ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions (0-9-1) face the Chicago Bears (3-7) on Thanksgiving for the second time in three years, with both teams entering this one featuring question marks under center.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff (oblique) missed last week’s loss against the Cleveland Browns, with Tim Boyle getting his first crack at starting in the league. Bears quarterback Justin Fields (ribs) left last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens, with veteran Andy Dalton finishing the game. Fields was held out of Chicago’s walkthrough to open the week, while Goff was estimated to be a limited participant on Detroit’s report. The NFL Network reports Dalton is expected to start on Thanksgiving, with the turnaround for Fields and his ribs being too quick.
Boyle struggled mightily, completing 15 of 23 passes for 77 yards and two interceptions. Dalton found some success for the Bears, nearly leading the team to a win against the Ravens before their defense allowed a touchdown in the final minute. Dalton completed 11 of 23 attempts for 201 yards with two touchdowns.
Both teams are dealing with injuries at key spots other than the quarterback position. The Bears placed Khalil Mack on injured reserve, missing receiver Allen Robinson, safety Eddie Jackson, and defensive lineman Akiem Hicks last week. It’s also worth noting Bears coach Matt Nagy seems firmly on the hot seat, with a nationally-televised game against the winless Lions on deck. It’s worth noting last year’s embarrassing loss to the Texans on Thanksgiving was the last straw for Matt Patricia’s tenure in Detroit.
This post will run through team stats, looking at the series history, betting lines and spotlight players for the Bears:
2021 Team stats:
DVOA offensive ranking: Lions 31st | Bears 27th
DVOA defensive ranking: Lions 29th | Bears 22nd
Net yards gained per passing attempt: Lions 5.1 (31st) | Bears 5.1 (32nd)
Rushing yards per attempt: Lions 4.7 (8th) | Bears 4.6 (9th)
Points per game: Lions 16.0 (29th) | Bears 16.3 (28th)
Points allowed per game: Lions 27.3 (29th) | Bears 24.0 (20th)
Net yards allowed per passing attempt: Lions 7.5 (31st) | Bears 4.3 (15th)
Rushing yards allowed per attempt: Lions 4.4 (22nd) | Bears 3.7 (10th)
Takeaways: Lions 12 | Bears 10
Spotlight players for Chicago: The Bears were missing just about every one of their spotlight players last week, with it looking bleak down there. Eddie Jackson (hamstring), Akiem Hicks (ankle), Allen Robinson (hamstring) and Justin Fields (ribs) are all dealing with something, while Khalil Mack (foot surgery) is on injured reserve.
Fields has continued to show flashes of improvement, but the rib injury on the short week puts a big question mark on his availability. Dalton saw his most extensive action since the second week of the season, giving the Bears a chance late in the game against the Ravens. He’s completed 48 of 73 passes for 471 yards with three touchdowns and one interception through his first year in Chicago. Dalton has faced the Lions twice as a starting quarterback, both times while with the Cincinnati Bengals. His teams have won both games, while he’s thrown for 610 yards with four touchdowns and one pick.
Without Robinson out at receiver, it was the speedy Marquise Goodwin and Darnell Mooney making plays. Mooney caught five passes on 16 (!) targets for 121 yards and one touchdown. Goodwin secured four of eight looks for 104 yards and one score too. The pair can beat you downfield in a hurry, and with those targets coming in bunches, it’s clear Dalton wants to get the ball in their hands, something to track with the veteran expected to start in Detroit.
David Montgomery has been back for a couple of weeks now from the injury he suffered the last time these two teams met back in Week 4, with the Bears winning 24-14. Montgomery had two touchdowns in the first half, with Damien Williams adding another in relief to put them up 21-0 in the third quarter. Montgomery has seen double-digit carries through his two games back in the lineup, running 27 times for 121 yards and no touchdowns.
With Williams out of action since Week 8, the Bears have turned to rookie Khalil Herbert as their backup running back. Herbert impressed in a pair of starts but has fallen behind in the rotation without question. He’s run five times for only 13 yards with Montgomery back after compiling at least 70 rushing yards in four consecutive games.
Chicago’s offensive line situation has slightly improved but not by much. After a rough start, Jason Peters has cleaned it up, serving as the most dependable piece on that rotating offensive line. It’s not great, but it’s better than it was the last time we talked about the Bears, and that’s a step in the right direction.
On the defensive side of the ball, though? The Bears appear to be in some serious trouble, with a handful of their top players dealing with something. Robert Quinn tried to pick up the slack against the Ravens, notching 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble. Pro Football Focus ranked his performance third among all edge defenders last week, with his seven created pressures sticking out.
Roquan Smith hasn’t had his best season by any means necessary, remaining one of the better coverage linebackers around, though. Smith has 110 tackles and three sacks with three pass deflections and an interception he returned 53 yards for a touchdown. He’s ultra-talented and is the type of linebacker that could flip the field against Detroit’s floundering offense in a hurry. Second-year cornerback Jaylon Johnson has taken some bumps on the outside of Chicago’s banged-up defense. He had a solid game last week, allowing three catches on five targets in coverage for only 19 yards. Johnson has had some tough matchups this year, with Detroit’s receiver corps among the least productive in the NFL, with uncertainty under center making this look like another bounce-back outing.
The last time these two teams played, the Bears won 24-14, holding onto the victory after leading 21-0 through the third quarter. Detroit’s offense hasn’t scored more than 20 points since the season opener. It’s been an up-and-down path to this point for the Bears, with this looking like it should be an ugly rock fight on national television.
Betting line: The Bears opened as 3.5-point favorites, with the over/under total at 41.5 points. The Lions are 6-4 against the spread this season, while Chicago is 4-6.
Series history: The Bears lead the all-time series 103-75-5, winning six of the last seven against the Lions. See below for the five most recent results:
2021 -- Bears 24, Lions 14 (Week 4 in Chicago)
2020 -- Lions 34, Bears 30
2020 -- Bears 27, Lions 23
2019 -- Bears 24, Lions 20 (Thanksgiving)
2019 -- Bears 20, Lions 13
"looking" - Google News
November 23, 2021 at 09:54PM
https://ift.tt/3r2zdHu
Looking ahead: Chicago Bears expected to start QB Andy Dalton against Lions on Thanksgiving - mlive.com
"looking" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2tdCiJt
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Looking ahead: Chicago Bears expected to start QB Andy Dalton against Lions on Thanksgiving - mlive.com"
Post a Comment