What the Golden Tate trade does for the Bears' pursuit of an NFC North title

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The NFL trade deadline wasted no time picking up steam. 

Some big names are on the move, and the Detroit Lions made waves in the NFC North this morning when they traded star reciever Golden Tate: 

The trade is a big deal for the Lions' offense, as Tate's recieved 26.6% of the Lions' targets this season. That's obviously good news for the Bears' secondary, who will have one less weapon to worry about over the 11 day span in November when they play the Lions twice. 

With Tate, Detroit ranked 18th in pass offense, according to Football Outsiders. He was, however, one of the best at creating extra yards after the catch: 

What does this mean for the Bears? It's one less weapon they need to deal with. The Lions were never really the team standing between the Bears and the NFC North title, but it never hurts to have a star leave the division. The move frees up the Bears' secondary to scheme more freely, now that they're not required to stick someone like Bryce Callahan or Kyle Fuller on Tate for the entire game. 

For a Bears defense that has struggled with tackling over the last few weeks, not playing the NFL's best YAC reciever twice a season is certainly a welcome change. 

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