Chicago Bears vs. Detroit Lions: 5 storylines to watch in Week 16

LAKE FOREST – It’s another NFC North matchup for the Chicago Bears this week. The Bears take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday at Soldier Field.

The Bears could be catching the Lions at a good time. The Detroit defense is banged up and the offense just lost running back David Montgomery due to a knee injury.

Bears fans remember the last meeting between these teams well. That was Matt Eberflus' last game as head coach, when a furious Bears comeback effort fell short after a botched final 30 seconds.

The Lions have won four of the past five contests between these division rivals, but four of those five games were decided by one possession. The Bears (4-10) and the Lions (12-2) kick off at noon Sunday at Soldier Field. The game will be broadcast on Fox.

Here are the top five storylines to watch.

1. Lions try to stay ahead

The Lions are in a rare position. They’re coming off a loss. It’s never good to be the team playing a good football team a week after it lost.

The Bills beat the Lions 48-42 last week during a shootout at Ford Field. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw five touchdown passes in the losing effort. A week earlier, the Lions scored 34 points in a win over the Packers.

At 12-2, Detroit is tied with Philadelphia atop the NFC standings in the race for a first-round playoff bye. More importantly, the Lions want to earn home-field advantage. Ford Field has become a raucous atmosphere.

Detroit isn’t going to ease off the gas.

“We’ve got to worry about us,” Bears offensive coordinator Chris Beatty said. “We’ve got to play fast and do what we do best and hopefully they’ve got to adjust to us as much as we’re trying to adjust to them.”

2. Ben Johnson’s tryout?

Everybody is talking about Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson. He was the hottest coaching candidate last year, when he turned down opportunities to potentially coach the Commanders or the Seahawks. Instead, he returned to Detroit for another year.

Once again, he will be the hottest candidate among the potential first-time head coaches. Johnson has been the star offensive coordinator for an offense that is rolling.

Sunday might not be the last time Johnson walks into Soldier Field. Many Bears fans are hoping that it will be his home stadium come next season. Certainly Bears general manager Ryan Poles and President Kevin Warren have to be paying attention to Johnson.

Will the Bears focus their search for a head coach around quote-unquote “offensive” coaches? If that is important to them, Johnson has to be near the top of the list. Quarterback Caleb Williams needs stability around him. Johnson has elevated the play of Goff. That could be enticing for the Bears.

3. A quick start?

The Bears haven’t scored a point in the first half since Nov. 24 against the Vikings at Soldier Field. Williams and the offense have been shut out of three consecutive first halves.

That included the Thanksgiving Day game against Detroit. Williams said the Bears excelled against Detroit’s man-to-man looks in the second half.

“In the first Detroit game, they started manning us up a little bit,” Williams said. “[We were] throwing accurate passes, pass protection, running the ball well, winning on man routes and things like that. So, I think that’s what started to click in the second half.”

The offense was without starting left tackle Braxton Jones last week, who is questionable for Sunday’s game with a concussion. If he returns, that will be a huge boost for the offensive line.

Despite the current eight-game losing streak, Williams hasn’t played terribly. He hasn’t thrown an interception during the losing streak. The Lions defense is giving up 234.5 passing yards per game (ranked 26th). Williams and the passing attack can find ways to exploit this banged-up group.

4. The elements matter

Remarkably, the Lions have played a grand total of one game outdoors this season. One. They beat the Packers at Lambeau Field in early November. Otherwise, every road contest has been inside (plus they play home games indoors).

The biggest thing that could throw a wrench in the Lions' title hopes is the prospect of playing outside in January. If they earn the No. 1 seed in the NFC, it won’t matter. But if Philadelphia earns the top seed, Detroit potentially will have to beat them in their place in order to reach the Super Bowl.

A trip to Soldier Field in December is never an easy win, even when the Bears are bad. Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington downplayed the effects of the weather.

“It doesn’t matter to us,” Washington said. “That’d be a question for them. We’ve got to find a way to line up and play our style of ball, play a complete football game and not worry about things that don’t really matter.”

The Bears always play the Lions close at Soldier Field. The Lions have not won at Soldier Field by more than eight points since 2007.

Sunday’s weather forecast is pretty favorable: about 30 degrees and sunny. But this is not something the Lions are used to.

5. Can anyone slow Detroit?

The Lions lost Montgomery, possibly for the year, although there’s a chance he could be back for the postseason. That means fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs is going to be heavily involved. Backup Craig Reynolds could also be an option of the Lions want to mix it up.

The Lions truly are among the most dangerous offenses in the game. They have the second-ranked passing attack and the sixth-rated rushing attack in the NFL. They can move the ball against anybody.

We did not defend the run extremely well the first time we played them on Thanksgiving, and we have to flip that around in favor of our defense."

—  Eric Washington, Bears defensive coordinator

Amon-Ra St. Brown is fourth in the NFL with 1,056 receiving yards. He has 10 receiving touchdowns. But it starts with the rushing attack, led by maybe the league’s best offensive line.

“We did not defend the run extremely well the first time we played them on Thanksgiving, and we have to flip that around in favor of our defense,” Washington said.

That should be especially concerning for a Bears defense that hasn’t been the same since firing Eberflus.