5 notable differences since the last time the Detroit Lions played the Chicago Bears

4. The Chicago Bears will see a weaker defensive front

The Detroit Lions just put defensive tackle Alim McNeil on the injured reserve with a knee injury. This is significant because McNeil has been the second-best Lions defensive player by pretty much any way you look at it. He is not Aidan Hutchinson, but he impacts the game more than anyone else. 

Alim McNeil has 12 run stops on 201 snaps, and Hutchinson has 12 on 236. The combination of Isaiah Buggs, Quinton Bohanna, and Benito Jones have 11 on 294 snaps. These are the top three replacements for McNeil. 

McNeil has 33 pressures on 327 rush attempts, while those three combine for 20 on 328 attempts. The Detroit Lions' defensive line just got extremely thin. 

The Chicago Bears already had some success running the football against this front the first time that these teams played. Beyond that, the Chicago Bears are weakest at giving up pressure straight up the gut, and that threat just went down significantly. This is a worse defense than the Bears saw in week 11.