Detroit showed where the Bears have issues. Can they fix them against Packers?

The goal this week is to beat Green Bay, but there are lessons to be learned from Sunday's season finale, so Bears Film Study is on the case.

The most obvious question when watching the Lions is, “How could they have possibly missed the playoffs with all these offensive weapons?” And except for tight end Sam LaPorta, their main guys played in every game.

The opening scripted drive might have provided a clue. Right off the bat, the Bears put Detroit in a third-and-3, a chance to get off the field. Amon-Ra St. Brown went to the ground for a 3-yard reception. Quarterback Jared Goff had no pressure, and had he waited a beat to hit Jahmyr Gibbs crossing deep middle, it probably would have been a touchdown. But Goff did get the first down.

The Bears finally managed to thwart the opening drive by dropping tight end Anthony Firkser for a 4-yard loss in the red zone. On this one, Gibbs ran a wheel route where he was initially picked up by edge Dominique Robinson. Then the lineman let him go, and linebacker T.J. Edwards had to sprint from the middle of the field to try to catch Gibbs.

But Goff, again with zero pressure, just dumped it short to Firkser, who had his back turned to the line of scrimmage and was quickly swallowed by Robinson and Jaquan Brisker. Brisker made a nice break to force an incompletion on third down, and the Lions settled for a field goal.

After that, the Lions realized the best way to attack the Bears' defense was with crossing patterns. All of Detroit's receivers won foot races against Bears defensive backs. St. Brown, Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond combined for 130 yards after catch in this game, per pro-football-reference.com.

So expect Green Bay to start there. Jaylon Johnson doesn't seem healthy. C.J. Gardner-Johnson may not play and is probably the slowest Bears defensive back to begin with. Maybe Tyrique Stevenson will have fresh legs after not playing last week. Maybe Kyler Gordon will return from injury and become his old self.

That's a lot of asks. In the game at Green Bay in Week 14, the Packers made a point of isolating their variety of receivers, even getting relative unknown Bo Melton loose for a 45-yard TD.

Defensive stands

For the most part, the Bears' defense did a nice job of playing bend but don't break. Holding the Lions to 19 points isn't a bad performance.

But that meant several long drives by Detroit and a big edge in time of possession. That probably made it tougher for the Bears to find a rhythm on offense, and it certainly wore down some defensive personnel.

That brings us to a growing concern — the number of snaps played by Bears defensive linemen. Austin Booker has logged over 80% of the defensive snaps five weeks in a row. Montez Sweat was at 76.7% against the Lions. Grady Jarrett went 72.6% at 32 years old and 11 NFL seasons.

The Bears used a seven-man rotation on the defensive line. They lost Dayo Odeyingbo after the Cincinnati game, and replacement Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, usually good for 18-20 snaps, was out last week.

A reinforcement would be helpful because the Bears' pressure isn't where it needs to be to win in the playoffs.

Best defensive play

Jarrett showed impressive hustle on the opening drive that likely saved a touchdown. Jameson Williams sat down in the middle of the field against the Bears' zone, spun away from T.J. Edwards' tackle attempt and picked up 9 yards only because Jarrett turned around from rushing the passer and made a diving, shoelace tackle. The Bears dropped Firkser for the 4-yard loss on the next play, and the Lions settled for a field goal.

Best block

Credit wide receiver Jahdae Walker on the initial 2-point conversion for taking out Lions linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez. It was especially helpful since left tackle Theo Benedet got his legs taken out and went to the ground on the run by Kyle Monangai. One more tackler maybe makes a difference for Detroit.

Matchup game

The Bears' 65 rushing yards against Detroit were a season low. The undersized middle of the Bears' offensive line struggled at times with the Lions' defensive tackles, particularly rookie Tyleik Williams.

The Bears used to struggle badly against Green Bay defensive tackle Kenny Clark, but he's in Dallas now. And with Micah Parsons out, the Packers' defensive line is obviously less dynamic. The Bears averaged 144 rushing yards against Green Bay, while Caleb Williams was sacked once in two games.