though.”
The outlook on Jenkins seemed a little dimmer, and the contingency plans at left guard are worrisome. The line depth already has been strained, and fourth-year veteran Jake Curhan might be the “next man up” behind Jenkins.
The Bears’ protection of Caleb Williams remains a hot topic after the quarterback dealt with significant pressure against the Vikings on Monday night.
That was in part due to the Bears starting rookie Kiran Amegadjie in place of Jones. Amegadjie found out the day before the game he would be making his first NFL start in that hostile road environment, and it was a rough one. He allowed a strip-sack of Williams early in the game and committed four penalties.
Still, offensive line coach Chris Morgan said he still believes in Amegadjie, whether the rookie’s next opportunity comes this weekend or down the road.
“He’s a very smart kid, lives in reality, has a good understanding, is level-headed, knows what he needs to do to get better and really wants to get better,” Morgan said. “He’s going to be a good player. We know that. He knows that. And he’ll be better in his next opportunity for sure.”
Roschon returns
Bears running back Roschon Johnson could be in line to see his first playing time since Thanksgiving after clearing concussion protocol this week.
Johnson said he felt better after resting over the last three weeks. He participated in full in walk-throughs Wednesday and Thursday.
The second-year running back hasn’t received a heavy workload this season. He has just 48 carries for 139 yards, but the Bears have relied on him in short-yardage situations, and he has six touchdowns.
“I like to think of myself as a high-energy guy, someone who can keep the sticks moving, keep the drive alive and ultimately put it in the end zone,” Johnson said. “I feel like I can be utilized in different ways. Like I said, I’m just glad to be back out there.”
The Bears potentially could have used Johnson against the Vikings on Monday, when running back D’Andre Swift was stopped for no gain twice on fourth-and-1 in the first half. Now they should have a more physical option if Johnson’s health stays in the clear.
“He does a good job of running behind his pads,” Morgan said. “He does a good job of being decisive. He does a good job of not letting the first guy tackle him.”
Injury report
Running back Travis Homer is doubtful to play with a hamstring injury, and offensive lineman Ryan Bates remains out with a concussion. Bates has played in only three games this season after the Bears traded a fifth-round pick to acquire him in March.
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson, meanwhile, missed Friday’s practice with an illness. He is listed as questionable for Sunday. Gervon Dexter (knee) also is questionable.
For the Lions, Montgomery and linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) are out, while guard Graham Glasgow (knee) and safeties Brian Branch (calf) and Ifeatu Melifonwu (hand) are questionable.
Predictions
Brad Biggs (9-5)
It looks like a three-team race for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, so the Lions absolutely need a victory to stay in the mix with the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles for a coveted first-round bye. The Lions have been crushed by injuries on defense and will be playing with backups all over the place. They’ve surrendered 79 points in the last two games, which is not sustainable in the postseason. The Bears, meanwhile, have seen their first-quarter offensive woes become first-half struggles. Are they really equipped to play in a shootout? That seems unlikely.
Lions 27, Bears 17
Colleen Kane (10-4)
The Lions may be dealing with a rash of injuries, but that doesn’t mean they’ve sunk to the Bears’ level. Since the Bears lost by three to the Lions on Thanksgiving — setting off a coaching change at Halas Hall — they’ve lost two games by an average of 21.5 points. The Lions lost to the Bills in Week 15 to snap an 11-game winning streak, but they still scored 42 points, with Jared Goff throwing for 494 yards and five touchdowns. And while the Lions will be without running back David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs gave the Bears just as much trouble in the first meeting, totaling nine carries for 87 yards. Perhaps the Bears finally returning home after a vicious road stretch will help keep the game closer, but it’s unreasonable to predict a victory at this point.
Lions 30, Bears 23
Dan Wiederer (9-5)
The Lions have been bitten hard by the injury bug with 21 players currently on injured reserve. And quarterback Jared Goff has struggled in his two career December starts in Soldier Field. But the Bears have become the perfect “get well” opponent at this stage of their lost season. The defense is a shell of what it once was. And the offense’s inconsistency remains problematic. It would be impressive if the Bears were to take this game down to the final play again as they did on Thanksgiving in Detroit. It just seems like a tough ask, particularly in the quest to keep up with the NFL’s highest-scoring team.
Lions 31, Bears 17
