The Bears have a chance to enter their bye week at .500. That thought was unfathomable two weeks ago. Hell, it was unfathomable with six minutes remaining at Arrowhead Sunday. Nevertheless, here we are, daring to dream.
AN ACTUAL QUICK THOUGHT
Does anybody really know if the Bears are any good? Honestly, do you?
Sunday will tell us something. If the Bears are a better than average team they will go into Detroit and beat a Lions team on life support. They will embrace the opportunity to rescue what looked like a dying season by beating a team they are better than right now. Good teams beat the teams they should, unapologetically. This is one of those cases.
The Bears haven’t been in this situation. Point spread aside, many will expect them to win this week. How will they handle a bit of success? How will their quarterback handle the abundant praise (deserved) he’s received all week locally? It will be a fascinating game to watch.
THE GAME POEM
DETROIT.
Where once there was a factory
Now sits only stone
And a city once that changed the world
Sits quietly, alone
JIM CALDWELL’S CAREER TREND
Brown Paper Bag Time
Someone named Chris Dobrowolski in a paper called the Traverse City Record-Eagle thinks it’s time for those in the greater Detroit area to diversify their portfolios:
If you’re looking at making a sound investment, it may be the perfect time to consider investing in large, brown paper bags.
Around the state of Michigan, specifically at Ford Field, you can bank on the demand to be sky high in the coming weeks.
After all, who among die-hard Detroit Lions fans will want to disclose their identity during a season that is effectively over before Halloween? Sunday’s 42-17 debacle against the Arizona Cardinals hammered home what the first four games of the year already proved — the Lions stink, and there should be no false hope for an epic, miraculous run toward a second straight playoff appearance after an inauspicious start to the year. It’s going to be hard to convince most who have seen this sad tale play out before that Detroit isn’t careening toward the No. 1 overall pick in next spring’s NFL draft
IRISH VIDEO OF THE WEEK
WATCH OUT FOR CALVIN JOHNSON
Sounds odd, doesn’t it, but Calvin Johnson is playing football like Calvin Johnson’s dad. Johnson’s long reception on the year is twenty-eight yards. Twenty-eight! This is one of the most dominant deep ball receivers in the history of the sport! Much of the issue is the play from the quarterback but a lot has been Johnson’s inability to get separation from even middle of the road cornerbacks.
Still, it doesn’t feel right. It still feels like Johnson is capable of a 13-catch, 228 yard, 2 touchdown performance. It doesn’t look that way but it feels this way.
THREE BEARS OF INTRIGUE
- To this point, Tracy Porter has been lining up more than 75% of snaps with the opposing number one receiver. (The previous stat is completely made up.) The shocking part is how good he’s been. With the struggles along the Lions offensive line, Porter should not be tested deep too often but he will need to hold up on the intermediate routes and, perhaps most importantly, get Calvin Johnson to the ground after the catch.
- Jay Cutler. When a team is on the ropes, knock em out. Adam Gase and Jay Cutler don’t want to slow play this defense. The Bears need to put up a quick score on the Lions and let the fans in Detroit turn on this organization. Cutler can’t wait until the second half of the fourth quarter to turn it on. He needs to be good from the opening whistle.
- Call me crazy but I think Lamarr Houston is about to have a breakout game as a pass rusher. With the Lions all-but abandoning the run (see below) Houston should thrive being able to set his sights on Matthew Stafford. Bears know what they’ll get from Pernell McPhee. Can Houston match his intensity/production?
UNBELIEVABLE STATISTIC OF THE WEEK
The Lions are the worst rushing team in the league. And it’s by a borderline insane margin in a host of categories. (To see the table of statistic, CLICK HERE.) For instance:
- The Lions average 2.8 yards per carry. The next-to-last team is Denver at 3.3 yards per carry. Half a yard. For context, half a yard is the gap between 6th in the league and 24th.
- The Lions average 48.8 yards rushing per game. Miami is next at 69.3. The lowest per game rushing average in 2014 was 77.5. 2013? 77.9. 2012? 75.3. This is history being made.
GAME PREDICTION
Cutler delivers his first four-quarter knockout performance of the season.
Chicago Bears 30, Detroit Lions 20
