The Chicago Bears enter the 2020 NFL season on a road trip to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions. As consistent bottom feeders of the NFC North in the 2010’s, both teams hope to change their recent misfortunes and start the new decade on a positive note.
The NFC North should be yet another tightly contested race this year. The Green Bay Packers are the reigning kings of the division coming off a 13-3 record and postseason bye. The Minnesota Vikings finally lived up to their 2018 preseason hype and finished 10-6 and made it to the Divisional Round. The Bears, however, finished playoff-less with an 8-8 record, despite having Super Bowl expectations heading into the year. At the same time, the Lions had themselves another subpar finish and ended up with the #3 overall draft pick in the NFL Draft.
Each of the NFC North clubs will face off each other in Week 1 (Packers @ Vikings), and the race for the division crown starts in two days.
If you haven't already, please feel free to check out my introduction article, I had a blast putting it together. You will get to know more about me, my background, and my plans for this website here:
The State Of The Opponent: Detroit Lions
Although I despise them, I feel god awful for the Lions, as arguably no team has had worse luck in NFL history. Even in 2019, they played several tightly contested games where they could have went nearly undefeated to start the season. Weeks later, QB Matthew Stafford, who was playing like a low-key MVP candidate, suffered a season-ending injury after Week 9, and the team was never the same since.
Most of the blame is placed on Head Coach Matt Patricia, and rightfully so. The Lions have much better talent than what their previous records have shown, but they could never put it together. Sure, Stafford’s season-ending injury, unfair luck with referees, and other factors contributed to the losses, but Patricia’s blame lies far beyond those. Specifically, light was negatively shed on the coach after the fallout of top Cornerback Darius Slay’s trade.
Then-Lions Cornerback Darius Slay With Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia (Credit: B/R)
Slay stated that he did not envision a future with the Head Coach, saying, “I knew how me and Matt Patricia were and that wasn't going to last long.” The Cornerback also stated that Patrica told him that he was not an elite corner and had “no business dealing with players like Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib." I understand and love coaches telling players straight what is up and not BS’ing them, but come on! Even if you believe Slay is not in the tiers of Sherman or Talib, he is an excellent corner and should not risk angering their top option at the position. Well, that is precisely what Patricia did, and Slay was shipped to the Philadelphia Eagles, while the Lions selected Ohio State Cornerback Jeff Okudah with their #3 overall pick.
In 2020, the Lions arguably had the best offseason of anyone in the division by adding Cornerback Desmond Trufant, Defensive Tackle (and former Bear) Nick Williams, Linebacker Jamie Collins, Tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai, and rookie Jeff Okudah, among others. The Lions already have a plethora of underrated talent on the roster, specifically on the offensive side of the ball. Stafford headlines a group that includes Wide Receivers Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, Running Backs Kerryon Johnson, rookie D’Andre Swift, and a great Offensive Line. The defensive side remains to have numerous questions, as Slay’s departure does not benefit the squad. But the team has a considerable amount of talent across the board. Their strong push at the beginning of the previous season may not have resulted in the ultimate goal of wins, but it undoubtedly sparks the team’s potential hope in 2020.
What To Watch For: It is time for the Return Of Matt Stafford, The Low-Key MVP candidate. Stafford does not get the recognition he deserves throughout the league. I would not place him in the "elite" category, and he does not have enough wins on his resume. But how can we fault a man for playing effective while with the Detroit Lions? What explanation do I need to give?
Detroit QB Matthew Stafford, Walking Out Of A Tunnel On Gameday (Credit: Detroit Lions)
Stafford's unit was lost without him, and now he has a chance to come back and attempt to prove that not only the Lions can hang with the best of them, but also win those games. He is my pick to win Comeback Player Of The Year in 2020, as I am confident he can stock up numbers as long as injury luck is on his side.
The State Of The Bears
We have heard it nonstop all offseason: Foles this, Trubisky that, will they/won’t they, QB QB QB. The chatter is finally over: Trubisky is the starter....for now. No matter how the season holds up for the Monsters Of The Midway, the QB chatter will dominate news headlines for the foreseeable future.
Trubisky has had success in almost every game he has played v.s. Detroit since he entered the league in 2017. The Lions have yet to pose as a threat towards Trubisky and his surrounding members on offense. Despite the recent success, the Bears are in no position to boast themselves and feel like they could take advantage of a below-average unit. It will merely be a below-average offense v.s. a below-average defense in Detroit.
What to watch for: Outside of the obvious at QB, the running game will be well worth monitoring. David Montgomery is entering his second year, and fans have provided plenty of hype surrounding him. However, the brakes have been tapped on the hype after a Training Camp injury on August 26th. Early reports indicated that he would miss about 2-4 weeks, and his outlook for the opener was murky. However, as I write this, Montgomery was a full-participant in Thursday’s practice and is on track to suit up.
Running Back David Montgomery, Upright In A Training Camp Practice This Year
(Credit: Chicago Tribune)
Despite the full practice, part of me is concerned with exactly how effective he could be. Will he have limited snaps? Will he be able to perform at 100%? These are fair questions to raise, and there is a sense of sudden unpredictability come Sunday regarding Montgomery. As we know, the Bears added no help at the position in the offseason and will have to rely heavily on Tarik Cohen and Ryan Nall in the event if Montgomery is not 100%. Cohen is a one-of-a-kind player who can be a brutal weapon to stop when used suitably. Sadly, compared to 2018, Head Coach Matt Nagy used Cohen less, resulting in drastically decreased effectiveness. Even if Cohen was at full swing on the field, the Bears lack a player that could fill in the bruiser role that Montgomery brings to the table. Nall might be a 6’2”, 239 lb back, but has only two career carries in the regular season.
Running Back might not have been the most significant need for General manager Ryan Pace this offseason, but the Bears are screwed if Montgomery is not 100%. We saw a glimpse of what life could be like without him on the field entirely. The Bears must take that into strong consideration and add some experience to the backfield, before it is too late. For the time being, though, it will be intriguing to see not only what the status of Montgomery will be, but how Cohen and the inexperienced Nall will fare once the season kicks off.
My Preseason Prediction For This Game: Lions win
My Pick Now: Detroit still wins
Final Score: Lions 24-Bears 17
Let us not fool ourselves; the real battle of this game will be Lions offense v.s. Bears defense. The Bears defense might have taken a small step back last year, but they had another top 10 season, and I believe they will repeat that feature once again.
However, in regards to facing Detroit, the Bears avoided Stafford entirely due to injury in 2019. Instead, they squared up against backup QB’s Jeff Driskel and David Blough on different occasions, where the Bears won by only single digits each game. Who knows what the outcome would have been if Stafford was involved and playing both games, but it is safe to say the Bears became fortunate in not facing the gunslinger last year. Come this Sunday, Stafford is back, and I will not sugar coat the fact that I am slightly nervous that Stafford will shake our fan-base up and perform well.
A Bears Fan Probably Upset That I Am Already Picking The Bears To Lose Right Off The Bat
(Credit: ChatSports)
I have seen Bears fans online; most think the matchup this week will be an absolute cakewalk. They believe the Lions are still not a team to even consider, and they will have no hesitation pulling out the “Mitch is great v.s. the Lions” or “the Bears are 4-0 v.s. them in the Matt Nagy era” crap like I have seen so frequently.
I am by no means saying the Lions are a great football team; I still believe the Bears are better than them. However, knowing our fan’s misunderstanding and our team luck, I have had a gut feeling all offseason that we will lose the first game. Upsets happen, for better or for worse, and I predict the Bears will be hit negatively right off the bat this year. The Bears have not won a season opener since 2013 (where I was actually in attendance), and I believe the longest win-less season opener streak in the league will continue. I also think Trubisky will play decently, but not enough to carry his team to a win.
I will unfortunately have work and miss the entire game, but fingers crossed that I look at my phone after my store closes and see a 1-0 record in favor of Chicago.
If you read through this whole article, pat yourself on the back because you are a gem. While you are at it, please feel free to let me know what you think and tap the heart icon at the bottom, if you wish.
Thank you and Bear Down!