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  6. article_body => "<p>Jim Bob Cooter.&nbsp;An interesting name.&nbsp;Some interesting stuff in his past, too.&nbsp;But since he took over the Lions offense about midway through last season, Matthew Stafford&#39;s been as good as ever, and it&#39;s carried over so far into this season.&nbsp;Even after his Megatarget - Calvin Johnson - decided to retire after last season.&nbsp; But one aspect remains a concern after a recent injury.<\/p>\n<p>Detroit is top-five in points, total yards and passing yards per game.&nbsp;They&#39;ve jumped from last in the NFL last season to 15th in rushing, but after second-year back Ameer Abdullah averaged 5.6 yards per carry into their Week Two matchup, he tore a foot ligament and could be out for the season.&nbsp;With that, they managed just a 2.2-yard average Sunday in Green Bay, falling behind 31-3 before walking out of Lambeau a 34-27 loser to drop to 1-2.<\/p>\n<p>Theo Riddick is a dangerous weapon out of the backfield (16 catches, 130 yards) after 80 receptions for nearly 700 yards a year ago, but he&#39;s still averaging just 3.3 per carry after 3.1 in 2015.&nbsp;Enter seventh-round rookie Dwayne Washington, who had a couple of touchdown runs in the preseason (one for 58 yards), along with a 96-yard kickoff return TD.&nbsp;He carried 10 times for 38 yards against the Packers.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p><strong>[MORE BEARS IN-FOE:&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.csnchicago.com\/chicago-bears\/bears-foe-can-offense-expose-two-key-lions-injuries\" target=\"_blank\">Can this offense expose two key Lions injuries?<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Stafford finished last season with 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions.&nbsp;That ratio is 7-to-2 this year. Through three weeks, he&#39;s second in passing yards, fourth in yards-per-attempt, and sixth in completion percentage.&nbsp;And wouldn&#39;t you know?&nbsp;His main target is the guy they brought in to replace Calvin Johnson:&nbsp;Marvin Jones.&nbsp;Many thought he wouldn&#39;t come close to comparing.<\/p>\n<p>So far, the former Bengal has been targeted 29 times, with 18 catches for a league-high 408 yards.&nbsp;Six of those receptions and 205 of those yards came Sunday against Green Bay.&nbsp;Soon-to-be-36-year-old Anquan Boldin was a late signing despite still being physically imposing, and the 12th-leading receiver in league history.&nbsp;He&#39;s caught a pair of touchdowns among his 11 receptions for 105 yards.&nbsp;For the past two years (189 catches), Golden Tate was to Johnson what Randall Cobb is to Jordy Nelson in Green Bay when both are healthy.&nbsp;The Golden Domer has 13 grabs for 94 yards.&nbsp;And 2014 first-round tight end Eric Ebron has tested Motown&#39;s patience with knee, quad, and hand injuries his first two seasons.&nbsp;He&#39;s caught 14 passes thus far after 47 a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>Stafford has a five-year non-injury starting streak after some health issues his first couple of seasons.&nbsp;That&#39;s amazing with the way he&#39;s been knocked around (44 sacks a year ago).&nbsp;He&#39;s hit the turf eight times the first three weeks.&nbsp;They&#39;ve gone to great lengths in recent drafts to fix that, spending high picks trying to shore up protection and get a ground game going to complement their aerial assault.&nbsp;That continued this spring under new GM Bob Quinn, who came over from New England and kept coach Jim Caldwell in place.&nbsp;Tackle Taylor Decker out of Ohio State was chosen 16th as 2012 top pick Riley Reiff has underachieved heading into his contract year.&nbsp;Last year&#39;s number-one pick, guard Laken Tomlinson out of Lane Tech High School, has yet to live up to his selection. 2013 third-rounder Larry Warford compared to Kyle Long in the same draft class, but has struggled with injuries.&nbsp;And for the second time in three years, the Lions drafted a center in the third round (Graham Glasgow from Michigan via Marmion Military Academy in 2016; Travis Swanson in 2014).<\/p>\n"
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Bears

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Bears

Jim Bob Cooter. An interesting name. Some interesting stuff in his past, too. But since he took over the Lions offense about midway through last season, Matthew Stafford's been as good as ever, and it's carried over so far into this season. Even after his Megatarget - Calvin Johnson - decided to retire after last season.  But one aspect remains a concern after a recent injury.

Detroit is top-five in points, total yards and passing yards per game. They've jumped from last in the NFL last season to 15th in rushing, but after second-year back Ameer Abdullah averaged 5.6 yards per carry into their Week Two matchup, he tore a foot ligament and could be out for the season. With that, they managed just a 2.2-yard average Sunday in Green Bay, falling behind 31-3 before walking out of Lambeau a 34-27 loser to drop to 1-2.

Theo Riddick is a dangerous weapon out of the backfield (16 catches, 130 yards) after 80 receptions for nearly 700 yards a year ago, but he's still averaging just 3.3 per carry after 3.1 in 2015. Enter seventh-round rookie Dwayne Washington, who had a couple of touchdown runs in the preseason (one for 58 yards), along with a 96-yard kickoff return TD. He carried 10 times for 38 yards against the Packers.

[MORE BEARS IN-FOE: Can this offense expose two key Lions injuries?]

Stafford finished last season with 17 touchdowns against just two interceptions. That ratio is 7-to-2 this year. Through three weeks, he's second in passing yards, fourth in yards-per-attempt, and sixth in completion percentage. And wouldn't you know? His main target is the guy they brought in to replace Calvin Johnson: Marvin Jones. Many thought he wouldn't come close to comparing.

 

So far, the former Bengal has been targeted 29 times, with 18 catches for a league-high 408 yards. Six of those receptions and 205 of those yards came Sunday against Green Bay. Soon-to-be-36-year-old Anquan Boldin was a late signing despite still being physically imposing, and the 12th-leading receiver in league history. He's caught a pair of touchdowns among his 11 receptions for 105 yards. For the past two years (189 catches), Golden Tate was to Johnson what Randall Cobb is to Jordy Nelson in Green Bay when both are healthy. The Golden Domer has 13 grabs for 94 yards. And 2014 first-round tight end Eric Ebron has tested Motown's patience with knee, quad, and hand injuries his first two seasons. He's caught 14 passes thus far after 47 a year ago.

Stafford has a five-year non-injury starting streak after some health issues his first couple of seasons. That's amazing with the way he's been knocked around (44 sacks a year ago). He's hit the turf eight times the first three weeks. They've gone to great lengths in recent drafts to fix that, spending high picks trying to shore up protection and get a ground game going to complement their aerial assault. That continued this spring under new GM Bob Quinn, who came over from New England and kept coach Jim Caldwell in place. Tackle Taylor Decker out of Ohio State was chosen 16th as 2012 top pick Riley Reiff has underachieved heading into his contract year. Last year's number-one pick, guard Laken Tomlinson out of Lane Tech High School, has yet to live up to his selection. 2013 third-rounder Larry Warford compared to Kyle Long in the same draft class, but has struggled with injuries. And for the second time in three years, the Lions drafted a center in the third round (Graham Glasgow from Michigan via Marmion Military Academy in 2016; Travis Swanson in 2014).