The Bears will look to get to 5-5 on the season as they head out to Los Angeles to take on the 5-4 Rams Sunday. Here’s a video Preview.
Video: Bears Struggle Early But Find Footing in Beating the Lions 20-13
The Bears struggled early despite the Lions not having Matt Stafford, but in the end they topped the Lions 20-13 to move to it 4-5.
Here’s the highlights:
NFL Week 10 Inactives – Lions at Bears
Here’s today’s inactives for the Lions and Bears NFC North showdown in Chicago:
Detroit:
OG Beau Benzschawel
DE Da’Shawn Hand
CB Mike Jackson
LB Miles Killebrew
DE Romeo Okwara
QB Matthew Stafford
S Tracy Walker
Chicago:
DE Abdullah Anderson
OT Alex Bars
LB Isaiah Irving
WR Riley Ridley
TE Adam Shaheen
CB Duke Shelley
LB Josh Woods
Video: NFL Week 10 Preview – Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Two teams looking to get back on track in the NFC North will do battle on Sunday, as the 3-4-1 Lions will take on the 3-5 Bears. Here’s a preview of the game.
The Chicago Bears versus the Detroit Lions Game Preview
November 8th, 2019 
Bryan Dietzler 
Posted in Game Previews, Inside The Bears, Main, Notes & Observations, Opinions 
By Bryan Dietzler
The Chicago Bears, fresh off of their 22-14 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles will play host to division rival Detroit. Detroit played the Oakland Raiders this past Sunday and lost 31-24. The Bears come into this game with a record of 3-5 while the Lions enter Sunday’s matchup at 3-4-1.
Both teams are looking for a win to help their slim playoff chances. The game puts two division rivals together and could be one of the better games of the year for both teams. Both of them know each other well and these games are always tough. This means that the Bears and the Lions are going to fight each other close as they battle it out for success in this game.
We are going to take a look at this game based on the numbers and see which team has a better chance of winning this game. Do the Bears have a shot or is it Detroit’s game to lose?
Let’s find out.
Bears on Offense
Chicago’s offense has been horrible. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has regressed beyond anyone’s thinking and is nothing like what the Bears thought he would be when they drafted him. He struggles to play the position and the Bears aren’t doing much to help him.
He’s bad and isn’t going to get any better.
The passing game has been so inept, it cannot be counted on. The Bears just can’t seem to get anything going through the air even though they have some good weapons. They just can’t get good play at the quarterback position.
Trubisky is ranked as one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, if not the worst. For right now, Chicago is kind of “stuck” with him until the offseason when they can do something to fix the quarterback position. Trubisky is not handling his problems well. Perhaps the only thing that they can do is bench him and start Chase Daniel? That might seem like a good short-term option but it’s not valid, long term
But we aren’t here for the long term. We are talking about the present.
The Bears offense ranks at or near the bottom of the league in most categories. In points scored, Chicago is ranked 27th in scoring averaging just 17.8 points per game. That’s not going to win you that many games, even if your defense is good. You have to be scoring much more to be able to walk away with a victory.
The Bears are gaining just 266.8 yards per game on the ground which is a lowly 29th in the league. Something has to give. They need to move the ball. There is not much else that you can say. They need to do better on offense.
Perhaps the most inept part of the Bears’ lowly offense is their passing game. They average just 186.2 yards through the air which ranks 30th in the NFL. This is bad. Very bad. And it looks like there is no end in sight.
Not only do the Bears rank 30th in the NFL in passing, but some other numbers show the ineptitude on offense. For example, they rank 30th in yards per play, 30th (tied) in yards per pass attempt and 28th in first downs per game.
The rankings are horrible, and they mean a lot. The Bears are bad on offense and the numbers don’t lie.
The Detroit Lions are allowing teams to score an average of 27.1 points per game which is ranked 27th in the NFL. This isn’t strong, by any means, especially for a team with a defensive-minded head coach. Couple that with the fact that the Lions are allowing teams to gain a whopping 424.1 yards per game (31st in the league) and this spells trouble to the Lions and opportunity for the Bears.
But can the Bears take advantage of this?
The answer is probably not but they can certainly try.
Detroit’s passing defense is allowing teams to throw for an average of 288.4 yards per game which is 30th in the NFL right now. The Bears can’t seem to throw the ball effectively but if they decide they can and can throw the ball, they could be able to do it against the Lions. But first, they have to get their passing game going.
The Bears finally got their rushing game going against the Los Angeles Chargers a couple of weeks ago but it fell off a bit against the Eagles. If the Bears want to find success against the Lions, they need to run the ball.
The Bears are 27th in the league rushing for 80.5 yards per game. They are also tied for 27th in yards per rush. The Lions are allowing teams to gain 135.8 yards per game. If ever there was a time for the Bears to take advantage of a weak rush defense, it’s this Sunday.
Look for Chicago to run the ball as much as possible to win this game. They know it will help lead them down the path to victory. Let’s just hope that the Lions aren’t able to stop them.
Bears on Defense
If you didn’t see the first half of the Bears’ game against the Eagles, you missed one of the poorer showings by the defense this year. But what you saw in the second half should have been much more troubling. The Bears allowed the Eagles to maintain a drive that took a lot of time off the clock and helped just about put the game out the Bears reach.
The defense has some work to do. But the offensive problems do have a direct effect on what the Bears can do on defense. If the defense is on the field too long, they get tired and become ineffective. The offense can also leave the defense in a tough position on the field forcing them to defend a short field. That happened as well.
The offense has been the defense’s worst enemy so far this season.
But still, Chicago’s defense has been strong despite the recent breakdowns and the numbers don’t lie. The Bears are a good defense and it shows.
When it comes to points allowed, Chicago ranks 6th in the league allowing 18 points per game. This is good but not good enough when your offense isn’t able to score. When it comes to yards allowed per contest, Chicago is allowing teams to gain 323.6 yards per game which is 9th. Still good if you go by the numbers.
The Lions are averaging 25.5 points per game which is 12th in the league. So, it would appear the Bears’ defense has their work cut out for them. Total yards for the Lions come in at 391.2 which is 5th. This team can put up a ton of yards so the Bears have to play tight defense.
The passing game has gotten the best of the Bears over the last few games. Teams have been able to put up some solid passing numbers against them. This has been because the defense isn’t getting a strong enough pass rush like they should. They have also failed to force interceptions which help the defense get off the field and allow the offense to have better field position.
Speaking of interceptions, it’s going to be difficult to get any against Lion’s quarterback Matthew Stafford. So far this season, through eight games, he has thrown just five interceptions. The Bears need to buck that trend and try to grab some freebies from Stafford. It will help them get into the win column.
The Bears passing defense is ranked 14th in the league allowing 230.1 yards per game. The Lions are way up in the rankings with their passing offense throwing from 295.2 yards per game which is good for third. The Bears will have their work cut out for them but it’s nothing that some solid pass rushing and great coverage won’t be able to take care of.
Finally, when it comes to stopping the run, the Bears are ranked 8th in the league allowing 93.5 yards per rush. They have allowed some significant rush yardage games lately and will need to try to shut down the Lions and not let them run in this one. The Lions are ranked 21st right now averaging 96 yards per game. So, it would appear that they won’t be trying to run the football against the Bears. With that, hopefully, Chicago will pin their ears back and take away the passing attack.
If they can’t it’s going to be a long game and another loss for the Bears.
Special Teams
The Bears need their special teams units to come through for them in this game. Whether it’s getting that critical field goal or placing the punt in a favorable spot, the Bears special teams needs to do some positive things. It would be nice if they could return a kick or a punt for a touchdown or at least break some long runs.
The Bears need to get more out of their special teams and it would be nice to see it happen in this game.
Coaching
Matt Nagy and Matt Patricia are both young coaches that don’t have a lot of experience. Nagy would seemingly have the upper hand based on his performance last season but this season has been way less than stellar for him. I consider the two of them even right now with no one having the edge over the other.
Injury Update
The following is an update on injuries for the Bears and the Lions.
Chicago Bears
Eddie Goldman-NT-Thigh-Goldman has not practiced and may not play Sunday.
Isiah Irving-LB-Quad-He didn’t practice and may be a game-time decision on Sunday.
Detroit Lions
Joe Dahl-OG-Ankle-Did not practice.
Sam Martin-P-Abdomen-Did not practice.
Da’Shawn Hand-DL-Ankle-Did not practice.
Tracy Walker-DB-Knee-Did not practice.
Graham Glasgow-C/G-Back-He was limited in practice.
Mike Daniels-DT-Foot-Limited in practice.
Danny Amendola-WR-Hand-Practiced in full.
A’Shawn Robinson-DT-Ankle-Limited in practice.
Matthew Stafford-QB-Hip/Back-Limited in practice.
Jesse James-TE-Back-Practiced in full.
Damon Harrison-DT-Groin-Practiced in full.
Darius Slay-CB-Hamstring-Practiced in full.
Amani Oruwariye-CB-Knee-Practiced in full.
Score Prediction
This is a tough game to predict. Both teams aren’t playing well but they match up against one another well enough and that means that this will be an interesting game. If the Bears can squeeze out just enough offense, they could likely win this game but it’s going to be close.
I say the Bears get a little “fire” lit underneath them and have a good game ending up with a win.
Chicago 21 Detroit 17
Video: Bears Drop to 3-5, Fall to the Eagles in Philadelphia 22-14
The Bears again struggled on offense Sunday in Philly, as they fell to the Eagles 22-14 to drop to 3-5, 2-2 on the road. Here’s the highlights.
Bears vs Eagles NFL Week Nine Inactives
Here are today’s inactives for the Bears at Eagles 1pm affair in Philly:
Bears
DE Abdullah Anderson
OT Alex Bars
S Deon Bush
LB Isaiah Irving
WR Riley Ridley
CB Duke Shelley
LB Josh Woods
Eagles
LB Nigel Bradham
DE Daeshon Hall
OG Nate Herbig
CB Sidney Jones
DE Shareef Miller
OT Jason Peters
QB Nate Sudfeld
The Chicago Bears versus the Philadelphia Eagles Game Preview
November 3rd, 2019 Bryan Dietzler Posted in Bear Insight, Bear Necessities, Bears Banter, BEARS Blitz, Features, Game Previews, Injury Report, Inside The Bears, Main, Opinions, Picks 
by Bryan Dietzler
The 3-4 Chicago Bears will travel to Philadelphia to take on the 4-4 Eagles who are flying high after a win against the Bills this past Sunday. The Bears are reeling after losing three straight, including a 17-16 decision against the Los Angeles Chargers which left a lot of people scratching their heads. The Bears needed to win and were thought to be the better team but unfortunately, they weren’t the better team on that day.
The season may appear lost for the Bears right now, but anything is possible. They could win out and the rest of the division could falter. While that’s unlikely to happen, it’s still possible.
But it appears that the Bears’ season is lost.
However, there are more games to be played and we won’t stop previewing them until the season is over.
Here is a look at the Bears’ game against the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday. Who will win? How will they win? What are the numbers behind each team’s offensive and defensive units? Let’s find out as we look at the game coming up this Sunday.
Bears on Offense
The Chicago Bears offense has been way less than stellar. They just can’t seem to get into a groove and the blame can go on every offensive player and coach on the team. We saw a lot of inept play calling in the Bears’ game against the Chargers last Sunday. It seems that Matt Nagy lost his knack for calling plays and what he was able to do last year hasn’t carried over to this year.
Is this the same coach that coached the Bears last year?
Let’s look at the running game first and see how that might help get the Bears a win in this game.
Last week, rookie running back David Montgomery had a huge day, rushing for 135 yards and a score. The Bears had been criticized for their lack of a rushing attack but last week they got it going, finally. And it almost helped them to a victory had they not experienced the ineptness on offense.
The Bears’ running game has just gotten going so their 83.1 yards per game (26th in the NFL) should improve as time goes on if head coach Matt Nagy sticks with it. Running the ball helps take some of the pressure off the quarterback and allows the play-action pass to be used efficiently.
The Bears were successful, on Sunday, when they ran the ball. They need to do the same thing against the Eagles this Sunday to have a chance to win this game.
But can the Bears run against the Eagles?
In looking at the Eagles rush defense, they are allowing teams to gain an average of 90.5 yards per game which is 8th in the NFL. That’s a pretty stout rushing defense. The Bears will have their work cut out for them. Can they get themselves going against the Eagles? They must to have a shot at winning this game.
One word can describe the passing game for the Bears. It’s a shamble. The Bears passing attack, led by quarterback Mitchell Trubisky has fallen on hard times and it looks like there isn’t going to be any relief in sight this year. The Bears are stuck with Trubisky till the end of the season, at least.
Chicago is averaging 198.3 passing yards per game which is ranked 29th in the league. That’s very poor production through the air. Some of it has to do with the play calling that the Bears have been experiencing but most of it comes from the inability of Trubisky to play the quarterback position well enough.
The Eagles are allowing teams to throw for an average of 256.1 yards per game which is good for 21st in the league. The Eagles aren’t that stout of a pass defense, thanks to their secondary being banged up. Can the Bears take advantage of this? They just have too many issues at the quarterback position to make a big difference passing the ball to make this work, unless Trubisky has a breakout game.
Overall, the Bears are averaging 281.4 yards per game which is a lowly 29th. The Bears have had only one game where they have gone over 300 yards on offense. That’s horrible.
It’s time for some changes.
The Eagles are allowing teams to gain 346.6 yards per game. That is 14th in the league. They may not have much to worry about with Chicago’s offense. They might be able to shut Chicago down completely.
Scoring so far this year hasn’t been that great for the Bears. They are ranked 27th in the league scoring 18.3 points per game. The Eagles are allowing 24.9 points per game so the Bears could score a few more points. But with the state that their offense is in, it’s doubtful that they will be able to achieve that mark or over it.
But this is football. Anything can happen.
Look for the Bears to continue to run the ball and try to get some of the pressure off Trubisky. If they can do that and Trubisky can improve then I would look for the Bears to make it close.
Bears on Defense
The Bears played a much better game against the Chargers last week on defense. Had their offense been able to do more the defense would have had an even better game and the Bears would have won. The Bears did not lose the game because of their defense.
The loss of Akiem Hicks has hurt the defense. Without him up front to disrupt things, guys like Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd aren’t having much success making their way to the quarterback. The rushing defense has also suffered.
In looking at the Bears’ rushing defense first, after last week’s game, they rank 6th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed allowing 86 yards per game. That’s not too shabby. Had it not been for the games against the Saints and the Raiders, this rush defense might be the best in the NFL. Hick’s absence has hurt the rushing defense, but the defense is still doing somewhat of a fair job keeping the run shut down.
Let’s just hope that the Eagles don’t get their running game going. Former Chicago Bear Jordan Howard has been having a good season thus far and it would be ashamed to see him “go off” on his former team.
The Eagles offense is gaining 125 yards per game which is good for 13th in the league. The Bears are going to have to be playing their best rushing defense when they meet the Eagles because Philadelphia is going to want to run the ball often. If the Bears can’t stop them, they have no shot at winning this game.
Philadelphia’s passing attack is led by quarterback Carson Wentz. This unit has been averaging 218.8 yards per game through the air which is 21st in the league. There is some room for improvement, and we can only hope that they don’t have a big day against this Bears’ defense which is allowing 230.6 yards per game which is 10th in the league.
The Bears should be able to hold their rushing attack down provided all their players are playing on top of their game. This means guys like Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan need to be playing well.
Overall, the Bears are allowing teams to score an average of 17.4 points per game which is sixth in the NFL. The Eagles’ offense is scoring 25.2 points per game which stands at 14th in the league. The Bears are going to have their work cut out for them in this one.
Finally, when it comes to yards per game, the Bears are allowing 316.6 which ranks seventh in the NFL. The Eagles are ranked 21st on offense totaling 343.8 yards per game. The Bears need to keep them contained and pray that their offense can do something to help them score points and at least stay in the game.
Special Teams
After flying high for a few weeks, kicker Eddy Pinero struggled last week against the Chargers giving people flashbacks of last year. He must be better. Remember this too that he is kicking in a stadium that he has never kicked in before. Hopefully, he does well Punting was better last week and should remain so if the Bears don’t suffer any breakdowns on special teams as they did against the Saints.
Coaching
Nagy will go up against a colleague of his, Doug Pedersen this Sunday. Pedersen is more experienced. That’s going to make it tough on Nagy and his team especially the way that they are playing. If Nagy can build a lead and get the upper hand, then the Bears have a chance of winning this game. But can Nagy outcoach Pedersen?
Probably not.
Injury Update
The following are the injuries for both the Bears and the Eagles this week.
Chicago Bears
Isaiah Irving-LB-Quad-He has not practiced and is out for Sunday’s game.
Trey Burton-TE-Groin-Was limited and is up in the air for Sunday.
Taylor Gabriel-WR-Shin-He was limited but should play on Sunday.
Eddie Jackson-S-Hamstring-Jackson was limited in practice but should play Sunday.
Bilal Nichols-DT-Knee-Nichols should be able to play on Sunday.
Philadelphia Eagles
Miles Sanders-RB-Shoulder-Sanders has not practiced and may be a game-time decision for this Sunday.
Nigel Bradham-LB-Ankle-Bradham hasn’t practiced and looks to be out for Sunday.
Jason Peters-OT-Knee-Peters did not practice and looks to be out.
Tim Jernigan-DT-Foot-Jernigan was limited and his status for Sunday is up in the air.
DeSean Jackson-WR-Abdomen-Jackson was limited in practice and may not play Sunday.
Darren Sproles-RB-Quad-Sproles was limited in practice and may not play Sunday.
Josh Sweat-DE-Ankle-Sweat practiced in full this week and should be available Sunday.
Avonte Maddox-CB-Neck, Concussion-Maddox practiced in full and will most likely be available Sunday.
Score Prediction
The Bears are going to have a tough time winning this game with the way that they are currently playing. It’s going to take some tweaking on offense, well a lot of tweaking, to get them right and capable of keeping them ahead of the Eagles. The defense needs to hold tight and be a big reason why the Bears are in the game. If they can hold the Eagles off on offense, they will be close to winning this game.
But I think it’s still a little too far of a reach for the Bears to win this one.
