Chicago Bears: 3 reasons Detroit Lions fans have no basis for chatter

Consistently embarrassing attempts at running the ball

Now, as much as fans of the Lions want to give Bears fans grief about the quarterback position — and, admittedly, it is typically all true — Detroit has been even worse when it comes to the back field.

We are in a passing league, that’s for sure. The NFL has become so dependent on pass-heavy offenses with a variety of weapons at the quarterback’s disposal. But, those weapons also include those in the back field — and, let’s just say the Lions have struggled a bit in that department in recent years.

How bad has it been?

The Lions have gone a ridiculous 68 games without a 100-yard rushing game by a running back. That is over four full seasons!

On the flip side, Jordan Howard has compiled 12 games with at least 100 rushing yards in his first two seasons. He also managed to finish second in all of football in rushing as a rookie, and that’s having only started 13 games.

Let’s look at Howard’s predecessor, Matt Forte. The former Tulane product finished as the franchise’s 2nd All-Time leading rusher with 8,602 rushing yards. Forte had five 1,000-yard seasons with the Bears and three seasons with 500 or more receiving yards.

The Lions, meanwhile, have struggled to find any kind of consistency in their back field. In a league where running backs are seemingly popping up in all rounds of the draft and finding success, the Lions can’t manage to land a single one of those guys — that’s a shame.