The Chicago Bears will travel to Detroit, Mich. on Sunday afternoon to face the Detroit Lions in their season opener. The Bears lead the all-time series, 101-74-5, and have won the last four meetings between the teams. Chicago finished the 2019 season 8-8 while Detroit finished last in the division with a 3-12-1 record, after losing 12 of their final 13 games. They were eliminated from playoff contention after losing to Chicago on Thanksgiving Day.
Chicago Bears
One of the biggest moves the Bears made in the offseason was the change at quarterback. The Bears took advantage of the free agency period and traded a fourth-round pick for Nick Foles. They then signed Robert Quinn to a five-year contract worth $70 million as well as adding Tashaun Gipson and Artie Burns to the team. In the 2020 NFL Draft, Chicago drafted Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, Darnell Mooney, Kindle Vilodo, Arlington Hambright, Lachavious Simmons, and Travis Gipson.
Offense
Mitchell Trubisky has been named as the starting quarterback this year, despite Foles joining the team. In the 2019 season, Trubisky passed for 3.138 yards and 17 touchdowns, which was his second 3,000 yard season and he will be going for his fourth game in a row against Detroit with three or more touchdown passes.
Allen Robinson led the team last season with a career-high 98 receptions for 1,147 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. David Montgomery ranked second among rookies last year in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. Ted Ginn Jr. and Jimmy Graham will make their Chicago debuts, with Graham recording 74 career receiving touchdowns, the fourth-most all-time among tight ends.
Defense
Khalil Mack led the Bears with 8.5 sacks in 2019. Meanwhile, Quinn, while with Dallas last season, posted 11.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. Roquan Smith led Chicago with 100 tackles last season, which was his second 100 tackle season. Kyle Fuller led the team with three interceptions and 12 pass deflections last year and also posted his career-high 82 tackles.
Detroit Lions
The biggest news from the Lions’ offseason was the acquisition of running back, Adrian Peterson, from the Washington Football Team. Detroit also acquired Eric Lee, Rony McRae, Geronimo Allison, and Jayron Kearse along with eight other players in the free agency period. Detroit also drafted Jeffrey Okudah, D’Andre Swift, Julian Okwara, Jonah Jackson, Quintez Cephus, Jason Huntley, John Penisini, and Jashon Cornell in the 2020 draft.
Offense
Matthew Stafford missed the second half of the season last year with a broken back but recorded 187 of 291 attempts for 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns, and five interceptions for a 106 passer rating before his injury. Stafford has 41,025 career pass yards and became the fastest player in the NFL to reach 40,000 yards.
Peterson will be making his debut with Detroit on Sunday and ranks fourth in the league with 111 rushing touchdowns and is fifth in the league with 14,216 rush yards. Kenny Golladay led the NFL with 11 receiving touchdowns in 2019, which was his career-high, and also posted his second consecutive 1,000 yard season. Marvin Jones Jr. recorded 62 receptions for 779 yards and nine touchdowns last season, and Danny Amendola also posted 62 receptions with 678 receiving yards.
Defense
Jamie Collins will also make his Detroit debut this weekend and was the only linebacker in the league last season with five or more sacks, three or more interceptions, and three or more forced fumbles. He also posted a career-high seven pass deflections in 2019. Trey Flower is one of five players with six or more sacks and two forced fumbles in each of the last three seasons. Duron Harmon comes to Detroit with 17 interceptions and 28 pass deflections in seven seasons with New England.
Game Info
Sept. 13, 2020
12:00 P.M. CST
Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.
TV info: Fox
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Chi +2.5 (-109), Det -2.5 (-112)
Moneyline: Chi +114, Det -129
Over/Under: 43
I believe Chicago will be dominant on both sides of the field and won’t allow Detroit to make it to the end zone more than twice, therefore, I will take the under on this game.
Prediction
Both teams will certainly be playing to better their 2019 records, and Detroit has more to prove on the field than Chicago, considering they had two back to back losing seasons. However, Chicago will prevail and add another win to the series between the teams.
Final Score- Chicago Bears, 24 – Detroit Lions 10
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