Byard: "We have to make it harder for teams to score on us" |
CHICAGO—When you are 4-7, you are probably not going to be in many primetime games. However, Thanksgiving is a unique exception to that, as the Chicago Bears will be taking on the Detroit Lions (11:30 a.m. / CBS) as part of the NFL’s tradition of having games on Thanksgiving.
It is an opportunity safety Kevin Byard is looking forward to. “To be playing on Thanksgiving on a national stage against the top offense, it brings the best out of you. This is competition, some of the best teams, and obviously, during this stretch of our schedule, we’re going against some really talented teams,” Byard said. “So, it brings the best out of competitors and for me, I’m a competitor. So, I want to go out there and have my best performance. I want to go out there, make plays, and help this team win. So, I’m excited. I know the guys are excited.” With Chicago on a five-game losing streak and about to face one of the best teams in the league, some think this game may be a game where the Bears can play free as the pressures of living up to playoff expectations are gone, particularly because the chances of reaching the playoffs also appear to be gone. Some would say Chicago has nothing to lose in this game. However, that is not Byard’s mentality, as he is playing to win. “It’s definitely not a, ‘we don’t have anything to lose’ type deal. This is a division opponent, a team that historically, at least last year, the Bears played pretty good. Obviously, this is a whole new year, different circumstances. But, we’re going in to win,” Byard said. “It’s not about going in there (saying) ‘We don’t have anything to lose. Let’s go play free.’ We should play free regardless. But, we’re trying to go out there and get the (win) and (get) off this losing streak. So, that’s our mindset.” Detroit has been so successful this year because of the talented surrounding quarterback Jared Goff. He has the best duo of running backs in the NFL with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs as well as one of the league’s premier receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown. Receiver Jameson Williams has also proved to be a downfield threat. Tight end Sam LaPorta had a strong rookie season last year but is not putting up the same numbers this year, although he is still a threat in this offense. Chicago has a lot of people to worry about, which is part of what makes defending the Lions so difficult. “He has, obviously, a ton of talent around him. This team goes through their running backs … Obviously, Jared Goff is a really good quarterback. He’s one of the best quarterbacks (in the) league. He’s having a phenomenal year this year … He really has (not) been turning the ball over. His completion rating is probably the top in the league,” Byard said. “He’s been distributing the ball to all his playmakers. But, this team wants to run the ball with (David Montgomery) and (Jahmyr) Gibbs and then obviously get the ball to (Amon-Ra St. Brown) and Sam LaPorta when they can and obviously taking shots with Jameson Williams. So, we know what they want to do. But, it’s another thing to go out there and stop it. It’s going to take a tremendous effort from our team and just our defense for sure being mentally locked in throughout all four quarters to be able to try to stop this offense.” Detroit will exploit any weaknesses the Bears defense has. Their run defense has certainly been a weakness, and in recent weeks, so has their propensity to give up explosive plays. The Lions are skilled at creating explosive plays, and Byard knows that if Chicago allows Detroit to make those kinds of plays, it will be in trouble. “The run defense has to be better … Especially with defense, (it has) to start with stopping the run. You have to start with trying to be able to try to attempt a team one-dimensional. So, when you don’t stop the run, team’s playbook is just wide open. You can’t really dictate the game. You can really dictate third downs because teams are in favorable situations,” Byard said. “So, we need to stop the run and then the second part of it (the) explosive plays have been killing us. Explosive runs, but also explosive pass plays down the field … Teams score when we give up an explosive play or explosive penalty (like) a pass interference deep down the field or 15-yarder or something like that. So, we have to make it harder for teams to score on us.”
