Chicago Bears can’t fall for trap game vs Lions

The Chicago Bears travel to Detroit to face the Lions Sunday afternoon. The Bears are on a two game winning streak while the Lions have yet to win a game this season. This game is crucial for the Bears as they have chance to be .500 heading into the bye week.

This game has trap game written all over it and the Bears cannot overlook a winless Lions team.

The Bears face the Lions in an NFC North match up on Sunday in Detroit. The Bears should expect to face a hungry Lions team who is looking to get its first win of the year. Being as it is a division game, you can throw records out of the equation when these two teams meet.

The Bears must respect the Lions and can’t underestimate them. The Lions and Bears always play each other tough as these two rivals always go at it. The Lions have their backs up against the wall and will be playing with high emotion come Sunday.

This game could be trouble for the Bears if they don’t approach it the right way. Just because the Lions are winless doesn’t mean they don’t pose problems for the Bears. Their defensive line is still potent even without Suh, and the Bears offensive line is in for a big test.

The Bears defense will have to contain Calvin Johnson, who has always given the Bears problems in the past. Johnson hasn’t looked like the elite receiver he used to be, but is still a match-up nightmare.

Golden Tate will also need to be limited if the Bears want to walk away with the win. His speed can cause problems in the secondary, and the Bears defense is still a work in progress. They have shown improvement as the season has progressed and Sunday is another chance for them to make plays and build confidence.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was benched in last weeks blowout loss to the Cardinals and his confidence is probably at an all time low. The Bears defense has to put pressure on him and force him into throwing under pressure. Stafford’s decision making is not his strong suit, so getting pressure on him will be key to a Bears win.

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If the Bears can force Stafford into some early mistakes and rattle him, the Lions crowd will turn on him, as he has heard some loud boo birds over the last few games at home. The Bears can use this to their advantage and get into the head of Stafford.

Jay Cutler and the Bears offense will need to be efficient again and will have to protect the football against an aggressive Lions defense. The Bears will most likely have trouble running the ball against a stout Detroit defensive line, so Cutler and the pass game will have to show up.

Matt Forte should be able to get loose as a pass catcher and cause havoc like last week. Cutler has always struggled with being a consistently good quarterback week to week, so it will be curious to see how he plays after having played well the last two weeks.

The Bears have a chance to be 3-3 heading into the bye week. They have to respect the Lions so that their mentally prepared to play this game. The Bears can’t worry about what the Lions are going through and have to focus on themselves. The Bears have a re-shuffled offensive line and are missing wide receivers so they are dealing with adversity as well.

Head coach John Fox seems to have connected well with the players on this team and they are playing hard for him. The Bears hope to have Alshon Jeffery and Eddie Royal back for this game but their status has yet to be determined.

The Bears have to take care of business and defeat the Lions. They have no excuses to lose this game and have to have that killer instinct. The Lions are reeling right now but will be fired up for a division game, so the Bears can’t look past them.