The Chicago Bears and Jay Cutler need to get off to a good start. The Detroit Lions appear to be the perfect opponent.
With three tough games awaiting them, the Bears open the 2010 season on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field against the struggling Lions.
Cutler didn’t have the season the Bears had hoped for in 2009, and Chicago has struggled mightily in preseason, so the Lions seem to be a welcome foe with the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers and New York Giants looming the following three weeks.
Acquired from the Denver Broncos for four players, Cutler completed over 60 percent of his passes last season for 3,666 yards – second most in franchise history – and 27 touchdowns, two short of the franchise mark. However, he wasn’t afforded much pass protection, threw a league-high 26 interceptions and his 76.8 passer rating ranked 21st.
The Bears also had to deal with a sharp decrease in their running game. Matt Forte rushed for 929 yards, a drop-off of over 300 yards from his rookie campaign, and his four overall TDs were eight fewer. The Bears ranked 29th in the NFL with 93 yards per game rushing and dead last with four runs of 20-plus yards.
To add some bluster to the offense, the Bears hired Mike Martz to serve as offensive coordinator. Martz is best known for putting together the passing attack for the St. Louis Rams and Kurt Warner nearly a decade ago.
However, Chicago’s first unit scored on just 3-of-16 possessions in preseason and the Bears were sacked a league-high 19 times, therefore Detroit seems to be the perfect matchup right now.
Chicago had its two biggest scoring days of the season against the Lions last season in posting 48-24 and 37-23 victories. Forte had his only two 100-yard games of the season and Cutler threw four TDs in the last game of the season against Detroit.
The Lions finished 2-14 a season ago after a winless campaign in 2008, and they have lost 24 straight road games – fourth most in NFL history. However, their last two victories away from the Motor City came against the Bears.
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford returns for his second season at the helm. The first overall pick in the 2009 draft started 10 games last season and completed 53 percent of his 377 passes. He threw for 2,267 yards and 13 touchdowns against 20 interceptions.
Stafford will likely run into pass rusher extraordinaire Julius Peppers, who was signed as a free agent in the offseason by the Bears and has 91½ sacks in the last six years – third most in the NFL.
To help out Stafford, Detroit brought in wide receiver Nate Burleson, tight end Tony Scheffler and 30th overall pick Jahvid Best, who will provide a change-of-pace for power back Kevin Smith and aid in the passing game.
The Lions will also have to improve on defense this season. They ranked dead last in 2009 and 29th in sacks (26). That is where defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh fits in. The second overall pick is expected to improve both the run defense and the pass rush immediately.
The Bears have won the last four meetings and eight of the last 10 in the series.