Week 1 NFL Picks: Bears Should Handle Lions In Chicago
Published by Jimmy Boyd on September 9, 2010
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Chicago Bears
The Detroit Lions finished the 2009 season with a 2-14 record, but this is a team that appears to be on the right path. Matthew Stafford has the look of a franchise quarterback, and he has weapons around him.
The Chicago Bears are coming off a 7-9 season, which was not what they expected when bringing Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler aboard. Now, the Bears have added Julius Peppers in hopes of making a playoff push.
Two of Chicago’s 2009 victories came against the Lions, with winning margins of 24 and 14 points respectively. NFL odds makers expect Chicago’s success against Detroit to continue, listing the Bears as a 6.5-point favorite with the total set at 43.
Cutler knows he has to play better this season for the Bears to contend for an NFC North title. He has expressed that he feels very comfortable with the scheme new offensive coordinator Mike Martz has implemented, but it’s hard to expect Pro Bowl numbers if the offensive line doesn’t perform better.
In the five quarters that Cutler played this preseason, he was sacked 10 times and threw two interceptions.
It is also going to take a better effort from the boys up front to revive Chicago’s running game. Matt Forte is healthy, and the Bears now have a proven backup in Chester Taylor. This looks like a formidable one-two punch, but Olin Kreutz and company must create room for these two to operate.
Devin Hester, Johnny Knox, Devin Aromashodu and Greg Olsen are Cutler’s top targets. Hester and Knox have the speed to stretch the field, and Aromashodu and Olsen are big targets that can come down with the football in a crowd.
The Chicago defense wasn’t the same without Brian Urlacher on the field last season. With Urlacher back, and the addition of Peppers, this unit should instantly be better.
The biggest issue with the defense appears to be the secondary. The Bears know what they’re getting with cornerback Charles Tillman, but Zach Bowman, Danieal Manning and Chris Harris don’t inspire as much confidence in my book.
Stafford and wide receiver Calvin Johnson will be looking to exploit the Chicago secondary. But in order to do so, the Detroit offensive line must keep Peppers out of the backfield. If they can do that, they have an excellent opportunity to be in this football game.
Now that the Lions have added Nate Burleson, teams won’t be able to key on Johnson as much. Detroit should also benefit offensively from adding home run threat Jahvid Best.
While Detroit’s offense is looking pretty good, we won’t see the wins start piling up until the defense holds up on its end of the bargain. The Lions are very optimistic that their defense will be a much improved unit after adding Ndamukong Suh and Kyle Vanden Bosch up front.
Make sure you check out my expert NFL picks to see which teams I’m pounding in Week 1!
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