The Bears (5-3) will look to win their third straight game and maintain their lead atop the NFC North Sunday when they host the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field. The Bears enter Week 10 in first place in the division, narrowly ahead of the Vikings (5-3-1).
The Lions (3-5) have dropped their last two games, falling into last place in the NFC North with losses to the Seahawks 28-14 in Detroit and Vikings 24-9 in Minnesota.
The Bears will play three games against NFC North opponents in a 12-day span, hosting the Lions Sunday and the Vikings the following Sunday night, Nov. 18, before a rematch with the Lions in Detroit four days later on Thanksgiving. The Bears have lost 10 straight division games; their last win was a 20-10 decision over the Vikings on Halloween night 2016 at Soldier Field.
The Bears are currently the only NFL team that ranks in the top five in both points scored per game (fifth with 19.1) and points allowed (fourth with 19.1). Their plus-82-point differential is third in the league behind the Chiefs (+101) and Rams (+99).
Defense on a roll
After a two-game lull against the Dolphins and Patriots, the Bears defense has reverted to its dominant early-season form in back-to-back wins over the Jets and Bills. The unit played its best game of the year last Sunday in Buffalo, generating four takeaways, two touchdowns and four sacks in a 41-9 victory.
The Bears rank second in the NFL with 21 takeaways, a plus-10 turnover margin and 14 interceptions, and they're tied for second with 11 forced fumbles. They've forced at least two turnovers in seven of eight games this season and at least three in five of their last six contests.
Offensively speaking
The Bears ran just 46 plays against the Bills—20 fewer than their season average—and were held to season lows with 190 yards and 11 first downs. But the offense scored three touchdowns and committed its only turnover while leading the game 31-3 midway through the third quarter.
Over the past five games, the Bears are averaging 34.4 points, fourth most in the NFL. The 172 points they've scored over that span are their most in a five-game stretch since they tallied 175 points in Weeks 2-6 in 1989.
Numbers game
The Bears enter Week 10 ranked 17th in offense in the NFL (7th rushing and 21st passing) and 5th in defense (3rd against the run and 12th versus the pass). The Lions rank 21st in offense (20th rushing and 20th passing) and 18th in defense (30th against the run and 4th versus the pass).
Talk show
Bears coach Matt Nagy will address the media Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Quarterback Mitchell Trubisky will speak Wednesday, while offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and special-teams coordinator Chris Tabor will talk Thursday.
Series history
The Bears lead the series with the Lions 97-74-5 but have lost nine of the last 10 games. The Bears dropped the last meeting 20-10 last Dec. 16 in Detroit. Trubisky passed for a then-career-high 314 yards and one touchdown, but he also threw three interceptions for the first time as a pro. The Bears rushed for just 43 yards on 15 carries and committed 13 penalties for 97 yards, including a holding penalty that erased Tarik Cohen's 90-yard kickoff return.
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