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Here we go Lions fans. Week 4 is upon us, and with it comes the chance to play another bitter rival of the NFC North. There are some interesting things to point out in this game. Both teams are dealing with injuries. The Lions have had a lot of recent success against the Bears and the Lions are playing in Chicago on the road early in the season, as opposed to the classic cold weather games. Let's start things by going back in time. Way back to 1930.
Way back to 1930
The Lions and the Bears first played each other on October 22, 1930. Chuck Schmidt and the Lions would go on to beat Carl Brumbaugh and the Bears in a 7-6 shootout. One month later, the Lions would travel to Chicago to play the Bears for the first time ever in the Windy City. In a battle at Wrigley Field, the Bears would take a 14-6 win. 86 years later, the Bears hold a 56-27-4 record against the Lions at home.
Week 4
The Lions have played the Bears in Week 4 nine times in the last 86 years. I was shocked to see that the Lions hold the winning record on this one. The Lions are 5-4 against the Bears in Week 4. The last meeting was way back in 2013 when the Lions beat the Bears 40-32. A bonus random stat on that game: That was Calvin Johnson's birthday.
Back up
There's a clear difference about this upcoming matchup. In recent history, the Bear were almost always led by Jay Cutler. This time the Bears will likely be led by their backup and former Michigan State quarterback Brian Hoyer. In my lifetime, this type of thing has been the case many times. In fact, since 1985 the Lions have played the Bears with a backup quarterback 16 times. Here's the breakdown on that.
| Year | Player | Score | Win/Loss |
| 1986 | Doug Flutie | 16-13 | Loss |
| 1988 | Mike Tomczak | 24-7 | Loss |
| 1988 | Jim Harbaugh | 13-12 | Loss |
| 1989 | Jim Harbaugh | 27-17 | Win |
| 1994 | Erik Kramer | 21-16 | Win |
| 1997 | Steve Stenstrom | 26-3 | Win |
| 1999 | Cade McNown | 28-10 | Loss |
| 1999 | Jim Miller | 21-17 | Win |
| 2000 | Shane Matthews | 23-20 | Loss |
| 2002 | Chris Chandler | 23-20 | Win |
| 2002 | Chris Chandler | 20-17 | Loss |
| 2004 | Chad Hutchinson | 19-13 | Win |
| 2004 | Rex Grossman | 20-16 | Win |
| 2007 | Brian Griese | 37-27 | Win |
| 2007 | Brian Griese | 16-7 | Win |
| 2014 | Jimmy Clausen | 20-14 | Win |
As you can see, the Lions are 10-6 when playing the Bears with a backup under center. Can the Lions continue that fortune this week? They certainly have one other big thing in their favor.
Three Years
The Lions will go into this game with the benefit of a six-game winning streak over the Bears. The Lions have not lost to the Bears since December 30th, 2012, when the Bears put the final nail into the Lions 4-12 season with a 26-24 win. Then the Lions went on a run. The Lions have averaged 29.4 points per game against the Bears over this run. That's good news for an Lions offense that currently ranks third in the NFL.
We'll soon see if the Lions can keep the streak going or if the Bears can finally end it.