The Chicago Bears are set to travel to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions in an NFL week seventeen divisional matchup that could have big implications on the NFC North standings and the NFC Conference standings as a whole. The Bears come into the game with a record of 3-12 and currently sit in last place in the NFC North. On the flip side, the Lions enter the contest with a record of 7-8 and are tied with the Green Bay Packers for second place in the NFC North. This is a must win game for the Lions if they hope to stay in playoff contention. With there still being a lot of teams in the hunt, the Lions need to win out to remain in front of the pack.
Chicago Bears Hope to Continue Development of Justin Fields and the Offense
The Chicago Bears are coming off of a tough 35-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Bears were heavy underdogs coming into this game, and they did what they good against one of the best teams in the league. The defense did a solid job of getting Josh Allen to turn the ball over, however, it is almost impossible to stop the Bills’ offense this year.
They find themselves in a much more favorable matchup this week against the Lions, however, they will still be a very tough team to beat. Despite having some very talented pieces on the roster, Chicago has still been one of the worst teams in the league this year in terms of record. Although they have been able to make quite a few games competitive through the year, the Bears have struggled closing them out. They will have to play some of their best football of the year this week to pull off the upset and potentially ruin Detroit’s playoff chances.
Detroit Lions Look to Pull Off Crucial Win to Remain In Playoff Contention
Last week, the Detroit Lions suffered a very disappointing loss to the Carolina Panthers by a final score of 37-23. This was a very winnable game for the Lions and one that would have done wonders to help their odds to get into the postseason. The only thing that was working for the Lions in this game was the passing attack. Jared Goff had an amazing game throwing for 355 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. However, there was no rushing game for Detroit. As a team, they combined for 45 total rushing yards and Goff led the team with 15 yards. The defensive unit also took the week off for the Lions. They allowed the Panthers to score a season high 37 points on them with Sam Darnold starting at quarterback.
These are major issues that will have to be fixed if they want to come out of week seventeen with a win. Justin Fields is a much more difficult quarterback to stop than Darnold. If the Lions allow him to get going, it could cost them their season.
