Three Takeaways from the Bears’ 28-13 Victory over the Lions
After defeating the Lions 28-13 on Sunday, the Bears have a winning streak for the first time in the Matt Eberflus era. Wow, does that feel good to say? Not only because the Bears defeated two division opponents to start the streak but also because they got revenge on the Lions. A sour taste was left in everyone's mouth after the Bears blew their 13-point lead with four minutes to go in Week 11. So, for the Bears to finish the game this week and start a winning streak is even sweeter.
These are three of the biggest takeaways from the Bears’ 28-15 victory over the Lions.
Defense dominates
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Throughout the first eight weeks of the season, the Bears had one of the worst defenses in the NFL. They couldn’t pressure the opposing quarterback and were on the field all the time. That is why general manager Ryan Poles went out and traded for Montez Sweat at the trade deadline. Since acquiring Sweat, the Bears’ defense has improved in all areas. However, the defense had yet to play a complete game and not blow a fourth-quarter lead since adding Sweat.
That changed this week against the Lions when the Bears’ defense stifled the Lions’ offense for a full four quarters. The Bears’ defense was able to consistently get after Lions quarterback Jared Goff on important downs. This forced Goff into tough situations that the defense capitalized on by gathering three sacks and two interceptions on third and fourth downs. Those big plays helped the defense have a 40% (6/15) third down conversion rate and a 20% (1/5) fourth down conversion rate. Being able to dictate the game on defense against the high-powered Lions offense was a massive step for this team.
Mooney struggles to make consistent plays
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Entering the season, Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney was expected to have a bounce-back season as a complementary piece to wide receiver D.J. Moore. However, Mooney has struggled to make plays on a consistent basis this season. That’s not all Mooney’s fault because it feels like the game plan goes away from him most of the time, but that means he needs to take advantage of every target he gets.
Unfortunately, Mooney failed to capitalize on his opportunities Sunday against the Lions. Finishing the day with two catches on seven targets for 44 receiving yards. While some of the targets Mooney had were difficult catches to make, if he had made the plays then
Getsy calls a decent game
Offsenvie coordinator Luke Getsy’s play calling has been a consistent topic of conversation after every Bears game this season. That was no different this week, as rating his game plan against the Lions is challenging. Getsy had a nice opening drive script that ended with a wildcat touchdown run for wide receiver D.J. Moore. However, after that, it was a bit of a mixed bag for the rest of the first half. As Getsy called a few nice chunk plays, but he also made some confusing decisions. For instance, the fake tush push toss to D.J. Moore on fourth and one. While faking one of the most run plays this season is smart in theory, it was not great in execution because the Lions were ready for Moore to run from the backfield after his earlier touchdown. That’s why Getsy should have called the tush push with quarterback Justin Fields. The other baffling part of Getsy’s first-half playing calling is he did not target D.J. Moore. While some of that may be on Fields, the offensive coordinator should still find ways to scheme your best player open.
Thankfully, Getsy realized he needed to find ways to get Moore the ball in the passing game, and he made offensive adjustments at halftime. In the second half, Moore had six catches on ten targets, 68 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Moore’s touchdown came on a fourth and thirteen magnificent deep ball by Justin Fields. While the play was executed to perfection, Getsy also deserves credit for having the guts to call it. Overall, it's tough to say whether Getsy called a good or bad game since he had a mix of good decision-making and questionable decision-making.