The Detroit Lions have the Chicago Bears roll into town for an NFC North contest. Both teams are 0-1, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson's return to the Motor City only adds more fuel to the game.
With the game on Sunday, it's becoming clear who will and won't play on the field for gameday. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that Chicago cornerback Jaylon Johnson (calf/groin) is off the injury report; however, fellow CB Kyler Gordon (hamstring) is out for the second consecutive game.
And this is both good and bad for the Lions at the same time.
Bears' Jaylon Johnson Will Play, Kyler Gordon Won’t vs. Lions
Johnson missed the season opener due to a groin injury that he suffered earlier in the summer. He didn't practice for the first time until last week, while Gordon was added to the injury report late last week.
Gordon's hamstring is something that will probably take a couple of weeks to heal, considering it's a soft tissue injury. He was set to line up in the slot and would have matched up against Amon-Ra St. Brown a ton in this matchup. Instead, it'll likely be Nick McCloud who plays in the slot again after he had 46 snaps in Week 1.
That could create favorable opportunities for St. Brown, but in the same breath, Johnson being back isn't the best, especially since he's the Bears' CB1.
Granted, there will be some rust that he needs to knock off since his last game was in January, but the Bears will be a better unit with him on the field. Johnson has suited up in nine games vs. the Lions, logging 24 solo tackles and one interception. He also recorded Pro Football Focus coverage grades of 66.4 (Week 13) and 76.8 (Week 16) against the Lions last season.
The Bears' defense will be put to the test after they allowed 21 points in the fourth quarter to the Minnesota Vikings. Detroit's offense will also be looking for a better performance after it scored 13 points and recorded 246 total yards in the loss to Green Bay.
These two teams are going to come out aggressive to avoid a 0-2 start, and the Bears having one of their starters in the secondary out isn't ideal. That's something that could affect them on the field, and the Lions hope it works out in their favor.