A look at positional group matchups and key statistics in the Week 14 game between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.
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00:00 [MUSIC]
00:09 The Bears on a winning streak.
00:11 They haven't had one since the last game of the 2021 season.
00:15 They face the Detroit Lions,
00:16 a team that they had the chance to put away just three weeks ago.
00:20 Bears will go for their second straight win on the lakefront at Soldier Field.
00:26 Here's who wins and why.
00:27 There are a few areas in this rematch where neither side has the edge.
00:30 Very close in returns where the Lions are better on punt returns with
00:34 Khalif Raymond.
00:35 The Bears are a bit better with Bayless Jones Jr.
00:37 on kick returns, although he's sick right now.
00:40 Detroit is much better at stopping punt returns and
00:42 kick returns than the Bears, allowing only 6.3 yards on punt returns.
00:47 The Bears are terrible at doing this.
00:49 Cairo Santos, though, the November special teams player of the month,
00:53 does give the Bears an edge outdoors in the kicking game.
00:58 Another where there is a push is the inconsistent passing of the Bears
01:02 against Detroit's mediocre pass defense.
01:05 The rankings alone say it, Detroit is 21st defending the pass,
01:08 has given up 20 touchdown throws, the sixth most.
01:12 The Bears are only 25th throwing the ball, but
01:14 Justin Fields has thrown only one interception in his last four games.
01:18 DJ Moore has 96 yards or more receiving in five of the last seven games.
01:23 The Bears must do a complete job at stopping Aiden Hutchinson's pass rush
01:29 if they hope to get downfield more in the passing game.
01:32 Last among these pushes is the Lions running game against the Bears' run defense.
01:36 David Montgomery and Jameer Gibbs are fourth in the league at running, but
01:40 TJ Edwards, Andrew Billings, and the Bears' defense up front is number one
01:44 against the run.
01:45 The Lions managed 115 yards against them last time.
01:48 The only time in the last nine games an opponent has run for
01:51 100 yards against Chicago.
01:53 But Detroit may need much more than 115 yards in this one.
01:56 [MUSIC]
02:00 The Bears have the advantage when their own running game is going against
02:03 Detroit's run defense.
02:04 They managed to run for 118 yards on the Vikings, who were a top 10 rushing defense.
02:09 And they gained 183 yards rushing against Detroit last time.
02:14 They have Dante Foreman back to go with Roshon Johnson and Khalil Herbert.
02:19 Now a bigger factor though, Detroit's fifth against the run, but
02:22 their key run player on defense is Ali McNeil, and
02:26 he went on injured reserve this week.
02:27 The Bears also get the intangible advantage.
02:31 They're playing outdoors in 30-something weather on a windchill on the lakefront,
02:35 while the Lions are indoor cats now.
02:37 Bear weather apparently does count for something sometimes.
02:42 Detroit's passing game has the biggest edge in this game,
02:45 matching up the second best passing attack in the league against
02:48 what the stats say is a mediocre Bears pass defense.
02:51 But it's a pass defense that has allowed less than 200 yards passing
02:56 five of the last seven games.
02:57 The Lions do get an edge because Jared Goff and
03:00 Amon Ross St. Brown in the passing attack are consistent.
03:05 And the Bears pass defense has been spotty at times in games.
03:09 Still, they did pick off Goff three times last game, and
03:12 that was indoors, not outdoors, where Goff is not at his best.
03:15 The other big Lions advantage is in coaching.
03:19 No one is calling for their coach's head or their offensive coordinator's head.
03:24 Matt Eberfloos and Luke Getzey are embattled, to say the least.
03:27 Put this all together, and it says a 24 to 20 Lions victory.
03:33 They managed to win in Chicago 31 to 30 last November in similar weather conditions.
03:39 And Goff's experience and
03:40 consistency should make a difference at the end of this well-fought game.
03:44 [MUSIC]