Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears: Complete Week 16 Preview for Chicago
Published by Matt Eurich on December 19, 2014
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears played one of their most uninspiring games of the season in Week 15 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. Chicago lost 31-15 and racked up just 278 yards of total offense. Quarterback Jay Cutler threw for just 194 yards with two touchdowns, three interceptions and was sacked seven times.
“We never got going offensively,” said veteran center Roberto Garza, via Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “Too many three-and-outs. When you don’t protect your quarterback, you make it tough to stay on the field.”
The Bears will now welcome the Detroit Lions to town in Week 16. Sunday will be the 180th meeting between the Bears and the Lions all time. The two teams last squared off on Thanksgiving Day, with the Lions coming away with a 37-14 victory. Chicago still leads the all-time series 96-68-5.
The Lions are coming off a 16-14 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. Matthew Stafford completed just 17 passes for 153 yards with one touchdown. Joique Bell ran the football 15 times for 62 yards, while wide receiver Calvin Johnson was limited to 53 yards on four catches. Detroit’s defense gave up 360 yards of total offense to Minnesota but forced rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater into throwing two interceptions.
“Defense has been huge for us,” Lions guard Rob Sims said, via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. “We were stalling early, a couple penalties here and there and just not hitting our stride. It’s like that sometimes, but when you have a defense that plays like that, we can fight back and make our adjustments and it’s nice.”
Detroit’s defense is currently second in the league in total yards, allowing just 300.3 per game, and is first against the run, allowing just 63.8 yards on the ground per game. Detroit also has the fifth-most sacks in the league this season with 39.
In a surprising twist, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday night that backup Jimmy Clausen will replace Cutler at quarterback against Detroit:
To repeat and now confirmed: Bears starting QB Jimmy Clausen over Jay Cutler on Sunday vs. Detroit, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 17, 2014
With Detroit still fighting for playoff positioning, expect its defense to come out strong Sunday afternoon against Clausen and Chicago’s offense.
Here is our Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears preview for Week 16.
