The Lions are coming off a tough game at home where they were outplayed by a well coached, Super Bowl contending, Buffalo Bills team. Chicago is hoping is to get back on track as well. They were defeated quite handedly on National Television, against a superior Minnesota Vikings team who appears to be surging going into their final run to the finish. While Chicago doesn’t have much to play for at this point, they will certainly put their best foot forward against a divisional foe in Detroit. The Lions still control their own destiny for home-field advantage in the NFC Conference.

Controlling Time of Possession

In the previous game, the Lions did a good job of controlling the line of scrimmage, running the ball and keeping The Bears star QB off of the field. The Lions two-headed running attack combined for 175 yards of rushing. Detroit will be without their tough, hard-nosed Halfback David Montgomery who is out indefinitely with a torn MCL. In their previous meeting, Montgomery toted the rock 21 times for 88 yards. Look for Jahmir Gibbs to shoulder a heavier amount of carries. Craig Reynolds will be called on to relieve him when he needs a breather. This may also make way for the revealing of Detroit’s Swiss Army knife Sione Vaki who has seen the majority of his snaps on special teams thus far.

Converting on 3rd Down/Red Zone

The Chicago Bears have managed to maintain a Top 10 Scoring Defense, despite ranking in the bottom 1/3 overall against the rush and pass. This is due to their ability to get off the field on 3rd down, and prevent touchdowns when their opponent gets within 20 yards of the end zone. The Lions were forced into 3 field goals in the last outing, which allowed Chicago to stay in the game untill the very end. Sam Laporta was able to secure two short yardage touchdowns, and he may be called on again to step up along with backup Brock Wright. Especially without the presence of a true power rusher.

Despite all the injuries, one thing is for sure…Dan Campbell isn’t going to use excuses. pic.twitter.com/0MyDEotscc

— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) December 16, 2024

Defensive Playing Calling

Aaron Glenn has come a long way from the vast majority of the fanbase calling for his job at the midway point of last year. The Detroit Lions scoring defense is currently ranked 7th in the League, allowing just 20 points per game. While Glenn’s job is certainly secure, he will have to continue to press the correct buttons, all the while trying to bring together a cohesive unit of players comprised of individuals new and old, as well as journeymen vets seeking a chance to win a ring. The Lion’s injury list on the defensive side, is large enough to create a nice starting lineup of it’s own. The newest players to be added are Alim Mcneil with a torn ACL, and Carlton Davis with a broken jaw. Both players were starters that were having breakout seasons, and playing major roles. Khalil Dorsey a reserve corner and special teams player was also lost for the year. Glenn will have to counter the flurry of mesh routes and pick plays, that exploited their aggressive man to man approach.

The Chicago Bears current situation is a dumpster fire to say the very least. They’ve already let go of their Offensive Coordinator and Head Coach, but they are not to be slept on in this game. The Bears have played the Lions tough in Detroit the last few times, and won pretty convincingly last year in Chicago. Detroit can ill-afford to lose a second consecutive game. With Minnesota on a 7 game hot streak, they will likely be coming into that finale game in Detroit with a full head of steam.