Chicago Bears: Bold Predictions For Week 17 Matchup Vs Lions

In Week 17 the Chicago Bears take on the Detroit Lions. They look to exact revenge for a frustrating loss to them in Week 10. Here are some bold predictions for the game.

The Chicago Bears are winding down another frustrating and disappointing season. They have a record of 3-12. Additionally, they are in the midst of an eight-game losing streak and 11 of their last 12.

Despite that, things are upbeat at Halas Hall. General manager Ryan Poles has a plan for the team’s latest rebuilding project and he is sticking to it. He decided that he had to sacrifice the 2022 season in order to have flexibility in the future.

As a result, the Chicago Bears have the highest salary cap space in 2023. Also, they have eight picks, including a first-round pick. They’ve only had one first-round pick in the past four years. Furthermore, with the struggles of this season, the Bears are in play for the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Last season, Poles turned five draft picks into 11, so he is no stranger to trading draft picks. Having high-quality picks means he could acquire a lot more, helping to hasten the rebuild.

Before they get to that, however, the Bears have to finish this season. There are two more games remaining. They are trying to end two current losing streaks. First, there is that eight-game overall streak. In addition to that, they have a seven-game losing streak in their division, the NFC North. They have two opportunities to break those streaks as they face the Detroit Lions this week and another NFC North rival, the Minnesota Vikings, to finish the season next week.

First things first, though. The Bears face the Lions. They faced them in Week 10 and basically controlled the game until the fourth quarter. They blew a 14-point lead in that final quarter and lost 31-30.

Now the Lions are in the mix for the playoffs. They are just a half-game away from the final playoff spot. The Bears could play the role of spoilers if they get a victory. That will be a great accomplishment if they can do that.

Here are some bold predictions for the game:

The Bears get the running game back on track

Last week, the Chicago Bears running attack was completely shut down. The Bears have the best rushing game in the NFL. They average about 180 rushing yards per game. It was the biggest positive of the offense.

Things were different last week against the Buffalo Bills, however. After rushing for 71 yards in the first half, Chicago had just nine in the second half. It was the second-lowest number of rushing yards this season. They had 78 yards against the Vikings in Week 5.

In their first matchup, the Bears ran over the Lions’ defense. They had 2558 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. Quarterback Justin Fields led the way, rushing for 147 yards and getting both touchdowns.

The Lions struggle against the run. They rank 28th against the run and 31st in rushing touchdowns allowed.

The Bears have their three-headed monster attack back. Running back Khalil Herbert led all runners not named Fields in rushing before he went down. Ironically, the game against the Lions in Week 10 was when he got injured.

Herbert returned last week but the combination of the brutal cold and the Bills’ defense gave him trouble. He only had 7 rushing yards for the game.

David Montgomery has had another solid season. He could be auditioning for another team, however. He will be a free agent at the end of the season and with Herbert doing well and Trestan Ebner in the wings, the Bears might decide to let Montgomery walk.

That hasn’t stopped him from performing. Of all the running backs on the roster, he is the most well-rounded. He can run, catch the ball out of the backfield, and block well.

With the running game doing well, the Lions will try to stack the box and play aggressively. That means Montgomery can sneak out and catch some screens and take them for big yards.

The Bears were embarrassed by their offensive performance last week they want to make up for that. Look for the running game to get back on track.

Prediction: The Bears rush for 225+ yards and get 3 rushing touchdowns.

The rest of the offense also does well

It won’t be just the running game that will show out this week. The Chicago Bears will open up the passing attack a little and will succeed.

The Lions’ defense just isn’t good. In addition to struggling against the run, the unit also struggles against the pass. They rank 30th in passing yards allowed and 25th in passing touchdowns allowed.

Additionally, the Lions won’t force their opponents into turning the ball over. They rank 19th overall in turnovers forced and 21st in interceptions.

It will be a battle between the poor Chicago Bears’ offensive line against the poor Detroit Lions’ defense. Chicago’s offensive line has improved since earlier in the season. The unit wants to help end this losing streak and this might be their best opportunity to do it.

Fields will have opportunities to complete big passes downfield. The good running game will help open space for him to throw. Keep in mind, also, that in the first game he threw a critical interception. That play turned things around for Detroit. They played inspired ball after that play and took control of the game.

Fields wants to make up for that and doesn’t want that to happen again. He’ll have a good game with that in mind.

This will be the Bears’ best offensive performance this season.

Prediction: Fields throws for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns. 

The rookie defensive back trio plays well

Injuries have played a big part in the struggles this season. The defensive backs unit has been especially hard hit. Safety Eddie Jackson‘s ended after Week 12. The other safety, Jaquan Brisker, and cornerback Kyler Gordon, both missed two games due to concussion.

Now cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor are out for the season.

That means the Bears have three rookies in the defensive backfield — Gordon, Jaylon Jones, and Josh Blackwell. This trio has to go up against Jared Goff, who is having a very good season.

For the season, Goff has 3,959 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. In fact, his last interception came in Week 9.

After struggling early in the season, Gordon now looks a lot more comfortable and is a different player. After getting interceptions in the past two weeks, he now has three for the season. He is showing why the Bears chose him in the second round of this year’s draft.

The Bears’ secondary has done a good job of creating turnovers in the past two weeks against elite offenses, though. In consecutive weeks they faced The Philadelphia Eagles and the Bills. In those games, the Bears forced six turnovers.

The Bears want to continue that trend against the Lions. If they do, they’ll pull off the upset.

Prediction: The Bears’ defense intercepts Goff twice.