Staff Changes Lead to Winning? 5 Things to Watch in Lions vs. Bears

Jahlani Tavai

Getty Jahlani Tavai celebrates with the Lions defense.

The Detroit Lions haven’t played football in over a week, and it’s almost time for the team to get going again as they are set to take on the Chicago Bears in Week 13 of the 2020 season.

Big changes have played out off the field which could impact the product on the field in the coming weeks, and it will be interesting to see what happens with regards to this starting this week. Detroit has a chance to rebound strongly after a pair of miserable performances and score a long awaited win against a key NFC North rival.

So what will be important to watch this week as things get back to normal after a wild weekend? Here’s a look at some variables to watch.


Do the Lions Get Back to Having Fun?

Interim coach Darrell Bevell’s comments earlier this week were very interesting as it relates to him wanting the Lions to have more fun on the field. This could indicate that the Lions weren’t feeling it under Patricia, who was far too serious and may have had the wrong mix culturally. If Bevell could change this quickly, it would be huge for the Lions and might help take the pressure off and get the team back. Should the Lions have fun and show up on the field with better effort against the Bears, that would be notable considering how bad the team looked at times under Patricia. A culture shift could make all the difference in this case.


What Will the Defense Look Like?

Famously, the Lions have been ripped for playing too much man, not blitzing enough and struggling with the right calls on defense most of the last three seasons. It’s been hard to know whether these problems stemmed from Matt Patricia specifically or defensive coordinators such as Cory Undlin. Now, with Patricia gone, the defense will be Undlin’s show entirely and it will be fascinating to see what happens with that. It’s possible Patricia controlled the defense and Undlin, so if the group comes out and plays better and looks more organized suddenly, it might only be further proof that the coach was stifling his team and players by being a control freak within his scheme.


Can Health Return for Detroit?

The Lions have needed a bit of a respite in a big way, and it’s good to see them getting some time off after the holiday in order to regroup. When last we saw the Lions, they had 16 players on their lengthy injury list including some big names like Kenny Golladay, D’Andre Swift, Matthew Stafford, Jeff Okudah and others. It seems some time off will have helped this team regroup a bit and perhaps get some folks on the field that would help things in a big way. If the Lions are healthier, that would be a big bonus for this Bears matchup considering how dinged up the team has been in recent weeks to their detriment.


Does Mitchell Trubisky Start and Dominate Lions?

If there was one bit of inexplicable comedy over the last few seasons in Detroit, it was Patricia’s inability to beat a largely average Bears team with a largely average quarterback in Mitchell Trubisky. Often, Trubisky looks like himself in other starts and transforms into Joe Montana against the Lions. This week, there’s some uncertainty of if he will start. In his career, Trubisky has dominated the Lions save for a few early matchups as a rookie. To see him draw the start, then dominate Detroit one more time would be the appropriate cherry on top of this rough season for Detroit fans.


What Lions Make Best Cases to Stay?

Right now, it’s all about putting tape together if you’re a Lions player or coach for the next regime, and the final few games of the season will be a proving ground to see who makes the best case for sticking around moving forward under a new staff. Names like Brayden Coombs, Matthew Stafford, Marvin Jones and others will be critical to watch moving forward. When the next general manager comes in, he will want to have a knowledge base with which to work, and these players and staff members will be the ones to start pitching their case for staying right now.


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