Three Bears' Takeaways from win over Lions |
At long last, the Bears got back into the win column, putting an end to their four-game skid. It may not have been easy; it may not have been comfortable or pretty at times, but a win is a win, and by knocking off the Lions 20-13, the Bears not only move to 4-5 on the season but 2-1 in the division.
Things didn’t get off to the best of starts for Chicago, but they managed to change things around quickly, especially during the second half. Here are some takeaways I took from the game as this indeed was a must-win for Chicago.
To say Sunday was a must-win game is an understatement as the Bears responded with a huge win. Entering their contest on Sunday, the Bears were not only riding a four-game losing streak but were sitting at 3-5 overall. This meant that Chicago would need to go 7-1 or at worst 6-2 if they had any hopes of a postseason berth. The first step in achieving that goal was taken care of on Sunday as they picked up a much-needed win against a division rival. That is something the Bears will look to build on next week as things won’t get any easier with a matchup against the Rams on Sunday night in Los Angeles.
It may not have been their best performance, but the offense did what they needed to do to pick up the win. As a team, the Bears racked up less than 300 yards of offense but made the most of their opportunities. On the ground, it was David Montgomery leading the way with 60 of his teams 82 rushing yards. Through the air, it was Trubisky completing 16-23 passes for 173 yards. Those may not be eye-popping stats, but Trubisky did throw for three touchdowns and zero interceptions, which was a vast improvement from what we have seen in recent weeks. The 20-point performance was also just the second time the Bears reached that feat this season and ninth time in Matt Nagy’s two years as a coach, which is something the Bears need to get better at. The proof was in the way they played on Sunday, and although a far cry from crisp, tons of improvements was made on both sides of the ball.
Chicago was given a gift before the game even started as Lions starting quarterback Matthew Stafford was ruled out before the game. That meant that backup Jeff Driskel would be tossed into the fire looking to solve a ferocious Defense ready to feast. With limited experience as a starter with the Cincinnati Bengals, Driskel was picked up by the Lions this season as the Backup to Stafford. If the first drive of the game was any indication of how things would go, it was looking like a long afternoon as Driskel was perfect on the opening drive setting the Lions up for the Matt Prater field goal and early 3-0 lead. Driskel eventually had the Lions up 6-0 before the wheels fell off for Detroit offensively, but that didn’t take away from his solid effort. Driskel finished the day with 269 yards through the air with one touchdown and one interception. He was also the leading rusher for Detroit on the day picking up 37 yards on the ground. With Kerrion Johnson already out with an injury and Stafford pronounced out before the game, this was a game that Chicago should have had no trouble with given how many key components of the Lions offense would be backups. Although the struggles were real early on, the Bears did what everyone expected them to do, ending the game on a 20-7 run to seal the victory.1. Think postseason, play like postseason:
2. The offense did what they needed to do:
3. Feast on the Backup:
