Expectations for the Detroit Lions were low coming into the 2021 NFL season, and so far, the team has lived down to them. To be fair, they have been competitive in each game so far, but moral victories do not mean anything. An 0-3 record is an 0-3 record, no matter how you try to look at it or frame it.
Heading into this week’s game against the Chicago Bears, the Lions will hope they can get head coach Dan Campbell his first win. But while the odds are against them, the quarterback situation in Chicago could work in their favor.
| Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears, Sunday, 10/3 @ 1:00 PM ET | Best Detroit Odds | Best Chicago Odds | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BetMGM | +3.0 (-115) | Spread | -2.5 (-115) | BetRivers |
| FanDuel | +130 | Moneyline | -141 | DraftKings |
| BetMGM | Under 42.0 (-110) | Total | Over 42.0 (-105) | PointsBet |
Detroit Lions
Dan Campbell and his staff may quietly be doing the best coaching job in the NFL this season. His roster was seriously lacking in talent when the season started. But despite that, they have played well enough to give everyone they have played, so far, a pretty decent fight—and all three teams (San Francisco, Green Bay, and Baltimore) are considered among the NFL’s best.
Moral victories give fans hope for the future. But they do not do anything for the bottom line right now. The offense is doing a decent job of generating yards (17th in total yards) and points (19th with 22.3 points/game). However, when you are just playing ‘decent,’ you cannot afford to make mistakes. So far, the Lions have been making mistakes at crucial points of the game every week.
The blown assignments that allowed the Ravens to convert on 4th and 19 last week and eventually win the game are a perfect example.
Speaking of the defense, from a total yards perspective, they are doing a much better job than last year when they allowed over 400 yards a game. But they are still among the worst when it comes to keeping teams off the scoreboard (tied for last with the Chiefs; 31.7 points/game allowed).
SO, while the defense has been better, it has still not been good. However, with all the confusion at quarterback for the Bears, the Lions defense could be critical to the Lions coming away with a win– and it may not even have to be good.
Chicago Bears
There is hope for the Chicago Bears—just not for this season. With Andy Dalton at quarterback, expectations for the offense were pretty low coming into the season. So far, they have lived down to those expectations. The passing game has a net total of 269 yards in three games and is averaging a league-worst 90.7 yards/game.
You can put some of the blame on Andy Dalton’s injury. Justin Fields did not start the season for a reason. It is not hard to figure out why with what he has shown us in his limited action. He is not ready. To be fair, the offensive line has done a horrible job, and the playing calling has not helped, either.
When asked who will start this week, Bears head coach Matt Nagy has been coy. He has tried to insinuate that any of the Bears three quarterbacks could get the nod. But it is doubtful Andy Dalton will be healthy enough to play. If they were going to start Nick Foles, they would have done so last week. Everyone wants to see Justin Fields, anyway.
It would be shocking if Fields does not get the nod.
But the Bears need to help him so much more than they did last week. It is hard to say whether they will. As for the defense, it is playing well under the circumstances. It would be unfair and unrealistic to expect them to do even more. They need to get some help from the offense.
Betting Recommendation
Despite their struggles, the Detroit offense has had some success in the passing game. While they are not good at running the ball, they are not terrible. Chicago’s defense will not make things easy on them, of course. No matter who plays quarterback, there is little reason to believe the Bears will generate enough offense to win.
It is not going to be a pretty game by any means but look for the Lions, Dan Campbell, and Jared Goff to get win No. 1. So, take the Lions to win via the moneyline and point spread. If you have trouble with the idea of betting on the Lions to win outright, take them against the spread. With the caliber of offenses in this game, it would be shocking to see the over get covered. Take the under.
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