UPDATE: The Bears and Lions have announced their inactives for Sunday’s game. See INJURY REPORT below.
CHICAGO — The Bears are “playing out the string,” as they say, eliminated from NFL playoff contention with three games still left to play this season.
They’d certainly like to win one of them to avoid carrying a double-digit losing streak into an offseason of certain change.
The Bears have lost eight games in a row to fall to 4-10 since starting the season a promising 4-2. They’ll once again try to end their agonizing losing streak, this time on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field against one of the best teams in the NFL.
Ahead of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions, WGN Radio’s Kevin Powell joined Sean Lewis and Jewell Hillery on the WGN Weekend Morning News to discuss where this Bears season went wrong, saying it’s been “beyond frustrating” for the players inside Halas Hall.
See the video attached to this story for more from Powell.
The Lions, meanwhile, come into Sunday’s game on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Bears, with a ton to play for.
The Lions have already clinched a playoff berth, but a home loss to the Buffalo Bills last week snapped their 11-game winning streak dropped them into a tie with the Minnesota Vikings atop the NFC North at 12-2. The Lions, Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles are also tied for the best record in the NFC, with three games left to determined the No. 1 seed for the upcoming playoffs.
The Bears will try to play spoiler Sunday against the Lions, and despite their lengthy losing streak, they can certainly pull it off. In the teams’ first meeting this season, on Thanksgiving Day at Soldier Field, the Bears nearly pulled off a late rally, but terrible clock management left them near midfield when time ran out on a 23-20 loss.
The next day, head coach Matt Eberflus was fired, and Thomas Brown was named interim head coach.
Here’s a look at injuries, inactives and key matchup for Bears vs. Lions:
Sunday, Noon, FOX
Inactive for the Bears on Sunday’s are RB Travis Homer, DB Ameer Speed, LB Noah Sewell, OL Doug Kramer Jr., OL Kiran Amegadjie and DL Gervon Dexter Sr.
On their Friday injury report this week, the Bears had already listed listed OL Ryan Bates (concussion) as out, while Homer (hamstring) was listed as doubtful and DB Jaylon Johnson (illness), Dexter (calf), OL Braxton Jones (concussion) and OL Teven Jenkins (calf) were all listed as questionable.
So the Bears will have some much-needed players available on the offensive line, with Jenkins and Jones, the left tackle, both active. Johnson, the team’s best cornerback, is also active.
Bears S Jaquan Brisker (concussion) has missed the past nine games and remains out, while RB Roschon Johnson (concussion) was a full participant Wednesday — when the Bears held a walkthrough rather than practice — after missing back-to-back games, so he’s good to go.
For the Lions, meanwhile, RB David Montgomery — the former Bear — LB Kwon Alexander, OL Giovanni Manu, OL Graham Glasgow, OL Colby Sorsdal, DL Jonah Williams and DL Brodric Martin are inactive for Sunday’s game
Detroit has been decimated by injuries, especially on the defensive side of the ball, that are threatening to derail their Super Bowl hopes. A number of Lions weren’t on the injury report this week only because they’re already out for the season.
Montgomery had already been ruled out for Sunday’s game with a knee injury he suffered last week. That injury was feared to be season-ending, but according to reports, sources say the Lions are hopeful Montgomery can rehab and return yet this season.
Also for the Lions, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (neck) had already been ruled out for Sunday’s game, while DB Brian Branch (calf), OL Graham Glasgow (knee) and DB Ifeatu Melifonwu (hand) were listed as questionable.
So Branch and Melifonwu are active, while Glasgow is out.
The Lions had a league-high 18 players on injured reserve already before DT Alim McNeill, CB Carlton Davis and special teams ace Khalil Dorsey, in addition to Montgomery, suffered serious injuries against Buffalo.
BetMGM NFL odds: Lions by 7½ (subject to change).
Against the spread: Lions 9-5; Bears 6-6-2.
Series record: Bears lead 105-79-5.
Last meeting: Lions beat Bears 23-20 in Detroit on Nov. 28.
Last week: Lions lost to Buffalo 48-42; Bears lost at Minnesota 30-12.
Lions offense: overall (2), rush (6), pass (2), scoring (1).
Lions defense: overall (14), rush (6), pass (26), scoring (7).
Bears offense: overall (32), rush (21), pass (31), scoring (25).
Bears defense: overall (24), rush (26), pass (19), scoring (11).
Turnover differential: Lions plus-7; Bears plus-10.
DE Za’Darius Smith. Detroit’s banged-up defense needs someone to step up, and Smith is potentially a player who could help. The 32-year-old Smith has three sacks in five games since the Lions acquired him from Cleveland at the trade deadline. Smith did not sack Josh Allen and wasn’t credited with a hit against him after having seven QB hits in the previous four games and 2 1/2 sacks in the previous two games. The Lions have lost eight players on the defensive line to injuries and desperately need Smith to shine and add to his career total of 68 sacks.
QB Caleb Williams. The No. 1 overall draft pick looked like a beaten man both physically and mentally in the loss to Minnesota last Monday night. He’s been sacked a league-leading and franchise-record 58 times after being taken down twice against Minnesota, and though the offensive line is a huge problem, it’s not all on the blocking. Williams has missed his share of open receivers. He had just 191 yards passing on Monday after throwing for 134 the previous week at San Francisco. He appeared to be progressing in the first three games with Brown calling plays following former offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s firing.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs against Chicago’s defensive line. Though the Lions lost Montgomery to a knee injury in the loss to Buffalo, the Bears still figure to have their hands full stopping the run. Entering Week 16, Gibbs is sixth in the NFL in rushing with 1,047 yards and is three shy of the league lead with 11 touchdown runs.
Detroit has won four of the past five meetings, including a Thanksgiving win that led to Chicago firing a coach in season for the first time when it let Eberflus go the next day and replaced him on an interim basis with Brown. The Bears let the clock run down rather than call a timeout following a sack, resulting in an incomplete pass from the Lions 41-yard line as time expired when they could have run more than one play. It’s part of a series of poor late-game decisions this season.
Detroit’s franchise-record 11-game winning streak ended last week with its first loss in three months. … The Lions are a victory away from setting their single-season record, breaking a tie with last year’s 11-win team and the 1991 squad. … Detroit’s loss and wins by Minnesota and Philadelphia dropped the Lions into a first-place tie in the NFC North and in the race for top seeding in the conference. … The Lions have not lost two straight games in more than two years. … Detroit closes the regular season with a trip to San Francisco followed by a home game against Minnesota. … The Lions have scored at least 40 points five times, tying a franchise record with the 1952 team. … QB Jared Goff became the first NFL player to lose after throwing for 400-plus yards and five TDs with no INTs last week. … The Bears have lost eight straight and are 0-2 under Brown. … Chicago’s most recent win was against Jacksonville in London on Oct. 13. … The Bears dropped their final 10 games two years ago as part of a franchise-record 14-game skid that stretched into last season. … Chicago has been outscored a combined 73-20 in the first quarter this season, including 27-0 over the past three games. Opponents have a 53-0 edge in the first half during that span. … The Bears’ franchise record for sacks allowed is 66 in 2004. … Williams has gone eight straight games and an NFL rookie-record 286 passes without an interception — the longest streak by any Bears quarterback. … K Cairo Santos has made seven field goals of 50 yards or more, tying his own franchise record set last season.
Though Goff hasn’t exactly lit up the Bears in his career, the Lions might try to lean a little more on the pass with Montgomery out, after running for 194 yards in the most recent meeting. Goff threw for season-best 494 yards and matching a career high and team record with five TD passes against Buffalo. The three-time Pro Bowler has attempted 100 passes over the past two games.
