It’s only been a just over a week since the Detroit Lions traded away Golden Tate to the Philadelphia Eagles
T.J. Hockenson Jersey Mens , but it seems like their offense may be in the midst of an identity crisis. Last week against the Minnesota Vikings, the Lions allowed 10
sacks (the most during the Matthew Stafford era), averaged just 3.0 yards per
play (their lowest output in eight years), and broke their streak of 25 straight
games with at least 14 points scored. Of course, a ton of credit goes to the
Minnesota Vikings and their stout defense, but the road ahead for Detroit looks
rough, and it starts Sunday.The Chicago Bears have one of the best defenses in
the league, and you could easily make the case they are the best. They’re fourth
in yards per play allowed, fourth in points allowed and first in Football
Outsiders’ DVOA.So today’s Question of the Day is:How many points will the
Detroit Lions score against the Bears?My answer: Well, if you read my On Paper
preview, you know I predicted the Lions to score just 10 points, but I’ll
explain why. First off, T.J. Lang is out, which means on right side of the
ball
Jahlani Tavai Detroit Lions Jersey , it’ll be Kenny Wiggins at guard, lined up opposite Akiem Hicks. Hicks is one of the best run stuffers in the league, and
he, alone, could be responsible for making the Lions offense one-dimensional on
Sunday.And if there’s a team whose defense is particularly dangerous against a
one-dimensional offense, it may be the Bears. Their roster is loaded with pass
rushers like Leonard Floyd, rookie Roquan Smith and, yes, Khalil Mack. I don’t
expect the Lions to allow 10 sacks again on Sunday, but it certainly wouldn’t
surprise me to see the Bears hit half that number. Your turn. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) —
When Kirk Cousins and his family moved from Illinois to Michigan, his allegiance
to the Bears was well-established.Leaving Chicagoland, Cousins wondered aloud to
his dad whether they’d be required to become fans of the Lions and the other
Detroit-area teams.“He said, ‘Kirk, you can take the boy out of Chicago. You
can’t take Chicago out of the boy
Jahlani Tavai Jersey 2019 ,'” Cousins recalled this week.Loyal to the Bears they remained, but inside Michigan’s borders the Lions always received top TV
billing. So Cousins moved through his teenage years and on to college at
Michigan State with more than adequate coverage of the Lions, a clear
familiarity that has only deepened now that Cousins has joined a different team
in the NFC North in Minnesota.The Vikings (4-3-1) will host the Lions (3-4) on
Sunday, the first time Cousins, who’s second in the NFL with 2,521 passing
yards, will face his home state’s squad as a division rival.“I think with every
game we play, I can point to something about the team or an opponent on the team
or a coach or whatever it might be that makes you feel like you’re living a
dream,” Cousins said, “and certainly going against the Detroit Lions is no
different being that I grew up in that state.”With the Bears (4-3) and Green Bay
Packers (3-3-1) bunched in, too, this game will be the first of several in the
second half of the season to shape a tight race.“Division games count for two,”
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “You get the win, and they get the
loss. They’re big games
Color Rush Jahlani Tavai Jersey , and the more you can go and win those, whether on the road or at your place, the better. We have a big stretch of them
coming up.”Here are some other key angles to follow with the game:MATCHING
MEGATRONAdam Thielen leads the NFL with 74 receptions and 925 yards for the
Vikings. With at least 100 yards in each of the first eight games, Thielen has
tied Lions legend Calvin Johnson for the longest streak in league history.
Johnson’s run was in 2012, when he set the all-time NFL record with 1,964
yards.As a football-loving kid living in Minnesota, Thielen naturally tried to
emulate Cris Carter and Randy Moss. But Johnson was another star wide receiver
he closely watched. Johnson, who retired after the 2015 season, wore No. 21 in
college at Georgia Tech. So did Thielen at Detroit Lakes High School, not
coincidentally.“He could block, he could run short routes, he could run deep
routes, and he’d catch everything,” Thielen said. “When people were draped all
over him
Cheap Jahlani Tavai Jersey , he’d still make the plays. I just remember a lot of games where Stafford would just throw the ball up, and there’d be three guys on
him and he’d still come down with the ball.”With Stefon Diggs another dangerous
option for Cousins, limiting Thielen has been even more of a challenge for
opponents.“We’re going to have a hard time trying to handle him,” coach Matt
Patricia said. “He runs really good routes. He has great change of direction. He
can get vertically very quick. He understands zone coverage — he can sit down
and find the open space — and he has great hands. So definitely will be a big
issue for us.”GOLDEN’S GONEThough Johnson caused the Vikings secondary plenty of
problems over his nine years in the league, Golden Tate did his share of damage,
too.In the first four wins by the Lions over the Vikings since Zimmer was hired
in 2014, twice in his first year and twice in 2016, Tate totaled 228 yards and
two touchdowns on 30 catches while being targeted 38 times. That included his
game-winning somersault into the end zone in overtime in Minnesota in 2016,
after Vikings standouts Xavier Rhodes and Harrison Smith missed their attempts
to tackle him.Last season, the Vikings limited Tate to just seven receptions for
36 yards over their two matchups. Now he’s gone, having been traded to
Philadelphia .“I was surprised about that. He was their main guy on third downs.
He was great with yards after the catch,” Rhodes said, adding: “It was one of
those situations where you were like, ‘Oh
Jahlani Tavai Jersey Womens , let me check MY phone.'”GRIFFEN GETTING GOINGVikings defensive end Everson Griffen, who has 7½ sacks in eight games
against the Lions since becoming a starter in 2014, made his season debut last
week after missing five games to seek mental health treatment. Griffen played 37
of 53 snaps against New Orleans.“My No. 1 goal is just to keep on going out
there and knocking the rust off more and more each day, but I’m feeling good,”
Griffen said.GAME ON THE GROUNDAfter finishing last, third-to-last and last in
the NFL in rushing over the previous three years, the Lions have revived their
long-languishing ground game with the arrival of rookie Kerryon Johnson. With an
average of nearly 110 yards per game, they’re 16th in the league this week.“It’s
mostly what the offensive line’s doing. No matter how good a running back is, he
needs the offensive line, period,” Vikings defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson
said. “Ain’t too many Barry Sanders in the league.”
