PLAYER NOTES
–WR Allen Robinson II (groin) went through a full practice on Wednesday and will try to do the same again Thursday. The Bears are hopeful he’ll be able to play after missing the last two games entirely and part of the Patriots game.
–LB Khalil Mack (ankle) went through a full practice Wednesday for the first time since his injury on Oct. 14 against Miami. The Bears are watching Mack closely through the rest of the week to determine if he’ll be able to play on Sunday after he was a game-time decision the last two weeks and played the previous game on an injured ankle.
–DE Bilal Nichols (knee) went through a full practice Wednesday after missing last week’s game and is expected to be available to face Detroit.
–TE Ben Braunecker (concussion) was released from the NFL protocol and is expected to play in Sunday’s game. He went through a full practice on Wednesday.
–G Eric Kush (neck) went through a full practice and is expected to be available for Sunday’s game.
–TE Dion Sims (concussion) is in the NFL protocol and missed Wednesday’s practice. His availability for Sunday’s game is in doubt.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Anthony Miller. The rookie from Memphis, who has a knack for getting open, has made 19 receptions but has stepped up his game after Allen Robinson’s groin injury. He has 10 of those receptions in the last three games for 121 yards and a touchdown. Miller’s TD catch at the back of the end zone against the Jets displayed a new wrinkle in his game — the ability to go back-shoulder. Miller is only 5-11, but with hands, route-running ability and enough speed, he’s justifying Matt Nagy’s move up into the second round on draft day for his selection.
GAME PLAN: The Bears have already run up against Detroit’s style of 4-3, two-gap defense, just a few weeks ago with New England. The Lions are not quite at that level. The Lions’ strength for years has been pass defense, but in some of those years they were viable against the run. This defense is struggling to stop the run, ranking 30th overall. Five teams have gained 128 yards or more on the ground against Detroit. And it’s going to take more than acquiring Damon Harrison from the Giants to reverse this trend. The Bears need to run at the Lions from their usual variety of ways, whether it’s with Jordan Howard or on jet sweeps with Tarik Cohen outside. Forcing New England to move from sideline to sideline in the running game can wear out the Patriots’ big defensive interior. And unlike last week, the Bears may want to incorporate Mitchell Trubisky in the option game more to take some eyes off their running backs. He had just one carry last week. The passing game should take on more of a complementary role this week, with screens and comeback routes emphasized to keep the chains moving. Throwing short slants and in-cuts to Allen Robinson II can be huge in ball possession, which has been a weakness of the Lions. Trubisky’s biggest concern in the passing game is from disguised coverages because the Lions have blitzed the third fewest times in the NFL (16.7 percent).
Matthew Stafford has burned the Bears secondary, even at their best. Stafford moves around well but isn’t a passer who hurts a team throwing on the run. The preference here is to keep pass rushers in their lanes and come with heavy inside rush. The fewer blitzes they can put up against Stafford, the better. Trading away Golden Tate removed one perennial thorn in the Bears’ side. They often had trouble matching up Bryce Callahan physically on Tate, but matchups now look better. The difference with this Lions offense is a commitment to running the ball with Kerryon Johnson and LeGarrette Blount. And that’s just another good reason for the Bears to come at Detroit with a strong interior rush, with inside linebackers maintaining gaps and not blitzing.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Bears CB Kyle Fuller, who has four interceptions in his last four games, vs. Lions WR Marvin Jones Jr., who has five TD catches and averages 14.2 yards per reception. At 6-2, 218, Jones can go up on the outside and highpoint or go to the back shoulder. He even makes the occasional one-handed catch and has hurt the Bears with 16 catches for 311 yards and a TD since coming over in 2016 from Cincinnati. Fuller has gone up against other bigger receivers and has had a second straight strong season after signing his new contract. Fuller isn’t just making interceptions — he’s had eight passes defended in the last four games, a comparatively large number. Fuller won’t back down from a quality receiver, so this battle should be the kind to watch all game.
–Bears LG James Mitchell, who made his first NFL start two weeks ago, vs. Lions DT Damon “Snacks” Harrison, who weighs in at 355 pounds. The Lions’ defensive front became more formidable with the trade for Harrison, who makes blocking for runs on the interior a difficult task for any offensive line. Mitchell’s big problem early has been on interior runs, but he has been solid blocking on the move in the run game. Expect the Bears to try to move the Lions as much as possible to wear down Harrison and the other interior linemen and inside linebackers.
–Bears LB Roquan Smith, who had 13 tackles last week and a forced fumble, vs. Lions RB Theo Riddick, who has 30 receptions this season. The Lions turn to Riddick in passing situations out of the backfield and Smith last week gave the first indication he can be a dominant linebacker in coverage. He forced a fumble on a pass coming from inside to the sideline, and totally shut down LeSean McCoy. Riddick has excellent hands and the Lions would like to use him like the Patriots uses James White, who gave the Bears fits.
