Bears defensive end Montez Sweat (98) had seven pressures against the Panthers and rookie quarterback Bryce Young in a 16-13 victory on Nov. 9 at Soldier Field.
Quinn Harris, Getty
KEY MATCHUP
Bears defensive end Montez Sweat had his first full week of practice (and nine days overall to prepare) after having short weeks against the Saints and Panthers following the trade that brought Sweat to the Bears from the Commanders.
Sweat figures to get better as he becomes more acclimated to Matt Eberflus’ defense and his new teammates. He already made a noticeable impact against the Panthers, with seven pressures. But now he’s up against Lions right tackle Penei Sewell, one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL.
When Sweat played against the Lions in Week 2 with the Commanders last season, he spent more time on the right side against left tackle Taylor Decker (with Chase Young out with an injury) and had two tackles and two pressures in a 36-27 loss at Ford Field.
TRENDING
After holding the Panthers to 43 rushing yards on 16 carries (2.7 average), the Bears are second in the NFL in rushing defense (76.0 yards per game) and first in rushing yards allowed per carry (3.2).
This will be a true test against the Lions, who are fourth in the NFL in rushing (139.0) and seventh in yards per carry (4.5), led by former Bears running back David Montgomery (106 carries, 501 yards, 4.7 average, seven touchdowns in six games) and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs (90-476, 5.3, four touchdowns)
And just stopping the run won’t be enough against an offense like the Lions. The Bears held the Chargers to 54 yards on 25 carries, but Justin Herbert completed 31 of 40 passes for 298 yards and three touchdowns in a 30-13 rout. Jared Goff & Co. are of the same ilk.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Bears quarterback Justin Fields will be making his first start after missing four games with a dislocated thumb. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent went 2-2 in place of Fields, so he actually has more victories this season than Fields, who is 1-4 in games he started and finished this season.
Fields figures to have some rust in his return. After missing two games with a rib injury in 2021, he completed 18 of 33 passes (54.5%) for 224 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions for a 70.8 passer rating in a 45-30 loss to the Packers at Lambeau Field.
X-FACTOR
Besides Fields returning, the return of right guard Nate Davis after missing the last four games with an ankle injury gives the Bears’ their strongest offensive line combination in two seasons under coordinator Luke Getsy.
If it comes together quickly, the Bears could have opportunity against a Lions defense that has been hot and cold this season, allowing 38 points against the Chargers last week and 38 points against the Ravens in Week 7. But if it doesn’t, it could get ugly against a motivated Lions team eager to flex its new-found muscle before a raucous crowd at Ford Field.
