Bears vs Lions, Bears look for third straight victory

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The Chicago Bears will be going to Ford Field to play the Detroit Lions this week and will look to win their third straight game.

For the Bears to be successful against the Lions they will have to play to their strengths. The Bears need to force Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to throw the ball. According to ESPN.com, the Bears have the 4^th ranked passing defense, only the Tennessee Titans, New York Jets and New England Patriots allow less yards through the air.

The Lions will come out early in the game, looking to establish some kind of running game. According to ESPN, the Lions are the worst in the league running the football. They have 244 yards rushing on the season, with an average of 48.8 yards a game.

So the Bears can stack the box when the Lions show obvious running formations and rely on their 4^th ranked passing defense to get the job done against Stafford and his receivers. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be the main focal point for the Bears defense this week.

If the Bears can apply pressure on Stafford, minimize the gain on first down, when the Lions run the ball and control Calvin Johnson, the Bears defense will do just fine.

Offensively, the Bears need to and will establish the run game against the Lions 27^th ranked rushing defense. Bears running back Matt Forte is the NFL’s second leading rusher and will have a huge game against the Lions.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler could be missing one of his top targets this week with the following players listed as questionable, receivers Alshon Jeffrey (hamstring) and Eddie Royal (ankle) and tight end Martellus Bennett (quad).

Despite the injuries, Cutler will find a way to utilize the receivers he has and put them in positions to make plays.

Bears win, 28 – 10.