IT’S A TRAP GAME

BY MARK HALPERN

     Throughout history, we have seen some amazing things happen from last-minute 60+ yard field goals, Hail Mary 65+ yards for a TD and the win, Interception return for a touchdown in the waning seconds, or even just a plain old upset. For the Detroit Lions this weekend, this game should be a win and give them another division win, but with the Bears owning the Panthers’ first-round pick (They will end up with a top 3 pick from the trade last year), can the Bears go all out and surprise the Lions sure is it likely NO.

    The Bears will have young star Justin Fields back in as their starting quarterback, and like any other star player, you have to be wary of a breakout game that, let’s face, Fields can do it through the air and with his legs like a couple of other Quarterbacks I know. D.J. Moore and Cole Kmet have been reliable, and the running game gets crazier with Fields back in the mix. The Lions Defense will need to keep them off the board or hold them to Field Goals or, the easiest way, force turnovers, something the Lions are good at doing.

   As for the offense, this is a miss match as the Lions offense could generate numbers like the Cowboys did last week against the Giants. Expect to see more of a ground game now that Montgomery is healthy and Gibbs is starting to find his grove. Goff has had good protection all year, and that should continue this weekend against the Bears. Goff will find his BFF in Amro-Ra St. Brown with at least seven rec for 75+ yards and 1 TD—just my guess. 

   As I said, a game like this could go sideways very quickly, so the Lions need to keep their eyes on the prize here, and that’s to win the division. Because of one loss and another Vikings win, we could talk about a completely different story in the NFC North next week.