Secondary Is Key To Chicago Bears Win Over Detroit Lions On Thanksgiving
By Jerry Landry
@jerry2landry
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
The Chicago Bears‘ secondary will be the primary concern for the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving day.
Stifle Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate, and you derail the Lions’ offense. The New England Patriots held the combination of Johnson and Tate to just eight receptions on 21 targets in Week 12. Following the Pats’ template has to be the foundation of Chicago’s game plan in Week 13.
In games where Megatron has caught five balls or less, the Lions are 1-3, losing to the Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals and the Patriots. The Lions are also 1-3 when you subject Tate to those same constraints (including a loss to the Carolina Panthers).
This isn’t just a key to victory — it’s a skeleton key. The Lions have shown they can’t run the ball well enough to lighten the attention to Johnson and Tate, ranking third-to-last (30th) in rushing offense with 889 yards and a pitiful 3.3 yards per attempt.
Luckily, when it comes to stopping the run, the Bears have that covered, ranking 12th best in the league. Now all the Bears will need to get covered are Johnson and Tate.
It’s known that to win on the road, it helps to take the crowd out of the game. The best way to do that is to get the Lions to third down, where they rank 22nd in converting, and then blitz Matthew Stafford so Johnson and Tate won’t have time to develop their routes. Early three-and-outs will silence the roar in Detroit and allow Jay Cutler to work as if he’s at home, except this time he’ll feel more well-liked.
Jerry Landry is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @Jerry2Landry, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.
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