The Chicago Bears will be coming out of their Week 13 bye hungry to get revenge against the Detroit Lions after having unfinished business with their division rival from Week 11.

The Bears lost the first matchup in Detroit 31-26 despite having a 26-14 lead with a little over four minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. The loss was easily the biggest of the season for the Bears and the players have to be eager to have another opportunity to right their wrongs in Week 14.

"You can feel the motivation there and optimism and certainly the focus with our guys today," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Monday. "You can feel that and the energy you can feel that for sure. The guys are wired in and want to perform well this week."

Last time the two teams squared off back in Week 11, the Bears held Lions quarterback Jared Goff to a season-low 68.3 passer rating and baited him into three interceptions. However, Goff got the last laugh in the fourth quarter after a botched coverage allowed Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams to score on a 32-yard touchdown pass.

This time around, the Bears are prepared to get more creative in the secondary in terms of how they utilize their young core of cornerbacks. The Bears were without their starting rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in their most recent game in Week 12 after he sprained his ankle during the week in practice.

However, there's optimism that the second-round pick will return for the Bears on Sunday. His return will certainly be a major boost for the entire defense that's coming off a four turnover performance in their most recent outing.

"It looks that way, like once we get [Stevenson] out there and pads and getting moving around and changing direction, but we certainly like where he is for sure," Eberflus said.

In Stevenson's absence, the Bears turned to another fellow rookie in Terell Smith in Week 12. Smith started his third game of the season and played 95 percent of the team's defensive snaps. With Stevenson expected to return, it'll be hard to take a player who's allowed only 160 yards on 25 targets off the field.

The Bears will be planning ahead and will look to find ways to still get Smith on the field against the Lions on Sunday without disrupting the synergy of the secondary.

"[Smitty] did play well and we want to get our young guys more and more playing time," Eberflus said. "If they're effective and can produce we certainly will play them."

In the two games Smith has played with both Stevenson and Jaylon Johnson fully healthy, Smith only appeared on 6 and 21 percent of the defensive snaps. The 21 percent game came in Week 11 against the Lions with Stevenson logging 49 percent of the snaps and Johnson playing on 98 percent of the snaps.

In the loss, Smith wasn't targeted a single time after lining up as the outside cornerback on 10 plays. Smith finished the game with one tackle in the limited workload.

Given Stevenson's experience and the injury concerns going into Sunday's game, Smith will definitely be rotating in and out of the lineup with the team's second-round pick. Stevenson recorded one of the team's three interceptions on his only target against Goff back in Week 11.

Johnson will more than likely not come off the field unless the Bears roll out distinct packages in goal line situations. Johnson has allowed a 37.7 passer rating in coverage in 2023, the 4th-lowest in the NFL among players with 300+ coverage snaps according to Pro Football Focus.

Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon also should be expected to remain in his usual role. Since Week 10, Gordon has allowed a 51.3 passer rating in coverage, the lowest in the NFL among slot defenders with 75+ coverage snaps in that span, per PFF. 

Both Johnson and Gordon are a key pieces to the team's entire defense but the other outside cornerback spot should see a considerable split between the two rookies rotating in and out with each other on Sunday.

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