LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Chicago Bears’ short week included some heady preparation.
They can’t get to everything, but they’ll need to try to in order to slow down the Detroit Lions’ offense.
“What can I say about this offense? Very prolific,” Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “
This is because the Bears’ defense has struggled. A top-10 unit has since leveled off and allowed uncharacteristic mistakes. Last week, the defense allowed 69-yard gain and a game-winning drive in overtime.
“There’ll be some wrinkles that’ll be thrown at us, and we know that there’ll be some things that he will feature specifically against our defensive construct,” Washington said. “We have to be ready. We have to utilize our rules and just be ready to go.”
Prolific is a good descriptor of the Lions’ offense.
Take these stats into consideration: Detroit ranks first in the NFL in points per game, first in total first downs and second in yards per game. The Lions don’t just move the ball, they get it into the end zone.
Going deeper on the Lions in their offense specifically, they also rank sixth in the NFL in total passing yards and fourth in the NFL in total rush yards.
Needless to say, the Bears are getting arguably the best offense in the NFL on the road, in nationally televised game, in the midst of a defensive slump. Those three things don’t add up to a fun time for Chicago.
But, the Bears defense has the talent to put together a good game against Detroit.
The Bears have gotten the best of Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the past, too. In nine career games against Chicago, Goff has thrown 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Nine of those 10 interceptions have come in three games, and five of those 10 have occurred in the last two games the Bears played against the Lions.
Jaylon Johnson spoke on Monday about how turnovers were a spot the Bears excelled at against the Lions in 2023.
“From the two games we had at least seven,” Johnson said. “That’s what we did good.”
Still, that was 2023. In 2024, the Bears defense has struggled in key moments since returning from the bye week. The run defense is one of those areas, and Johnson stopping the run comes down to execution.
“The game’s never perfect,” Johnson said. “There’s times where we can get put in better position at certain times of the game, but for the most part it’s on us to execute.”
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