Game Time:  1:00 PM ET, Sunday, October 3rd, 2021

Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois

Where to Watch:  FOX

FanDuel:  Bears -3; O/U 42 points

BetMGM:  Bears -3; O/U 42.5 points

PointsBet: Bears -3; O/U 42.5 points

 

Bears: 1-2 (3rd place NFC North)

Lions: 0-3 (4th place NFC North)

The Bears are lost.  The Lions are lost.  Both teams seem to be waiting for something to happen before they build a real football team to put on the field.  

The Bears are waiting to fire Matt Nagy who decided to not get potential franchise quarterback Justin Fields ready for this season in favor of Andy Dalton… in sort of a win now and keep his job scenario.  Now Andy Dalton is hurt and Justin Fields is playing poorly.  The entire team looks lost.  Matt Nagy won’t and shouldn’t keep his job after this season.  The shrug at the post game press conferences says it all… there is no fix right now.  

The Lions have always been lost.  For years and years spilling into decades the Lions are a lost cause.  When they have a good year it usually coincides with another NFC North team collapsing and rebuilding.  They are currently watching former franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford light up the league with the Los Angeles Rams.  They got QB Jared Goff and some first round picks in return for Matt… now they just have to wait for Jared Goff’s contract to expire and those picks to be good players before they field a good team… maybe.

 

Larry’s 10* AFC/NFC GAME OF THE YEAR… Get it now!!  Larry’s pick is  available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.

 

Recent Form

The Lions lost to the San Francisco 49ers 41-33 in game 1.  Then they lost game 2 to the Green Bay Packers 35-17.  Then they lost game 3 to the Baltimore Ravens 19-17.  The last loss will be remembered forever not just as an absolute heartbreaker of a loss… but because Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker set the new NFL record for distance with a 66-yard field goal. Yes they have scored and yes they have put up a fight. Yes, they will be underdogs against this division-rival and everyone else they play until the NFL Draft.

 

The Bears need this matchup. They need the battle of the NFC North Lightweights.  They need a win desperately to lift the Bears hopes… and not just the Bears players, but the entire city of Chicago.  In Game 1 the Rams beat the Bears 34-14.  In game 2 the Bears pulled out a close win against the Cincinnati Bengals 20-17, but it cost them QB Andy Dalton’s health.  In game 3 the Cleveland Browns walked all over the Bears in Justin Fields’ debut 26-6.  

 

 

 

The Lions are 17th in yards per game 353 and 19th in points scored 22.3.  Former 1st overall pick Jared Goff is moving the ball, but not enough… He has 801 yards passing on 86-123 5 TDs and 2 interceptions.  He has been sacked 6 times behind a swiss cheese offensive line.  The trio of receivers in Detroit have no clear alpha, WR T.J. Hockenson has 18 receptions, but is followed closely by RB D’Andre Swift and WR Kalif Raymond in total receiving yards.  

The Bears are stymied on offense. They are 31st in scoring, a terrible 13.3 points per game.  If it weren’t for the New York Jets, they would be the worst offensive team in the NFL.  They are worse than the Jets in one stat… lowest yards in the league  191.7.  There is a disparity in quarterback play in Chicago.  QB Andy Dalton started the year and played most of the first two games and then got hurt.  Justin Fields made brief appearances in the first two games and started game 3.  Andy Dalton was sacked 4 times… Justin Fields has been sacked 11 times. Either Justin Fields held the ball too long or the line stopped blocking for a rookie.  

The Detroit Lions are 22nd in yards given up per game 384 and 31st in points given up per game 31.7.  The only team giving up more points than the Detroit Lions is the Kansas City Chiefs, yet the Chiefs have played better teams and scored a lot more points on offense. 

The Chicago Bears are 19th in points given up 25.7 and 12th in yards per game given up, 350.7.  The Bears defense isn’t elite, but it also isn’t atrocious.  Linebacker Roquan Smith leads the team in tackles by a wide margin.  LB Robert Quinn is off to a slow start (for him) in the tackle department but does lead the team in sacks 4.

This is an upset pick based on whether Matt Nagy can solve the Bears Quarterback woes in a week.  He has yet to demonstrate he can.

 

Don't miss our champion handicappers' Free NFL Picks and Premium Selections every day here at Bigal.com.  Just click on Shop Picks for our Best Bets, or click on Shop Subscriptions to join for a week or a month.  And if you enjoyed this Lions/Bears preview, be sure to bookmark Bigal.com for our daily Game Previews and Predictions.

 

 

The Lions are 4-8 ATS on a grass field the last three seasons.

The Bears are 4-10 ATS as a favorite the last three seasons.

The Bears are 4-8 ATS versus division opponents the last three years.

The Bears are 2-5 ATS in October games, the last three years.

 

 

 

 

Lions: DE Trey Flowers (knee) Questionable *  DT Kevin Strong Jr (concussion) Questionable

Bears: QB Andy Dalton (Knee) Questionable  *  DE Khalil Mack (foot) Questionable

 

 

 

Lions: Jared Goff.  Jared desperately needs a win.  The team that dumped him is being crowned homecoming Queen and he is working the night shift at Burger King… he needs a win.

 

Bears: Justin Fields.  In his debut as a starting quarterback in the NFL Justin had 64 total passing yards and was sacked 11 times.  He’ll take anything positive right now.  The trouble with playing rookie quarterbacks on bad teams is they could get broken.  They could end up with shattered confidence.   

 

 

“The way I feel right now, I don’t like feeling like this," - Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

“You almost can’t make it up, it was that bad,” - Bears coach Matt Nagy

Lions:  QB Jared Goff, RB D’Andre Swift, WR Quintez Cephus, WR Kalif Raymond, WR Amon-Ra St Brown, TE T.J. Hockenson, LT Penei Sewell, LG Jonah Jackson, C Frank Ragnow, RG Vaitai Halapoulivaati, RT Matt Nelson

Bears: QB Andy Dalton, RB David Montgomery, WR Allen Robinson II, WR Darnell Mooney, WR Damiere Byrd, TE Cole Kmet, LT Jason Peters, LG Cody Whitehair, C Sam Mustipher, RG James Daniels, RT Germain Ifedi

Lions:

Passing: Jared Goff 801 yards

Rushing:  D’Andre Swift 123 yards

Receiving:  T.J. Hockenson  173 yards

Tackles Will Harris 20

Interceptions:  Amani Oruwariye  1

Bears:  

Passing: Andy Dalton 262 yards

Rushing:  David Montgomery  203 yards

Receiving: Darnell Mooney  101 yards

Tackles:  Roquan Smith 29

Interceptions:  1

 

 

 

Coaches:

Lions:  Dan Campbell

Bears: Matt Nagy

 

 

 

Scattered Showers. 69* the high.  Humidity 77%.  Wind 14 mph.