Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears Preview for Monday Night
As Week 5 of the NFL Regular season kicks off this weekend, there are a host of games that will have NFL betting fans drooling, including Monday night's showdown between the as yet undefeated Detroit Lions and the inconsistent Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, Chicago.
The Lions have had an excellent start to the season, leading the way with a perfect 4-0 record alongside last season's Super Bowl champs and NFC North rivals, the Green Bay Packers. The Bears, meanwhile, have kicked off the season with an average 2-2 record, which they will have their hands full trying to extend to 3-2 on Monday.
As such, they have been laid as the +5 point underdogs (O/U 47.5) at most leading online sportsbooks, including Bodog. Here is our Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears betting preview for their upcoming Monday Night Football clash:
Detroit Lions Undefeated and Looking Strong
At the end of last season the Detroit Lions narrowly lost at home to the Chicago Bears, a defeat that seemed to have shaken the team from Michigan awake, as they haven't lost a game since then. Sure, not all their wins have been very pretty - in their last two games, for instance, the Lions came from behind to win - but they have managed to do what they've had to to win.
And it's that kind of guts, determination, pluck and drive that propels NFL teams to the playoffs, and beyond. Consider their recent game against the Minnesota Vikings, where Detroit was 0-20 at halftime. Most teams would have crumbled in the second half trying to overcome a deficit that big. But not the Lions. They just plugged away, racking up the points until they pulled off a 26-23 victory in overtime.
So, if Detroit could claw their way back from a 20-0 deficit - the biggest comeback in a road game in NFL history - what chance do the Chicago Bears have on Sunday, especially with such powerhouse players in their lineup as LB Bobby Carpenter, CB Chris Houston, WR Calvin Johnson and K Jason Hanson?
Chicago Bears Running The Ball More
The Chicago Bears may have started out the season a little slow, but judging by the way they held on for a 34-29 home win against the Carolina Panthers last Sunday, perhaps they are ready to start winning again. The operative word being perhaps, because the Bears gave up a whopping 543 yards to the Panthers, and were only spared another loss by CB D.J. Moore's awesome interception return for a touchdown, and WR Devin Hester's league-record 11th punt return for a score.
Despite their victory, that game - and the others before it - only served to demonstrate how much Chicago needs to bolster its defense going forward, especially against a team like the Detroit Lions on Monday. On a positive note, against the Panthers made 224 yards on the ground, the most in a game since way back in 1988, which shows that they are no longer relying to much on the pass game.
Statistically, Chicago rushed the ball 31 times, and QB Jay Cutler attempted only 17 passes en rout to victory. It is interesting to note that the Bears threw the ball 82 times and ran it 24 times in both their losses this season. So expect to see the Bears running the ball more often against the Lions.
Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears Prediction
After how the Detroit Lions came back in their last game, and with their confidence coffers filled to the brim, we cannot see how they can to lose to a shaky and largely inconsistent Chicago Bears, despite their home ground advantage.
Free NFL Pick: Detroit Lions -5
