Final Score: Lions 34 Bears 17
The Bears have now lost 9 straight contests after a 34-17 loss to the NFC-leading Detroit Lions. While they kept it close against in Detroit in Week 13, Chicago never threatened this week. The defense played poorly yet again, the offense couldn’t do anything on the ground, and the offensive line sustained two injuries. Caleb Williams had a solid game, passing for 334 yards (his 4th game over 300 passing yards) and 2 touchdowns. The rookie QB is now only 592 yards shy of breaking the Bears all-time single-season passing record.
In addition to Williams, 2025 head coach candidate Ben Johnson also shined on the opposite sideline.
Glaring Issues
Offensive Line Injuries
The entire left side of the offensive line was decimated by the time halftime rolled around this Sunday. Left tackle Braxton Jones sustained a season-ending injury, and injury-prone left guard Tevin Jenkins exited the game after only 15 snaps. With Larry Borom and Jake Curhan filling in for Jones and Jenkins, respectively, the offensive line will probably continue to struggle for the last 2 weeks of the 2024 season.
Inability to Run the Ball
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the Bears could not muster up anything on the ground this week. Against a below-average Detroit run defense, running back D’Andre Swift accumulated only 20 yards on 9 carries (2.2 yards per carry). Swift has only averaged 4 YPC twice in his last 8 games, and hasn’t surpassed 80 rushing yards once in that time frame. The lack of scoring from this offense can be attributed to the fact that it has been entirely one-dimensional for the past 2 months.
Post-Eberflus Defense is Awful
Towards the end of former head coach Matt Eberflus’ tenure in Chicago, the defense was losing steam. It allowed 30 points for the first time in over a year against the Vikings in Week 12. In the 3 games since firing Eberflus directly following a Week 13 loss, the Bears have allowed 30+ points each time. This means that after 16 straight games of holding opponents under 30 points (dating back to last season), Chicago has allowed 30 in 4 of its last 5 contests. The defense has fallen off hard.
Bright Spots
Caleb Williams-Keenan Allen Connection Has Bloomed
The bright spot heading out of this game is the Williams-Allen connection. The two have clearly developed a connection throughout the year, and are really clicking now. Allen has 5 touchdowns in his last 5 games and has become Williams’ safety blanket. With Allen’s contract up after this year, I think that the Bears should heavily consider bringing him back to Chicago despite concerns regarding his age.
Standout Performers
Jahmyr Gibbs
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the star this Sunday. Without RB David Montgomery, Gibbs was the focal point of the offense. He racked up 154 total yards, 109 of which came through the running game. The second year running back also found the endzone early in the first half. He is incredibly quick and explosive and caused major issues for Chicago’s defense throughout the game.
Keenan Allen
Bears WR Keenan Allen also had a great Sunday. In arguably his strongest game as a Chicago Bear, Allen posted 9 catches and 141 receiving yards. Wrapped up in his 141 was a beautiful 45 yard touchdown reception. Allen has still got it.
Key Drive of the Game
Detroit’s first drive of the second half was huge. Chicago actually headed into halftime with some momentum after 2 consecutive touchdown drives. Still within striking distance, they could have cut the lead to only 6 if they had grabbed the first touchdown of the second half. However, the Lions shut down all hope with a quick 79-yard touchdown drive to lead off the 3rd quarter, extending the lead back to 20 points.