Ben Johnson returns to Ford Field as Bears head coach as Chicago faces rival Detroit
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Chicago (0-1) at Detroit (0-1)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, FOX
BetMGM NFL Odds: Lions by 6.
Against the spread: Bears 0-1; Lions 0-1.
Series record: Bears lead Lions 105-80-5.
Last meeting: Lions beat Bears 34-17 at Chicago on Dec. 22, 2024.
Last week: Bears lost to Vikings 27-24 at home; Lions lost at Packers 27-13.
Bears offense: overall (14t), rush (10t), pass (16), scoring (10t)
Bears defense: overall (7), rush (24), pass (5), scoring (25t)
Lions offense: overall (27), rush (31t), pass (15), scoring (24t)
Lions defense: overall (11), rush (11t), pass (14t), scoring (25t)
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams. Coming off an uneven rookie season after being drafted No. 1 overall, Williams was inconsistent in the opener. He had his first career TD run on Chicago’s first possession and completed his first 10 passes before cooling off. The offense didn’t score another TD until late in the game, and Williams finished 21 of 35 for 210 yards and a TD pass.
Lions player to watch
DE Aidan Hutchinson. He did not have a tackle at Green Bay in his first game since breaking two bones in left leg last October. He had 7 1/2 sacks in five games last season before he was injured. Detroit, which didn’t have a sack last week, desperately needs Hutchinson to get to Williams because rushing the passer is one of the team’s glaring weaknesses.
Key matchup
Detroit’s offensive line against Chicago’s defensive front. The Lions had one of the NFL’s top offensive lines in recent years. The reshaped unit performed poorly against the Packers, giving four sacks and allowing them to hold the Lions to 2.1 yards per rushing attempt. The Bears had three defensive linemen with a sack last week and their defense held Minnesota to three-and-out drives seven times in Week 1.
Key injuries
Bears: Coach Ben Johnson was “hopeful” CB Jaylon Johnson (groin) and LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) would be available after both players missed the opener.
Lions: CB Terrion Arnold (groin) was cleared to practice after leaving the opener with an injury. … LB Jack Campbell (ankle) and OT Taylor Decker (shoulder) were held out of practice on Wednesday.
Series notes
Detroit has won five of the past six matchups, losing at Chicago in 2023, after losing seven of eight games to the Bears from 2018-2021.
Stats and stuff
Head coach Ben Johnson is leading the Bears in his first season after serving as Detroit’s offensive coordinator. … Chicago is within two victories of joining Green Bay as the only franchises with at least 800 wins. … The Bears had four false starts and 12 penalties in all last week, the most for them since they had 12 in a loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 8, 2021. … Chicago had 119 yards rushing against Minnesota and the only RB to carry the ball was former Lions standout D’Andre Swift with 53 yards on 17 attempts. Williams led Chicago with 58 yards on six scrambles. … WR DJ Moore has six TDs in seven games against the Lions and is averaging 106.7 yards per scrimmage against them. … Bears LB Noah Sewell, who had a career-high nine tackles last week, and Lions OT Penei Sewell are brothers. … With Jaylon Johnson out, CB Nahshon Wright returned an INT 74 yards for a TD and held two-time All-Pro Justin Jefferson to four catches for 44 yards. … Since Nov. 6, 2022, the Lions have not lost two straight games in the regular season. … QB Jared Goff was 31 of 39, averaging 7.3 yards per completion, for 225 yards with a TD and an INT last week. … Goff completed at least four passes to five teammates at Green Bay. .. Detroit RB Jahmyr Gibbs had a career-high 10 receptions last week, but had just 31 yards receiving. … Gibbs was limited to 19 yards rushing on nine carries against the Packers. … Former Bears RB David Montgomery has 25 rushing TDs in 28 regular-season games with the Lions. … Montgomery was held to 25 yards rushing on 11 carries last week. … TE Sam LaPorta, who has scored in the past two games against Chicago, had six catches for a team-high 79 yards at Green Bay. … Hutchinson has 16 1/2 sacks in 20 home games.
Fantasy tip
Goff will likely bounce back from a lackluster performance based on his track record at Ford Field and against the Bears. He threw for 21 TDs with just six INTs in nine regular-season games last season at home. Goff has thrown at least two TDs in four of his past five games versus Chicago and his passer rating was at least 100 in seven of the past nine matchups.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl