Ok , many fans think the Chicago Bears are struggling right now. The run game isn't going as planned , and Jay Cutler has thrown 5 interceptions. The Bears had to come from behind against the Seattle Seahawks for a win , they were behind 19 - 17 , and Cutler hit Devin Hester for the winning touchdown pass. To me , it looks like Jay Cutler is finding a rhythm with his new offense. He is now a veteran quarterback going into his fourth regular season game with the Bears , so I expected that. Cutler has 6 touchdowns after 3 games , thats a 2 TD a game average. The most touchdowns Cutler has thrown for in a season was 25 last season , he is on pace to eclipse that mark. He has also thrown for 760 yards , and has a QB rating of 86.2%. Cutler is still prone to throwing bad passes under pressure , so I expect to see Gunther Cunningham call some blitzes in this game.

The rushing game of the Bears isn't very good right now , they have rushed for a total of 215 yards. This affects the 3rd down performance of almost any offense , and the Bears are 15 for 41 on 3rd down conversions. The Lions have some hope here , the Bears also do not control time of posession , and their average rush is for 2.8 yards. The Bears also have 0 rushing TDs on the year after 3 games.

The Bears defense has also scored 0 TDs this season , but they do have 9 sacks on the year. This could cause problems for Matthew Stafford , and I think this game is a much better indicator of where the offensive line is at for the Detroit Lions. The Bears have 2 interceptions on defense this year , that might change this week if one looks at the sack total and takes into account that this is a road game at Soldier Field for the rookie QB Matthew Stafford. I could see Stafford throwing 1 interception in this game. I don't think thats a bad performance given the context of the game. One of the keys to the game , as I see it , not allowing the Bears defense to score on any turnovers. That is what makes the Bears a good team , points by the defense.

The Lions offense needs to continue on the well balanced path Scott Linehan has them traveling. I would like to see Brandon Pettigrew become more involved in the passing game , so far he isn't. If the Lions can throw to Pettigrew that would take pressure off Calvin Johnson , and the Bears defense wouldn't think run when Pettigrew lined up. This could open the door a little more for the running game. Unfortunately , Kevin Smith hurt his shoulder against the Redskins , and the Lions are not telling how bad the injury is. I think Kevin Smith might miss 2 to 4 weeks with a seperated shoulder. Smith had shoulder problems last season , and played through them , as revealed by his agent. That means its time to step up Maurice Morris. Thats why you are here. Jerome Felton should also see some extra carries. Bottom line , the Lions should be able to run the ball against the Bears , and if they get inside the red zone , I could see Felton with his first rushing touchdown this year.

Matthew Stafford has bad numbers , but they don't tell the whole story. He has thrown for 2 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Stafford threw half his touchdowns against the Redskins , and threw o interceptions. That tells me he is improving by leaps and bounds. He managed the game very well , and was able to sustain several long drives on offense. He has a total of 598 passing yards , and a QB rating of 57%. This is the time for Stafford to get it going with the receivers , I could see 2 TD passes in this game. Its also a road game for a rookie QB against a defense that has 9 sacks , so there could be an interception there too.

Keys:
Pettigrew in passing game
Felton in running game
Stafford limiting mistakes
Defense against Cutler and the passing game

Wow , this is a close game if one really looks at it. Thing is , this is a road game at soldier field. Stafford will see pressure.

Bears 24
Lions 21