Bears Film Study: Wasn’t Detroit’s defense devastated by injuries?
Arrival of the NFC North-leading Lions should have been an opportunity for the slumping Bears to get back on track.
Six of Detroit's 11 opening-day starters on defense were on injured reserve, while safety Ifeatu Melifonwu made his season debut at Soldier Field after recovering from an injury. The attrition was becoming evident on the scoreboard, with the Lions allowing a combined 79 points in the previous two games against the Bills and Packers.
But the Bears never came close to winning Sunday's game. Their full-strength offense couldn't get rolling against Detroit's sub-heavy defense.
This result should solidify the argument that talent, not the coaching staff, is the Bears' biggest problem (not including ownership, of course). But this team was headed for a coaching overhaul anyway, so it hardly matters.
Detroit succeeded by taking aim at the weakest parts of the Bears' roster, offensive and defensive line.
Missing their two starting defensive tackles, Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter, it's no surprise the Lions rolled up 146 rushing yards while QB Jared Goff had all day to throw.
The opening series of the game showed how the Lions planned to attack the Bears offensive line. Interim coach Thomas Brown made a good call on the opening play, a quick pass to Keenan Allen that should have been a 7-yard gain, but Caleb Williams missed the target.
On second-and-10, the Bears tried to get clever. They overloaded the left side of the formation, then did an inside handoff to D.J. Moore running right, while D'Andre Swift faked a sweep left.
With the misdirection, the Bears had the Lions outnumbered, but couldn't execute blocks. Guard Teven Jenkins stumbled and missed linebacker Ben Niemann — a Sycamore High School grad who just recently became a Detroit starter. Cole Kmet had to pick up Niemann and couldn't move him. Moore had to cut back and was dropped for a 1-yard gain by defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike, who overwhelmed Bears center Coleman Shelton.
On third-and-long, the Lions rushed five against the Bears' six blockers, but blitzing safety Melifonwu came in untouched, forcing Williams to scramble. Meanwhile, guard Matt Pryor was toppled by Za'Darius Smith and fell into teammate Darnell Wright. With two Bears blockers on the ground, Williams had to dodge Smith, and had Wright's man, Josh Paschal, bearing down on him as he threw a pass out of bounds. Keenan Allen was open, but Williams had no chance.
Detroit's plan on offense was simple, get the ball to playmakers Jahmyr Gibbs, Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown, with sprinkles of Sam LaPorta. The run plays featured plenty of duo blocking, where the Bears' backup tackles were both double-teamed.
Best play
It ended with a lost fumble, but for once, the Bears had a remedy for the Lions' pressure. Before the snap, Rome Odunze ran orbit motion, reversed his field and ran into a flat for a quick pass while running back Roschon Johnson left the backfield as a lead blocker.
The Lions blitzed and sent six rushers, so it was a perfect call. Johnson got a good block and Odunze gained 19 yards before losing the ball. Trailing 10-0 at the time, this was the Bears' chance to stay competitive after yet another slow start, but it slipped away.
Quick hitters
Multiple outlets had the Bears' offensive line ranked in the top half of the NFL before the season, but this group clearly needs an overhaul. They've given up the second most sacks, while the Bears have dropped from second to 25th in rushing yards. Jenkins has had a rough year and probably wasn't healthy at the start of Sunday's game. Jake Curhan did a little better as the replacement left guard. …
Jared Goff's fake stumble in the third quarter was an interesting tactic but probably unnecessary. The Lions ran a nice play with Sam LaPorta faking a block, crossing the formation and getting isolated one-on-one against Jonathan Owens. He was going to score, stumble or no stumble. …
The state of these teams was apparent when Jameson Williams blew past Tyrique Stevenson and Owens for an 82-yard touchdown. When the Bears tried to go deep on their next series, Terrion Arnold had no problem keeping up with D.J. Moore.