How four Bears players to watch performed vs Lions in Week 14
The Chicago Bears pulled off a massive upset win in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions. The win was the biggest statement game in the Matt Eberflus era as the team won back-to-back games for the first time since 2021. Prior to the game, four Bears players were spotlighted as players to watch against the […]
The Chicago Bears pulled off a massive upset win in Week 14 against the Detroit Lions. The win was the biggest statement game in the Matt Eberflus era as the team won back-to-back games for the first time since 2021.
Prior to the game, four Bears players were spotlighted as players to watch against the Lions in order to achieve a win. Here's how those four players performed on Sunday.
DJ Moore
The Bears top offensive playmaker once again made plays against the Lions. DJ Moore is quickly putting together a convincing Pro Bowl resume in 2023 and his big game on Sunday only added to that expectation.
Moore started off the game with a bang after taking a direct snap and following his blockers to the left leading to a 16-yard touchdown run. The play involved some trickery and misdirection which included quarterback Justin Fields lined up as a wide receiver and running a fake reverse that was able to open things up for Moore.
"There was no rules on if I could hand it off or not," Moore explained when asked about the play after the game. "That was an awesome play call. Our OL coach [Chris Morgan] said we would hit a touchdown, we called it, and we did."
The touchdown was Moore's first career rushing touchdown. He also finished the game with a career-high three carries for 20 rushing yards and the added dimension helped surprise the Lions defense each time he carried the ball.
Moore finished the game with 10 targets, six receptions, 68 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown through the air as well. His receiving touchdown came on a free play on a 4th-and-13 call where Moore was able to sprint passed the Lions secondary for a 38-yard touchdown (Moore's 5th of the season over 20+ yards).
"It was supposed to be a freeze play, and I saw the dude on the other side jumped and shoot, I took off on my side," Moore said. "I was like, 'man [the refs] ain’t stopping this' so might as well. Justin [Fields] saw it and he threw a touchdown."
The touchdown was Moore's seventh receiving touchdown of the season, tying a single-season career-high he set with the Carolina Panthers last season. He's been a truly special player for the Bears and that continued on Sunday.
Darnell Wright
The Bears starting rookie right tackle undoubtedly had this rematch against the Detroit Lions and defensive end Aidan Hutchinson circled on his mental calendar.
Back in Week 11, the first time Wright faced the Lions star pass rusher, the rookie gave up a strip sack on the final drive securing a victory for the Lions.
Although quarterback Justin Fields was pressured throughout the majority of the game, Wright never backed down from the challenge.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wright allowed just one QB hit and one pressure the entire game. It was a much improved performance after allowing the strip sack and four pressures back in Week 11.
Wright even made a highlight reel play after steamrolling Lions defensive lineman John Cominsky after attempting to advance a fumbled ball by Fields. The play unfortunately was ruled an incompletion but Wright at least got his opportunity to inflict some damage with the ball in his hands.
Wright was also called for a holding penalty late in the fourth quarter on a 3rd-and-8 with the Bears looking to put the game away. Thankfully, the Lions turned the ball over on the ensuing drive allowing the Bears to close out the win.
Tyrique Stevenson
The Bears rookie cornerback returned in Week 14 after missing the previous game and played 72 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
Tyrique Stevenson was targeted eight times allowing five receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown allowed to Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds gave the Lions a 13-10 lead entering halftime.
Reynolds got the inside of Stevenson inside the 10-yard line to find the open space. Stevenson made the good move by eliminating any outside move Reynolds could have used but he didn't have the help inside leaving Reynolds open for the score.
The touchdown was the eighth allowed in coverage by Stevenson this season, according to Pro Football Focus. The next closest player on the team is Elijah Hicks with four touchdowns allowed in coverage.
I mentioned that the Lions will be looking to come after Stevenson once again and test him downfield, as many teams attempt to do against rookie defensive backs. Stevenson just needs to roll with the punches and eventually things will start to look better for him going forward.
Marcedes Lewis
The Bears primary blocking tight end has served a crucial role for the team's offensive protection and run blocking support over the majority of the season.
On Sunday, Marcedes Lewis played 25 percent of the team's offensive snaps, his fourth consecutive game playing over a quarter of the unit's snap total.
The Bears offense rushed for over 100 yards for the fifth consecutive week and scored a touchdown on two of their redzone opportunities. Lewis even got involved in the passing game catching his only target for four yards on the team's first drive in the fourth quarter.
His impact on the team and the offense is invaluable and unfortunately often overlooked as he continues to handle the dirty work upfront.
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