The Chicago Bears (3-12) will face the Detroit Lions (7-8) on Sunday, where Chicago is looking to pull out a win on New Year’s Day.
After a 35-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Bears will face a pair of divisional opponents to close out the 2022 season. But they’ll be facing a Lions team with a lot more on the line than draft positioning. Detroit is fighting for a wild card spot, and they’ll need to beat Chicago to keep that hope alive.
Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 17 opponent.
Here are six questions with Lions Wire:
1
A lot has changed since these teams last met, where the Lions are now fighting for a wild card spot in the postseason. State your case for why the Lions will make the playoffs.
Jeff Risdon: The Lions defense had been one of the best in the league since the Week 10 meeting in Chicago. That went out the window in last Saturday’s brutal performance against the Panthers, but I expect that was more of an anomaly than a regression back to being awful.
Offensively, the Lions have been pretty sharp. They’re also relatively healthy, and that certainly matters at this time of the year. Detroit is favored at home to beat the Bears and, believe it or not, the team has had some recent success in Green Bay–the Week 18 opponent. The Lions need some help and really blew a golden opportunity to take advantage of that help last week, but they’re still in it.
2
Jared Goff has found plenty of success in this offense this season. How do you think that impacts Detroit’s plans at perhaps drafting a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 draft?
JR: One of the complicating factors is that Goff is the only QB on the roster under contract. There is a dire need for a better backup quarterback, one with some actual upside. Detroit hasn’t had that in almost 20 years. A developmental-type of draft pick makes a lot more sense than bringing in the next Nate Sudfeld or Tim Boyle, low-end vets that the team is basically afraid of having to play.
So drafting one makes a lot of sense on that level. It’s a nice cost-control too. It’s hard to know where they’ll go with their two first-rounders, but they’ll strongly consider QB with one of them.
3
The last time the Lions faced Justin Fields, he went off for 147 rushing yards. Do you think Detroit is better prepared to handle Fields this time around?
JR: I would feel better about Detroit’s defense if safety DeShon Elliott was healthy. He’s the team’s best between-the-tackles chase tackler, but he’s going to be out for the second straight week with a shoulder injury.
The containment concepts and discipline from the front six (the Lions exclusively play a 4-2-5) have been better lately. Alas, Sam Darnold caused problems with his legs last week in Carolina’s 320-yard ground outburst. That’s definitely concerning. The rub for Chicago is that the Bears’ passing offense doesn’t threaten the defense nearly as much as what Carolina presented, so there will likely be even more focus on Fields and his outstanding running ability.
4
The Lions’ first-round receiver Jameson Williams finally made his debut a few weeks ago. How has the rookie wideout looked in his short stint? And what impact has he had in this offense?
JR: It’s been a slow integration. Williams has played 9, 13, 13 and 11 snaps in his four weeks and has one catch–for a touchdown–and one drop.
I know it sounds cliche, but Williams’ speed really is world-class. It’s just different. I’ve seen Will Fuller run in person, I’ve seen Tyreek Hill live. Williams is legitimately faster than both of them and he gets to top speed so effortlessly. The chemistry between him and Jared Goff isn’t there yet. It’ll come. And the speed has already opened up the backside of the play for tight ends and Amon-Ra St. Brown to get a lot more room to operate.
5
Let’s look to the future, where there could be some shifting within the division. Why (or why not) do you think the Lions are in a good position in the NFC North looking at 2023 and beyond?
JR: The Lions have two first-rounders and two second-rounders in the upcoming draft. Detroit will have considerable cap room to work with as well. It’s the youngest roster in the NFL; they have one player (Michael Brockers, who won’t be back) over 29. GM Brad Holmes has found some value gems in his two drafts. The team is largely void of bad contracts that need to be purged. They really are set up to have a very nice run of years.
6
Who wins and why?
JR: I think the Lions bounce back from a very bad all-around game in Week 16 and assert themselves as the team that won six of seven before that. The Bears just don’t have the breadth or depth of quality talent to hang at this point of the season. Lions win 33-20.
