Bears vs. Lions: Behind Enemy Lines in Motown
Sep 29, 2013; Detroit, MI, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Lance Briggs (55) and cornerback Tim Jennings (26) tackel Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush (21) in the third quarter at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Each week, we are going behind enemy lines into enemy territory and hostile ground to see what our opponent’s websites are saying. Most of us know what our local sportscasters, bloggers, etc. are saying, but what about our enemy’s sites? Before stepping on the field of battle, or sitting on our couches in other words, it’s always entertaining to see how the opponents view the match up with our beloved Chicago Bears. It’s even more entertaining to poke holes in their assessments. This week: Bears. Lions. Thanksgiving Day….
So, lets start at a national level and CBSSports.com, where there’s little faith that the Bears will pull this one off but a strong feeling that they will keep it close:
Straight Up
Will
Brinson
Josh
Katzowitz
Ryan
Wilson
John
Breech
Against the Spread (DET -7.5)
CHI
DET
CHI
CHI
CHI
CHI
CHI
DET
So what are the local bloggers and media saying in Detroit…..?
On our sister Fansided site, SideLion Report, writer Max DeMara states that the #1 thing that Lions must do to get a win and avoid the upset is to force turnovers. This is something that the Lions were able to do pretty well last season against a seemingly better Bears offense:
"Detroit intercepted Cutler at Ford Field last season, and made life miserable on him and his offensive line in both contests. The Lions haven’t generated much pressure on the pocket recently, so doing this will be huge against Cutler, a quarterback who’s prone to big mistakes. Should Detroit get a few well-timed turnovers, it could help them pull away."
http://sidelionreport.com/2014/11/25/detroit-lions-three-ways-team-can-beat-chicago-bears/
When reading through the Bleacher Report’s article by Brandon Alisoglu, there’s a little bit of fear of how the Lion offensive line will match up against the seemingly rejuvenated Bear defensive line. However, he feels that the X-factor is Calvin Johnson, and there’s a lot of confidence that Megatron will succeed against the Bear secondary:
"Only once has Calvin Johnson matched his first-week output of at least one score and 100 yards. As noted above, Chicago is vulnerable through the air. Johnson needs to be the main thrust of the offense, which would allow guys like Golden Tate, Joique Bell, Reggie Bush and Eric Ebron to play complementary roles where they can blow this game apart."