Chicago Bears @ Detroit Lions
A classic clash between the Lions and the Bears ended in dramatic fashion as the go-ahead touchdown slipped through the hands of a highly touted rookie. That was after the Lions defense allowed 21 consecutive points to let the Bears to get back into the game in the first place. Let’s dive into the game and see what the big takeaways were.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 24/42, 297 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT | 5 carries, 23 yards
Being without Kenny Golladay was a big blow to Stafford this week. He never seemed to get into a rhythm and had just one long sustained drive that ended with a touchdown. Being that it was his first start since Week 8 last year, the rust should’ve been expected.
Stafford did his best work between the 2nd and 3rd Quarters, but couldn’t get the ball rolling in the 4th quarter when they needed to put up more points. Despite the struggles, Stafford managed to drive the Lions down the field while they were down by 4. With 28 seconds left, he threw a rope to Danny Amendola for a 32-yard gain. The pass put the Lions on the Bears 16 yard line. Following a spiked ball, both Lions and Bears fans held their collective breath while the following pass was in the air.
#Lions rookie D'Andre Swift dropped the touchdown that could've won the game.pic.twitter.com/Y8K8rUSucZ
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) September 13, 2020
Moving forward for fantasy purposes, I’d wait to roll Stafford out until Golladay is back.
Running Backs
Adrian Peterson: 14 carries, 93 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, 21 yards
Kerryon Johnson: 7 carries, 14 yards
D’Andre Swift: 3 carries, 8 yards, 1 TD | 5 targets, 3 receptions, 15 yards
Adrian Peterson joined the Lions just 7 days ago, so it should come as no surprise that he led the Detroit backfield in touches. It’s the Lions!
Lions final HB snap count
D'Andre Swift 34
Adrian Peterson 24
Kerryon Johnson 20— Nathan Jahnke (@PFF_NateJahnke) September 13, 2020
Honestly, Peterson looked good and it seemed like he was on the field a lot more than the other two backs. I’m not sure that Kerryon Johnson needs to be on this team anymore. Peterson can handle the lead back role until D’Andre Swift is ready to take on a bigger load. Speaking of Swift, that dropped pass to take the lead is tough to watch. The snap count is encouraging, but he got significantly outplayed by Peterson and that drop is going to do him no favors. The lesson of the day – secure the pass before your eyes turn upfield.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Danny Amendola: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 81 yards
T.J. Hockenson: 5 targets, 5 receptions, 56 yards, 1 TD
Marvin Jones: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 55 yards
Quintez Cephus: 10 targets, 3 receptions, 43 yards
With Kenny Golladay out with a hamstring injury, I think everyone saw Quintez Cephus as leading the Lions in targets. The Lions 5th round selection this year drew the start. His pre-draft scouting report shows a glowing report for his excellent route running. Once Galladay returns, expect Cephus’ role to be significantly reduced, but this workload shows how much confidence the Lions have in their rookie wideout.
Marvin Jones saw 8 targets but never seemed to get separation against this tough Bears defense. Danny Amendola has the slot role locked up. Whenever he needed to make a big throw, Stafford always seemed to be looking in Amendola’s direction. Moving forward, I like Amendola as a sneaky PPR flex play.
Fantasy players that liked T.J. Hockenson late in drafts were rewarded with a solid day. Coming into the game, he was saying that his surgically repaired ankle was not quite at 100%. If there’s a next level to this productivity, we could be looking at a top 5 fantasy TE.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Mitchell Trubisky: 20/36, 242 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT | 3 carries, 26 yards
Talk about one quarter changing the course of events. If I turned this game off in the 3rd quarter, I would’ve written about how I expected to see Nick Foles next week. Outside of a handful of throws, Trubisky looked like the poor version of himself. Up until the Bears final drive in the 3rd Quarter, Trubisky was 9/21 for 110 yards. From that point on he was a different player, going 11/15 for 132 yards and 3 TDs.
The first touchdown pass was a back-shoulder jump ball to Jimmy Graham. The veteran TE might’ve gotten away with a little push-off, but the throw was exactly where it needed to be. The next two scoring drives, Trubisky looked like the QB that the Bears need him to be and dropped an absolute dime to Anthony Miller to take the lead.
MITCH TRUBISKY FOR THE LEAD!
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/vfVrn1Pg4m
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 13, 2020
Running Backs
David Montgomery: 13 carries, 64 yards | 3 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards
Tarik Cohen: 7 carries, 41 yards | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 6 yards
David Montgomery looked good considering he was expected to miss time due to a groin injury. Fantasy players with Montgomery on their team should be encouraged by his workload. On the other hand, if you have Tarik Cohen on your team, now is the time for panic. The rushing yards are great, but that’s not why you drafted Cohen. The Bears trailed 23-6 in the 3rd Quarter, which is the perfect game script for Cohen to see a lot of targets and he saw just two. That’s a situation to monitor moving forward.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends
Allen Robinson: 9 targets, 5 receptions, 74 yards
Anthony Miller: 6 targets, 4 receptions, 76 yards, 1 TD
Jimmy Graham: 7 targets, 3 receptions, 25 yards, 1 TD
Darnell Mooney: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 38 yards
Cordarrelle Patterson: 1 target, 1 reception, 12 yards | 4 carries, 19 yards
Bad Trubisky held back the passing game for three quarters, but those three touchdown scoring drives gave the primary options decent fantasy days. You have to love the target share for Allen Robinson. That’s why he was being drafted in the 3rd round. We just have to hope that Trubisky improves moving forward. This was a nice step forward for Anthony Miller. He had an excellent catch along the sideline on an out-route and then had a great catch for the go-ahead touchdown.
Jimmy Graham looked pretty old, but he can be a nice red-zone target for the Bears. With the Bears in catch-up mode, Darnell Mooney saw the field in 3-WR sets. He caught all three of his targets which should bode well for his role in the offense.
-Rich Holman (@RichardoPL83 on Twitter)