Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Preview (12/6/20): Betting Odds, Depth Charts, Live Stream (Watch Online)

The Chicago Bears will take on the Detroit Lions at home in week 13 in an NFC North matchup. The Bears are on a five-game losing streak and trying to give themselves a chance to get into the playoffs. The Detroit Lions are last in the division and have lost four of their last five games. For odds movement and full matchup history, visit the Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions Matchup Page.

TV Schedule

Date: Sunday, December 6th, 2020
Time: 1:05 PM ET
Location: Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
TV Coverage: FOX

Bears vs. Lions Live Stream

Where can you watch Bears vs. Lions online? You can stream this game, and many other NFL games live online with Hulu. Hulu has a 7 Day free trial and is cheaper than cable options at $5.99/month. Watch Bears vs. Lions Free Online Now.

Injuries:

Chicago Bears: Questionable: Akiem Hicks, Sherrick McManis, Nick Foles,
Detroit Lions: Questionable: Danny Amendola, Austin Bryant, D’Andre Swift, Jeff Okudah, Da’Shawn Hand, Mike Ford, Kenny Golladay

Chicago Bears Analysis

The Chicago Bears are coming off of a 41-25 loss away against the Green Bay Packers, after a Week 11 bye week. Mitch Trubisky made his first start since week three with the injury and poor performance of Nick Foles. The Bears currently hold a third-place standing in the NFC North with a 5-6 record on the season. Their schedule starts to ease up in the final weeks of the regular season, starting with a home matchup next week against the Detroit Lions.

Mitch Trubisky made an appearance for the first time since week three for the Bears. He had a stat line of 242-3-2 while being sacked three times in this game. This game tied for the highest amount of yards and touchdowns he has put up this season, and dare I say he looked… good? The glaring problem for the Bears in last week’s game, outside of Trubisky’s three turnovers, was their offensive line. The line has given up 25 sacks this season and has allowed an adjusted 3.96 yards per attempt to their running backs. Luckily, the Detroit Lions have produced the 6th least amount of sacks to quarterbacks this season, giving Trubisky another chance at proving his worth.

David Montgomery was a big part of the offense last week, even if the score did not show it. Montgomery had his first game over 100 rushing yards this season but was still only given 11 attempts in the backfield. Head coach Matt Nagy has been saying for weeks he wants to “improve the run game,” but now, after having the run game improved, that may not be the issue. The Detroit Lions allow over 133 rushing yards per game, which ranks 26th in the NFL, and they allow the most rushing touchdowns on the season. This makes Montgomery a big key for next week’s game.

The Bears’ defense has been one of the best in the league this season, but they struggle when their offense cannot stay on the field. Last week, the Packers had the ball for 15 minutes and 28 seconds longer than the Bears. The Bears are a top-tier passing defense, allowing the second-lowest completion percentage and ranking 11th in passing yards and touchdowns allowed per game. Detroit is a pass-heavy offense that the Bears should be able to take care of. Their focus should be centered on rushing Matthew Stafford and containing Deandre Swift in the backfield.

The Chicago Bears are having some real problems after having started the year 5-1. They have lost their fifth straight game and need to turn things around to have the slightest chance at the playoffs. Luckily for them, the Arizona Cardinals and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers both lost this weekend, keeping them in the picture. Next week’s game against Detroit is important, considering they have a 1-3 divisional record.

Chicago Bears Depth Chart

QB: Mitchell Trubisky
RB1: David Montgomery
RB2: Tarik Cohen
WR1: Allen Robinson
WR2: Ted Ginn
WR3: Anthony Miller
TE: Trey Burton

Detroit Lions Analysis

The Detroit Lions are coming off of a tough loss to the Houston Texans in a 41-25 loss, the same as the Chicago Bears. The Lions have lost four of their last five games and will face two divisional opponents in the next two weeks. The Detroit Lions have certainly started looking toward the future of their team this past week, firing head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn. The Lions’ offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell will serve as their interim head coach for now.

Matthew Stafford has been an above-average quarterback this season, ranking in the top half in completions, yards, and touchdowns. However, he has been given a lot of attempts and has only put up a 63% completion percentage, one of the worst in the league. Last week, Stafford put up 295-1-1 off of 42 attempts against the Houston Texans. Next week, he will compete against a tough Bears’ passing defense that has allowed the 11th least amount of yards and passing touchdowns this season.

The run game for the Lions has been crucial to opening the passing game for them. Last week, Adrian Peterson went for two touchdowns against the Houston Texans. D’Andre Swift has been leading the backfield most of the way while adding a lot of value to the passing game. But, he was out last week with a concussion. The Bears’ run defense is the weakest aspect of their entire defense, as they rank 20th in rushing yards allowed per game.

The Lions defense this season has allowed the second-most points per game in the NFL with 29.8 points. Their defense has been the biggest struggle for them the year, despite having the past Patriots’ defensive coordinator (Matt Patricia). The Lions have one of the worst rushing defenses in the league, allowing the most rushing touchdowns per game. Plus, they have produced only 14 sacks on the season this year. While the Bears’ offense is nothing special, they can certainly put up numbers on this defense.

The last time these teams faced off against each other, Mitch Trubisky threw three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come back to win 27- against the Lions on their own home turf. Now, the Lions will be looking for revenge in Chicago and will face Mitch Trubisky again in hopes of evening the record. They will need to attack the run game and try to contain Allen Robinson on defense to win this one.

Detroit Lions Depth Chart

QB: Matthew Stafford
RB1: Kerryon Johnson
RB2: D’Andre Swift
WR1: Marvin Jones
WR2: Kenny Golladay
WR3: Danny Amendola
TE: T.J. Hockenson

Betting Corner Bears -3

Spread: +/- 3
Moneyline: Bears -170, Lions +150
Over/Under: 45

Prediction

Spread: Bears -4
Moneyline: Bears -170
Over/Under: o45

This game is certainly a tough one, but the Bears are due for a win to end their losing streak, and having the Lions at home is a favorable matchup for them. I like the money line option for the Bears here, but the spread is tough. I would not be opposed to a Lions’ spread for this one. But, I feel like the Bears might take both due to Detroit’s strained chemistry with the firing of their coach and general manager.

The over/under for this one is tough because the Bears’ have a solid enough defense to contain the Lions. But, last time, the game went for the over, and their offenses have gotten a little better since then. So, I would take the over for this one.

Love/Hate Fantasy Picks

Love

David Montgomery has been restricted in fantasy due to the Bears’ disinterest in running the ball. However, last week he showed them exactly why he should be getting more touches outside of his consistent 10+ touches every game. He is currently sitting 21st in fantasy rankings averaging 13.6 points per game. Next week he should exceed that against the Lions, who have allowed the most points to running backs this season.

Hate

Marvin Jones Jr. has been having himself a solid year as the Lions’ lead receiver, outside of T.J Hockenson. But, I’m not sure I would trust him with the Bears’ defense. He will most likely line up with Kyle Fuller, who has been outstanding this season. Last time against the Bears, Jones only put up 9.5 fantasy points.