One of the key matchups for telecasts when the NFL schedule comes out next Wednesday will no doubt be the Bears and Detroit Lions.
It's going to be this way in both games between the NFC North rivals and will be for the foreseeable future because of Ben Johnson's departure from the Lions to coach the Bears.
That end of the rivalry will be big for all coaches from the Bears staff who were in Detroit and for fans, particularly in Detroit, but players most likely wouldn't let something like this affect them. After all, unless they're D'Andre Swift and used to play in Detroit, they're not really getting caught up in it all beyond trying to gain a win.
For Johnson, it will be real because he'll be coaching against his former boss and friend, Dan Campbell. It's like the Kyle Shanahan-Sean McVay matchups.
What really matters, though, is how this coaching switchover has impacted the teams.
The Lions were obviously the division favorites. They might be again, but the attrition from losing both coordinators and key assistants to both the Bears and the Jets, with defensive coordinator coach Aaron Glenn, is sure to have an impact early this season at the very least.
How to gauge this is impossible, but the matchup between the Bears and Lions has other changes and those involve personnel.
Here's how the Bears-Lions NFC North matchup looks after free agency and the draft, who's better and why.
Coaching
The real mystery in this matchup won't be how Ben Johnson handles calling plays against his old boss as much as it will be how the new Lions offensive coordinator John Morton and Campbell handle the offense against the Bears. The Lions could depend on Johnson's game planning and design for three years and now he's gone to a rival. Handling the game management is new for him but not everyone struggles with it the way Matt Eberflus did. The loss of receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and quarterbacks coach T.J. Barrett to the Bears, tight ends coach Steve Heiden and passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand with Glenn to the Jets, and defensive line coach Terrell Williams to the Patriots means a total rebuild for Detroit's staff. The entire Bears staff is new, though, except for tight ends coach Jim Dray and special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. No Edge
Quarterback
Jared Goff provides the Lions with a massive experience advantage over Caleb Williams, although the Bears QB does have the toughest season out of the way now and is coached by more competent help.
Goff is staying in the pocket and getting the ball out, won't scramble, and could be an easier target for the Bears to reach now with more of an attacking stle of defense. Williams going against Detroit's defense will be a bit of a mystery because the scheme by coordinator Kelvin Sheppard won't be exactly the same as the one he faced from Glenn. Edge Lions
Running backs
The single biggest advantage the Lions will have in this game will be with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs carrying the ball in he running attack. The Bears can't match this and their minor change at the position is unikely to elevate the attack to where Gibbs and Montgomery have the Lions. Edge Lions
Wide receivers
The Lions made a depth add in third-round receiver IsaacTeSlaa but beyond that Jameson Williams and Tim Patrick have the outside speed and outside size factors to complement slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. Still, a similar balancing factor can be found with the Bears receivers, as each of the three—DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and rookie slot target Luther Burden III—brings a different type of skill set and also excellent speed. The backups are similar here, although the Bears probably have more speed in Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay than the Lions do with Kalif Raymond and TeSlaa. The real difference in receiver corps is the world class speed Jameson Williams has over the Bears receivers. No Edge
Tight ends
It's here where there is a distinct Bears edge as Colston Loveland was a top 10 player in the draft and Sam LaPorta no longer has Ben Johnson setting him up in 12-personnel packages. Loveland has Cole Kmet as the counterpart closer to the line in 12-personnel packages but the Lions have their own Notre Dame tight end. He wasn't on Kmet's level, and that's Brock Wright. Detroit's third tight end, Kenny Yeboah doesn't elevate the group with a skill set the way blocking tight end Durham Smythe can for the Bears. Edge Bears
Offensive line
This is a Lions line in a state of flux as guards Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge come into the scene. While Detroit has the All-Pros in center Frank Ragnow and tackle Penei Sewell, and a Pro Bowl tackle in Taylor Decker, these two newer pieces will need to be worked and they lack the experience advantage the Bears get from their new players, Drew Dalman, Joe Thuney and former Lion Jonah Jackson. The Bears are a step below the Lions line because Sewell rates a better than rising talent Darnell Wright for the Bears and Braxton Jones, if healthy, is below Decker, but not by a lot.
The inexperience of the Bears backups on the line enter into his mix, too. Edge Lions
Defensive line
The Lions have a formidable front four if Aidan Hutchinson is healthy, with Alim McNeil and Marcus Davenport also coming back after injuries. DJ Reader's run-stuffing ability is important for a defense that too often has left its linebackers expose in the past. The Bears' front four is every bit as dangerous but deeper. If Montez Sweat is a bit below Hutchinson, Davenport is questionable because he's never healthy. He hasn't played a full season yet. Dayo Odeyingbo a regarded as a rising star for the Bears. The combination of Grady Jarrett, Gervon Dexter and Andrew Billings inside helps the Bears maintain a dangerous rotation of players on the interior, like they could also have on the edge. If McNeil and Hutchinson are back healthy, at least the Detroit front four is comparable. If not, the Bears own an advantage. No Edge
Linebackers
Detroit's linebackers Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone lack the athletic ability and speed of the Bears' Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, although Campbell is a destructive open-field tackler. It's difficult to believe the Lions couldn't have improved on Anzalone in the draft or free agency. The Lions were fifth against the run last year but it wasn't because of linebackers. Edge Bears
Secondary
Like with the Vikings, the Lions do possess a few formidable parts for coverage with safeties Joseph Kerby and Brian Branch, but cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson have yet to put up stronger seasons and D.J. Reed is coming over from the Jets. His system fit is questionable. The Bears have the best secondary in the division as long as they have safety Jaquan Brisker healthy, but that's a big if. Edge Bears
Special teams
Punter Jack Fox has been the division's strongest leg since he came there in 2020 and he led the league with a 51-yard average last year. His 48.8-yard is an all-time record but there's a new sheriff in town from the outback and Fox never has been one to rank among the league's best at putting it inside the 20 like the Bears' Tory Taylor did wit 34 of them. His average was a franchise record 47.7 last year, negating the usual Lions edge here because Taylor is doing his work outdoors. Fox's touchback percentage is more than twice as high as Taylor's.
The Lions finally have a kicker they believe, in Jake Bates, and his percentage of 89.7% for field goals is roughly what Cairo Santos' has been for the Bears, but he made only six beyond 50 to eight by Santos last year and like with Fox, he's kicking indoors. Two of his misses came against the Bears and one was in the cold at Soldier Field.
Kalif Raymond boasted a high 13.8-yard average on punt returns last year and has been All-Pro, like the Bears' Devin Duvernay. He'll also be 31 years old this year and that's not an age when return men are thriving. Detroit is close enough in each of these categories to negate Bears advantages, especially when playing indoors. No Edge
