Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears first half open thread

For the Detroit Lions, every game in the NFL is the most important game. At 7-2—but with the Minnesota Vikings nipping at their heels at 6-4—the Lions don’t have much margin for error if they want to walk away with their first division title in 30 years. Of course, with as shallow as the NFC currently is, the playoffs are a near certainty with or without a NFC North title.

Still, the Lions can’t afford a hiccup, and the Chicago Bears aren’t exactly a team to be completely overlooked. By DVOA, they actually have two top-10 units in their run offense and their run defense. That should create some strength-on-strength matchups at Ford Field, as the Lions pride themselves on running the ball and stopping the run themselves.

But there is also a reason the Bears are 3-7 on the year. They don’t provide much pass rush—even after adding Montez Sweat at the trade deadline—allowing opposing quarterbacks plenty of time to pick apart their secondary. Can Jared Goff do that again this week after dissecting the Chargers last week?

Then there’s Justin Fields and his return to play. Prior to a hand injury that kept him out for four starts, it appeared Fields may have been turning a corner. He has developed a chemistry with D.J. Moore, who is a legitimate explosive play threat. But those two also beat up on some of the worst passing defenses in the league. Will they have a tougher time against a Lions pass defense that struggled last week?

Stick with us right here for the first half of the game. Scroll down to the comment section and have a live chat with our community. When the second half starts, be on the lookout for the Lions vs. Bears second-half open thread to continue the conversation.

Happy gameday Sunday and go Lions!