The Detroit Lions made the playoffs twice in four years under Jim Caldwell, spending his four years as a consistently competitive-at-worst member of the NFC North. The Bears, in the same timespan, were among the NFL’s worst teams, operating in the basement of their division and emerging only to make top-10 draft picks.
But the Bears’ 34-22 win over the Lions on Sunday revealed a growing truth about these two teams with first-year head coaches: One team is heading in the right direction, while the other is heading in the wrong direction.
Matt Nagy’s Bears’ offense thrashed Matt Patricia’s Lions’ defense, with Mitch Trubisky having a perfect passer rating in the first half and finishing with 23 completions on 30 attempts for 355 yards, three touchdowns and a passer rating of 148.6. He also ran for a touchdown in what was his best game since Week 4’s bludgenoining of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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Meanwhile, Vic Fangio’s defense got the better of Jim Bob Cooter’s offense, intercepting Stafford twice and sacking him six more times. Khalil Mack had two of those sacks, the second of which came when he shoved tackle Taylor Decker to the ground to bring down a hapless Stafford. Bryce Callahan had another productive game, too, with a sack, a tackle for a loss and two pass break-ups.
That the Bears were able to overcome Cody Parkey hitting the upright four times and leaving eight points on the field, and still win by 12 points, speaks to the gulf between these two teams. It’s no wonder the Bears are now 6-3 atop the NFC North, while the Lions are 3-6 and at the bottom of it.
The Lions played like a team without an identity, one that’ll be known more in 2018 for their coach admonishing a reporter for his posture than it will be for anything good it’s done on the field. The Bears’ identity looked clear: An offense capable of exploding for plenty of points, and an aggressive, ballhawking defense with a penchant for making big plays.
The Bears have a long way to go before they can claim anything more than being the not-worst team in the NFC North. Next weekend’s Sunday Night Football date with the Minnesota Vikings looks like a pivotal game in the division.
But if you have to crawl before you walk, the Bears embodied that cliche on Sunday. They’re clearly no longer the worst team in the NFC North. The Lions clearly are.