5 Matchups Chicago Bears must win vs. Detroit
Eddie Jackson vs Matt Stafford
Quietly, Matthew Stafford is playing the best football of his career in 2019. Almost any number you can look at shows Stafford playing better than ever, if not just better than his career averages suggest.
The Bears’ defense has kept them in games, but they have faced an elite offense recently. The Lions are going to be the best passing offense they have faced since Aaron Rodgers. The BEars have hung in these games, but if the scoring starts to pick up, their offense is in no shape to hang around.
Currently, the Lions rank first in the NFL in explosive pass plays. The Bears defense ranks 6th in explosive passes allowed. Something is going to give here. Eddie Jackson has not played his best this season. Especially in turning the football over.
However, he is going to be tested this week. The Lions will push the ball down the field. If Jackson can turn the ball over, it can be reminiscent of a pick-six that beat the Lions on Thanksgiving last year. It can push a struggling offense over the top. If not, Stafford may put up serious yardage, and the Bears will not be able to keep up.
Khalil Mack vs Rick Wagner
The Lions offensive line has been up and down this year. They have seen strong play at both tackle positions, but right tackle Rick Wagner has allowed three sacks while left tackle Taylor Decker has allowed two. If there is one area where Stafford has not improved, it is taking sacks. He has a 5.7% sack rate this year, which is right near his 5.8% career number.
If the Bears want to limit the explosive passes, Jackson can help, but the pressure of the Bears can be more. Mack is on pace for 11 sacks this year, which is right about his career average numbers.
The Bears issues have not been Mack. Mack moves around more this year than last, but he lines up over right tackles more than not. Wagner is an older player coming to the slow portion of his career. Mack should be able to dominate Wagner physically and athletically in this matchup. The Bears do not have the offense to win this game and will need Mack to change things this week.