Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears: 3 Explosive Storylines That Could Decide This High-Stakes Week 2 Showdown 🏈🔥

What: Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears

● When: Sunday, Sept. 14, 1 p.m.

● Where: Ford Field, Detroit

● How to watch: FOX (Kenny Albert/Jonathan Vilma/Megan Olivi)

● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.

● Line: Lions -6.5

● Injury report: The Lions will be without linebacker Trevor Nowaske (elbow) for the second straight week. The team is also unlikely to have running back and special teams standout Sione Vaki, who is listed as doubtful with a long-lingering hamstring issue.

Two starters, offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) and safety Kerby Joseph (knee), are questionable. Decker didn’t practice all week. However, the team has been optimistic about his status and didn’t elevate an offensive lineman off the practice squad on Saturday, suggesting the blindside blocker is good to go.

● Officiating assignment: Clay Martin’s crew. In his eighth year as a referee, Martin will be officiating his 10th Lions game. He drew two last season, working the team’s Week 2 loss to Tampa Bay and Week 7 victory over Minnesota.

● Last meeting: The Lions swept the season series in 2024, including a 34-17 win at Soldier Field in Week 16. Quarterback Jared Goff picked apart the Chicago defense, completing 23-of-32 for 336 yards and three touchdowns. Jameson Williams was the top target with five grabs for 143 yards and a score. And Jahmyr Gibbs shouldered the backfield load with David Montgomery sidelined by a knee injury, racking up 154 yards from scrimmage, including 109 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

Three things worth watching

● The messaging was as clear as it was obvious: Detroit needs to get its ground game on track after mustering a league-worst 46 yards in Week 1, on 2.1 yards per carry.

Chicago might be just what the doctor ordered. In 2024, they were one of the league’s worst at defending the run, allowing 136.3 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry. Both of those figures ranked bottom five. Detroit feasted in the teams’ two matchups, racking up 340 yards and an impressive 52 first downs on the ground.

Of course, things are different this year. The Bears have a new coaching staff, new schemes and new personnel, including defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and edge Dayo Odeyingbo. Still, they allowed 4.6 yards per carry in a Week 1 loss to the Vikings, with most of that damage coming in the second half.

The Lions have said they’ll simplify the call sheet this week to get guys playing faster, including the team’s young guards, who each had their share of struggles in the opener.

If things go according to plan, and Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery get going, it should unlock the entire operation, particularly Detroit’s lethal play-action game.

● On the other side of the ball, the Lions need to figure out how to pressure the passer, because the seven pressures, two hits and zero sacks they got on Jordan Love last week won’t cut it.

As it stands, opponents likely feel they can double-team Aidan Hutchinson without consequence. And while he’ll still find ways to win, the key to Detroit’s success will be the other defenders winning their one-on-one matchups.

That extends beyond the team’s other starting edge rusher, Marcus Davenport. The Lions also need to get something from their interior lineman — DJ Reader, Tyleik Williams and Roy Lopez — as well as their blitzers, who were wholly ineffective despite coordinator Kelvin Sheppard adding defenders to the rush on 34.8% of Love’s dropbacks.

The tricky part this week will be quarterback Caleb Williams’ dual-threat ability. Love has mobility, but it doesn’t compare to Williams’ quickness and willingness to tuck and run.

Detroit’s rushers have to be cognizant of Williams’ ability to escape the pocket from the moment the ball is snapped until the play is dead.

“That’s the trick, isn’t it?” Lions coach Dan Campbell said when I asked him about the challenge of coaching that seemingly contrasting mindset. “Caleb is a phenomenal athlete. I mean, he is. He’s so dangerous when he gets out of the pocket. And so, if you’re not careful, you’ll paralyze your guys and you’ll just stand there. And now he buys time in the pocket. And then if you just rip and roar, you’re gone and you open lanes out, well he’s gone there, too. So, there is a fine balance. We’ve tried to emphasize that.”

In Week 1, Williams ran for a team-high 58 yards and a touchdown on just six carries.

● Former Lions coordinator Ben Johnson is still getting his feet wet in Chicago. Nonetheless, it will only be a matter of time before he taps into the aggressive tendencies he routinely displayed in Detroit.

You saw a flash of it in the Bears’ opener, when Johnson made the call to go for fourth-and-3 midway through the second quarter from just outside the red zone. That pass went incomplete, resulting in a turnover on downs.

Johnson will likely be hesitant to go to that well too many times until he can trust Williams to execute. The second-year quarterback struggled with his accuracy after the opening-drive script netted a touchdown.

The other component of Johnson’s aggressive nature is his propensity to dial up trick plays. That’s going to require trust, as well, because success hinges on identifying the right defensive look and getting each detail right. Still, would anyone be surprised to see Johnson look to dial up something special for his former employer?

Remember, Johnson spent three years leading practice against most of Detroit’s defensive starters. He knows their tendencies and weaknesses as well as anyone outside Detroit. The game plan will be built around trying to exploit those, and the allure to mix in some razzle-dazzle might be too strong to deny.