Five games that will define the Detroit Lions season
By Ash Thompson
Week 10: The Chicago Bears
This is the game that constitutes the halfway mark on the division schedule. This will be when the Lions are defined in relation to the NFC North as a whole. The net effect of even definitive victories against the Green Bay Packers and Vikings would be undone entirely by a loss to the Bears. Losses in those two prior games would be felt less keenly by the Lions fanbase if they were then able to say: “At least we’re not Bears fans.” going 3-0 in the division or 0-3 in the division are the extremes. The Lions are the dominant team in this matchup recently. They are 9-1 in their last 10 games. Continuing that run of success is vital to the upcoming Lions season.
This game is required to maintain any sort of claim to divisional competitiveness. If the Bears beat the Lions, the NFC North can be defined in all likelihood as a division with two good teams and two bad teams. The division appears right now to be divided along the lines of three teams to the good side and one to the bad. The Vikings are favored by most to win the division, but the Lions match up with them well. The Lions have thrown their Packers related ghosts by the wayside in recent years as that team declines.
Because it is the halfway mark for the Lions division games, this is a key moment for the Lions. Because it is against the divisional rival that they should clearly defeat, this game will define the Lions place within the division.