Lions at Bears
THE STORY: There was a time when a visit from the Detroit Lions was welcomed by opponents. Not anymore. That’s a big reason why, for the first time in years, the Lions emerge from a bye week with the playoffs in sight. Detroit will try to extend its franchise-record road winning streak to seven games and earn a season sweep of the rival Chicago Bears for the first time since 2007 on Sunday. The Lions ended a six-game losing streak to the Bears with a 24-13 win on Monday Night Football last month. The Bears have won three straight since then thanks to improved offensive line play.
TV: FOX, 4:15 p.m. ET. LINE: Bears -2.5, O/U 45.5
ABOUT THE BEARS (5-3): QB Jay Cutler wasn’t sacked for the first time in 30 games in the Monday night win over Philadelphia. He has been taken down just six times in the last four contests. WR Earl Bennett, Cutler’s buddy from their Vanderbilt days, returned Monday night from a five-game absence (chest) and caught five passes for 95 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown. His presence should take some of the burden off RB Matt Forte, who leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (1,241). Forte ran for 133 yards against the Eagles but also lost two fumbles. He hadn’t fumbled in 347 touches.
ABOUT THE LIONS (6-2): Detroit recorded a season-high seven sacks and improved to 4-0 on the road with a 45-10 thrashing of the Denver Broncos prior to its bye. That’s a huge accomplishment considering the Lions broke their own NFL-record by losing 26 straight road games from 2007-2010. QB Matthew Stafford (21 of 30, 267 3 TDs), playing on a sprained ankle, returned to his early-season form after completing just over 50 percent of his attempts (43-of-82) during a two-game skid. Detroit has the best turnover differential in the league (plus-13), but the Lions may have spent the bye shoring up a run defense that has allowed an average of 175.6 rushing yards over the last three games.
EXTRA POINTS:
1. With RB Jahvid Best (two concussions) out indefinitely, the Lions signed free agent RB Kevin Smith, their 2008 third-round pick.
2. Lions WR Calvin Johnson is the second player since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to have 11 touchdowns in the first eight games (Randy Moss, 2007).
3. Chicago’s offensive line will get a chance to redeem itself after struggling in the first matchup (nine false starts, three sacks) against Detroit, which is fourth in the league with 24 sacks.