Lions @ Bears
Final Score: Bears 24, Lions 14
Writer: Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)
Early on in this one, both teams were moving the ball well. Chicago found the endzone twice in the first half via their workhorse David Montgomery while Detroit kept turning it over at the worst possible times–including the first intercepted snap I’ve ever seen. In the second half, Detroit remembered that Chicago has a terrible passing defense and Jared Goff did his best to pick it apart. The Lions were more effective in the second half, but they ran out of time well short of the goal. Chicago goes to 2-2 with the win and they have a trip to Las Vegas next weekend while the winless Lions visit the Vikings.
Detroit Lions
Quarterback
Jared Goff: 24/38, 298 yards, 2 TD | 3 carries, 8 yards, 3 fumbles
Jared Goff had a solid game today, despite the glaring ‘three fumbles’ in his stat line. While I don’t tend to blame luck often, someone in the Lions organization clearly crossed a black cat this morning. After the Bears scored an opening drive touchdown, Goff had his team at the Chicago 8 before he fumbled the ball away. Chicago scored again on the ensuing drive, and then the Lions were back in business. Detroit went down to the Chicago 5 and failed on fourth and goal. Chicago punted this time, and Goff led his team down to the Chicago 3. So what happened? The center snapped it, it ricocheted off Goff, and it was grabbed by a Bears defender. It was an absolutely brutal start for Detroit.
Things got better in the second half as Goff grew more comfortable. He started to pick the defense apart, and his biggest helper was the breakdowns in the defense. I counted at least four big plays where someone was uncovered and Goff found them with an accurate strike. Goff made nice passes to Hockenson, Cephus, St. Brown, and Raymond. He was also pressured frequently and sacked four times with a couple of near-misses. Goff is fine; he is excellent considering the trade–netting two firsts for the Lions.
Running Back
Jamaal Williams: 14 carries, 66 yards
D’Andre Swift: 8 carries, 16 yards | 6 targets, 4 receptions, 33 yards
This one hurts for the D’Andre Swift truthers out there. Jamaal Williams had the first crack at carries today, and everything seemed to be rolling his way. It felt like every time Williams ran, holes were opening up for him. I didn’t see Williams do much special–he ran for contact and hit it hard. It worked today, though, as he regularly broke off big gains. I counted at least four 5+ yard runs on the first drive alone as Williams helped put them into scoring position. It’s hard to say why Williams saw the ball first; Swift eventually saw work of his own. Swift just couldn’t find the same holes Williams did. Swift’s saving grace was some late work in the passing game to buffer things a little bit. Swift is obviously still the guy we want here, but this hurts the outlook. I thought he’d be good enough to make Williams an afterthought. Maybe he still is, but the Lions obviously don’t see it.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Quintez Cephus: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 83 yards
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 70 yards
T.J. Hockenson: 8 targets, 4 receptions, 42 yards
Kalif Raymond: 6 targets, 3 receptions, 46 yards, 2 TD
Quintez Cephus comes away from this group the winner stat-wise, but let’s not blow our FAAB budget quite yet. Cephus ran well after the catch, but he was helped by circumstance. On his first grab, Cephus was lost by the defense and caught a wide-open 21-yard catch. On his next catch, the defender behind Cephys fell down and he ran it for a 36-yard gain. Cephus is a good athlete and has a lot of potential. We should be aware, though, that 50+ of his yards came on those two broken plays. I would love to get him in a dynasty league, but I don’t expect enough this season.
Amon-Ra St. Brown came on later in the game, but he also played well. Brown showed a good connection with Goff on their scoring drives, and he–like Cephus–benefitted from a broken play where the defense lost him. I think the real takeaway from this game is that we want to start our pass-catchers against the Bears.
T.J. Hockenson was involved early and often today and he is obviously a good start in the tight end-needy world. His best catch came in the third quarter. He was running a slant route and caught the ball in stride for a 22-yard gain. I feel like Hockenson could feast in a better offense, but he is a Lion. As such, things will be up and down each week.
Chicago Bears
Quarterback
Justin Fields: 11/17, 209 yards, INT | 3 carries, 9 yards
Justin Fields was probably thrilled to only be sacked once today. A week after Fields was taken down 9 times, his offensive line did a much better job giving him time to throw, and the result was an easy win. Early on, Fields was basically a game manager as David Montgomery bruised forward. Of the Bears’ first six plays from scrimmage, four of them were Montgomery runs. Fields did make a few nice passes on the first drive, though, highlighted by an amazing catch by Darnell Mooney. Fields had a great scramble on the second drive where he outran a defender to get the edge and pick up 11 yards. Later in the game, he threw a pair of deep passes to Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney again. Fields was at his best throwing deep, and he could have had another if Cole Kmet hadn’t fallen down. Fields fans should be praying that this line keeps giving him time to wait for routes to develop.
On the negative side, Fields had a couple of bad plays as well. His interception was thrown into a lineman’s hand and batter to another defender. There was also the fumble. Fields was blindsided in the pocket, and the ball popped right out. He recovered it, but Fields needs to grow more aware of the pressure to avoid these types of plays. If he doesn’t, defenses will keep looking to exploit it for big plays. I would grade Fields a B or B+ for his performance and say things are definitely looking up here.
Running Back
David Montgomery: 23 carries, 106 yards, 2 TD
Damien Williams: 8 carries, 55 yards, TD | 2 targets, 2 receptions, 15 yards
David Montgomery has completely taken to his workhorse role, and the Bears are better for it. Montgomery was run early and often today, and he was regularly picking up big chunks–including a pair of touchdowns. The second score was impressive: Montgomery ran into a pile 5+ yards out from the endzone. He kept churning his legs, and methodically pushed the pile forward. He dove in, and it was good. Montgomery does well with a big workload, and that’s what he has right now. Well, if he isn’t out for a while–Montgomery went down in the fourth quarter at the end of a 6-yard run. He immediately grabbed his knee, and the announcers commented they ‘wouldn’t show the replay because it was too gruesome. Montgomery did walk off the field, but he was being helped to the locker room, and he didn’t return. Keep a close eye on this.
David Montgomery 💪#FantasyFootball || #DaBears pic.twitter.com/sZRM6475Zb
— QB List (@TheQBlist) October 3, 2021
Damien Williams spelled Montgomery when he needed some rest, and then when Montgomery’s day ended early. His stats look good, but let’s not get too excited; Williams had some nice runs, but I still don’t trust him to be a full-time workhorse. My hope is that Khalil Herbert can jump Williams in the pecking order and become the new lead dog. Whoever gets the lead role should be started, but they don’t offer what Montgomery did.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Darnell Mooney: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 125 yards | 1 carry, 10 yards
Allen Robinson: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 63 yards
Cole Kmet: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Marquise Goodwin: 2 targets
This was the Darnell Mooney show. It started early (3 catches on the first drive) and it felt like he kept making big plays. Mooney made a nice 20-yd grab on that opening drive with his hand outstretched. It looked like he barely had room to get his hand on it at all, but he pulled it in. It continued on the next drive. Mooney beat double coverage and made another nice catch. He shrugged off the first tackle attempt and kept going. Later, Mooney had a designed run and another 30+ yard grab. The Bears worked hard to make sure Mooney was involved. This felt like a big moment for Mooney, and it could be the start of something big. I will be watching closely next week to see if this builds. Given Fields’ strong deep ball, I think it will. If you need a wide receiver, Mooney is a good target right now.
Allen Robinson also looked like he was having his best game of the season today. He only saw three targets, but he caught all three including a 28-yarder. Of play action, Fields looked deep and found his Robinson. Robinson made a great catch on the sideline, barely getting his feet in bounds. I expect Robinson starts to break out of his funk soon as the Bears’ offense heats up.
Cole Kmet had a big chance, but he fell on the play and it landed incomplete. He has been quiet this year, and it’s hard to say why early on. Kmet has a lot of competition for targets, and I imagine he will mostly be a matchup play this year–he will see a big game or two against the right defensive setups.
— Mike Miklius (@SIRL0INofBEEF on Twitter)