KEY MATCHUP
Against a Bears defense that ranks fourth in rushing yards allowed per carry, Lions wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones present the biggest threat regardless of who starts at quarterback. Bears cornerbacks Prince Amukamara and Kyle Fuller have been solid all season, but even at their best are vulnerable to two quality receivers like this.
Golladay, the St. Rita product, has 43 receptions for 792 yards (18.4 avg.) and eight touchdowns. Jones has 56 catches for 701 yards (12.5 avg.) and eight touchdowns. In six games against his hometown team, Golladay has 20 receptions for 306 yards (15.3 avg.) and two touchdowns — including a 47-yard touchdown in Week 10 at Soldier Field.
“It’s a dynamic duo,” defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano said. “They can take the top off. They’re great route runners. They’re competitive guys. You gotta do a great job of disguise. You gotta mix your coverages. You gotta play tight coverage. You want to try to jam and re-route when you can.
“Being on the road and playing indoors … it’s going to be a little bit different [than at Soldier Field]. I know they’re going to take a bunch of shots down the field to those guys. Golladay is one of the most targeted guys down the field in the league right now. We gotta do a great job. It will be a huge challenge for us.”
TRENDING
Since a 38-carry, 162-yard rushing outburst against the Chargers in Week 8, the Bears’ running game has reverted to form — an average of 70 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry in their last four games.
It’s painfully obvious a consistently productive run game is the key to unlocking Matt Nagy’s offense. They’ll have another shot against a Lions defense that ranks 24th in rushing defense, 20th in yards per carry.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Second-year wide receiver Anthony Miller is coming off productive games against the Rams (six catches, 54 yards) and Giants (6-77). The last time he had back-to-back productive games — against the Saints (5-64) and Chargers (3-67) — he had one target and no receptions against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.
The Bears say he’s come around and is fully engaged in Nagy’s offense. A third consecutive game of even modest production would go a long way to confirming that.
X-FACTOR
When the Bears played the Lions in Week 10, they prepared for Matthew Stafford and got back-up Jeff Driskel. Now they’re preparing for Driskel and might get David Blough. Driskel’s athleticism seemed to catch the Bears by surprise in Week 10 — they’ll better aware of it this time.
“He’s definitely a dual threat quarterback,” Amukamara said. “I think he’s been a great insert since Stafford has been down. I think he’s been holding his own. To me, he’s shown himself as being a starter in this league. We just can’t let him beat us with his feet.”
