Chicago Bears at Detroit Lions Week 2 Preview

After a heartbreaking Week 1 loss, we saw the Bears dominate in the first half of that football game and then completely crumble in the second half. JJ McCarthy turned it up as he had three total touchdowns to secure the victory. It’s safe to say there are some positives and negatives. For one, Caleb looked comfortable in that first half of football, especially when he was using his legs to create magic when the plays broke down. The defense also looked phenomenal, having two picks in that first half, one of them being a house call. 

However, the negative side was that in the second half, the team lacked urgency. The Bears looked as though they thought the first half was the end of the game. That will change in this upcoming game against the Lions, who are also coming off a loss.

Keys to the Game

1. Let Caleb Williams settle in.

Against a Lions team with a stacked roster, it’s going to be hard to get action going if you're missing targets open that are in the middle of the field. They need to let Williams develop his short-range passes to his receivers and use his legs when he can. This will open up those play-action intermediate to deep passes and overall improve his confidence going into the second half. He had an impressive 210 yards, one passing touchdown, and a rushing touchdown. He can expose this Lions defense if he gets into his rhythm first.

2. Let that defense COOK

The Bears are and will always be a defensive-focused team, and we have gravitated away from that in the past couple of years, trying so hard to develop offense with younger talent. But even with stars like Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon out, they showed it’s possible to produce pressure and get production with turnovers. Ben Johnson knows the Lions players inside and out; they need to use that against a Lions team that was terrorized by the Packers' defense this past week. 

Odds

Right now, the Bears are sitting at +205 underdogs while the Lions sit at -250

Bears Injury Report

Kyler Gordon CB - Questionable

Jaylon Johnson CB - Questionable

T.J. Edwards LB - Questionable

Roschon Johnson  RB - Questionable

Austin Booker DE - IR

Lions Injury Report

Sione Vaki RB - Questionable

Trevor Nowaske LB - Questionable

Jamarco Jones OT - IR

Terrion Arnold CB - Questionable

Daniel Thomas S - Questionable

Prediction

Lions 27, Bears 17