MOBILE, Ala. — As the Bears try to straighten themselves out and challenge the Packers at the top of the NFC North, they better keep an eye on the Lions.
At 8-8, the Bears were as close to the 3-12-1 Lions as they were to the 13-3 Packers, and both of the Bears’ wins against Detroit were close games in which Matthew Stafford sat out with an injury.
Lions coach Matt Patricia, who is overseeing the North team in the Senior Bowl this week, is hitting a desperation point after winning nine games in two seasons. Despite his struggles, he doesn’t consider his team a lightweight in the division heading into next season.
“As far as philosophy and where I’m at as a competitor, yeah, we’re gonna do everything we can to improve our team and win every single game we can,” he said. “That never changes. I don’t think the bar ever changes. The reality of it is what you have to deal with when you’re in that mix.
“Green Bay had a great year. Matt [LaFleur] did a great job with that team, and they’ve got a great quarterback. It’s a really tough team, and we’ll have our work cut out for us.”
Much like Bears coach Matt Nagy, Patricia has struggled with his supposed area of expertise. The Lions were 31st in total defense last season after finishing 10th in 2018. There has been little indication that they’re close to ending a drought of three seasons without making the postseason and 29 years since their last playoff win.
Unlike the Bears, though, they have some relatively clear answers on how to get better. They expect Stafford to be full-go for the start of the season, which will be an upgrade over Jeff Driskel and David Blough. They also have the third and 35th overall picks, both of which come before the Bears’ first selection at No. 43.
Stafford’s return is the pivotal issue, though. He was putting up a career year with 19 touchdown passes and a 106.0 passer rating over eight games before fractures in his spine sidelined him the rest of the season.
Driskel lasted three games and posted a 75.3 rating before going on Injured Reserve. Blough played decently in his debut against the Bears, but was brutally bad the rest of the way.
“When you have your starting quarterback healthy, that’s certainly the most important piece of your program,” Patricia said. “It’ll be great to get him back out there.”
The Lions went 0-8 without him, and five of those were one-score losses. That includes both games the Bears won. The Lions were throwing into the end zone to tie it at Soldier Field in early November before losing 20-13, and the Bears escaped 24-20 on Thanksgiving because of Mitch Trubisky’s touchdown pass with two minutes left.
