The Chicago Bears are coming into their week 14 game against the Detroit Lions five games back in the win column. While they are at home, they are just about three-point underdogs, signaling that this will be a close game. What are the reasons to bet on the Bears to beat the Lions?
The Chicago Bears are getting healthier; the Detroit Lions are not
The Detroit Lions will have a slightly different roster when they take on the Chicago Bears this week. There will be two big changes up front on each side of the football. At center, it does not look like Frank Ragnow is going to play. This is one of their best players and a building block on the roster.
The team will push Graham Glasgow over from right guard to center, and then they will play Colby Sorsdall at right guard. However, this effectively makes two spots worse because the center position drops from Ragnow to Glasgow, and the right guard spot drops from Glasgow to Sorsdall. Beyond that, this will be the second game that Jonah Jackson plays after missing most of the season with both an ankle and a wrist injury. This has been a down year for him, to say the least.
On the other side, the Lions already placed Alim McNeil on the IR, so we know that he is out this week. The Lions' front is pretty weak beyond McNeil, who has more pressures and run stops than Quinton Bohanna, Isaiah Buggs, and Benito Jones combined.
So, the Chicago Bears rushing attack that has improved in recent weeks is going to have the chance to continue this against a weak front. Alex Anzalone may play but is dealing with a hand injury.
On the Bears' front, they are fully healthy. They got their offensive line back to full strength the past two weeks, and Tyrique Stevenson is back on defense after being the only missing piece against the Minnesota Vikings. One team is trending up; the other is trending down.