Detroit Lions
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The Chicago Bears go up against division rivals the Detroit Lions on Sunday, September 14, and they might not face a major player.
The NFL season kicked off last week, and it was a mixed bag for the Chicago Bears, who have a new head coach in Ben Johnson, who comes from the Detroit Lions. The team looked solid on the field against the Minnesota Vikings and looked like they were on the way to a blowout victory, but things unraveled, and the Vikings pulled off a late win on Monday, September 8. It was certainly heartbreaking to watch the Vikings make that comeback in the heart of Chicago.
Now, the Chicago Bears are on the road and playing the Detroit Lions on Sunday, September 14. This will mark the first time Johnson is up against his former team, headed up by Dan Campbell. It’s going to be exciting to see these two teams in action, and the stakes are high, especially since both teams lost their first games of the regular season.
The Chicago Bears will take on the Detroit Lions on at Ford Field. No, Bruce Dickinson of Iron Maiden, won’t be performing the National Anthem, but he oddly will at this weekend’s Steelers and Seahawks game. Anyway, last season, the Bears lost both of their games to the Lions, but this time around, franchise quarterback Caleb Williams is looking more solid on the field, and the Bears, overall, are just a stronger team. Now, they’ve gotten some news that may help them even more.
Detroit Lions May Be Without Key Player Against Chicago Bears
Campbell has been updating the media about the injuries on the Lions’ squad, and they’re already dealing with some big ones. On Friday, September 12, he gave the press an update on his left tackle, Taylor Decker, who is trying to come back from a shoulder injury. Campbell said while he wants to play, but he doesn’t know if that’s going to happen.
“Well, he’s got a little bit of something here, and so we’re just trying to buy him some time here to where he feels better,” Campbell said according to Pro Football Talk. “And then, a lot of it, too, is the luxury of — Decker’s played a lot of football. And so he’ll be ready as long as it feels right. So, we feel good right now. And there, again, we’ve still got another day here and we’ll see. So, I can’t give a definitive yes, but it’s where it’s at.”
“For the record, Deck wants to play,” Campbell added. “I’m going to make that very clear. Deck wants to play. So this is about the long-term season is what this is going to come down to, just as far as what we do for this one.”
Injured Detroit Lions Player is a Leader
So, Campbell might decide to not have him in the game for the sake of him being better for the long term, and that could really help the Bears. Decker missed the beginning of training camp due to offseason shoulder surgery but played all 67 snaps in Detroit’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, which kicked off their season.
Decker is a Pro Bowler, a team leader and a veteran presence to the Detroit Lions’ offensive line. For a team that’s packed with young players, his presence is even more important. So, if he’s not on the field on Sunday, it could only help the Bears.