Detroit Lions (1-2) at Chicago Bears (2-1)
The Detroit Lions are riding high right now, the winners of one in a row. Yes, winning one game “straight” is a big deal in Detroit, with the Lions going for the first two-game winning streak since the start of the 2007 season on Sunday in Chicago.
The Lions, who are 10-point betting underdogs this week on WagerWeb.com, snapped a 19-game losing skid with a 19-14 win over the Redskins last week. Detroit might have a shot this week if they can keep the Chicago running game down. And that might not be a problem. Bears running back Matt Forte is averaging just 2.5 yards per carry on 59 attempts. He averaged 3.9 yards last season and rushed for 1,238 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Bears rushed for a season-high 86 yards on 31 attempts in the opener at Green Bay, then rushed for 44 yards on 17 carries at home against Pittsburgh and 85 yards on 28 carries last week at Seattle. The Lions held Washington’s Clinton Portis to 42 yards on 12 carries last week.
“They can run the football. They haven’t gotten it going yet,” Lions coach Jim Schwartz said of the Bears. “We need to make sure they don’t get it started this week.”
Thus the Bears have relied on Jay Cutler to win their past two games; he has thrown for 760 yards and completed 64.4% of his passes (65-for-101) with six touchdowns and five interceptions – four of those picks came in the Week 1 loss. Cutler is on pace to set a franchise record with 4,053 yards.
The Lions have the league’s 30th-ranked pass defense. In fact, that defense is allowing opposing QBs a passer rating of 123.7 — no quarterback in history had that high a rating over a full season, so Cutler could be in for a big day.
Look for the Bears to blitz Lions rookie QB Matthew Stafford. With nine sacks, the Bears are tied for fourth and one behind league leaders Cincinnati, Denver and Philadelphia.
There is a key injury concern for Detroit. RB Kevin Smith, who ran for 101 yards before leaving last week’s game with an injured right shoulder, is a game-time decision. But it’s thought he will play.
The Bears lead the all-time series 89-64-5 and swept last year’s matchups.
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