Chicago offense vs. Detroit defense

	BEARS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	24
	Pass	2
	Tot. Yds.	6
	Scoring	19
	Int's allowed	15
	Sacks allowed	25
	LIONS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	6
	vs. Pass	29
	Total yds. allowed	24
	# of Ints.	7
	# of Sacks	32
	Turnover differential	+5

The Lions stagger into this game a shaken bunch after last Sunday's embarrassment in Green Bay. Detroit's secondary, especially RDC Terry Fair, can't seem to defend a route longer than 15 yards without drawing a pass interference call. The Lions were flagged four times for 99 yards in the second half against the Packers, and they seem destined to have similar problems against the Bears' wide-open passing attack.

Detroit will be forced to play without the services of starting LDC Bryant Westbrook, who pulled a hamstring last week, and FS Mark Carrier (suspension). This will hurt the Lions from a depth standpoint because it forces players in their dime package to cover dangerous rookie WR Marty Booker. Robert Bailey and J.B. Brown filled in nicely for Westbrook early in the season and they must play big again on Sunday.

The Bears have spread the ball around nicely in the passing game, and the return of WR Curtis Conway (4 rec., 24 yds. vs. San Diego) gives the Lions another playmaker to defend. Chicago QB Jim Miller, who has thrown for 779 yards the past two weeks, will again look to WR Marcus Robinson for the big play.

The Bears coaching staff has done a tremendous job scouting its opponents' weaknesses, so look for them to exploit the Robinson-Fair mismatch. The past few weeks, opponents have been double-teaming slot receiver Bobby Engram, which leaves Robinson in man coverage on the outside. Don't look for the Lions to follow that dangerous path. If anything, they will leave Engram in single-coverage and use an extra man to contain Robinson.

The Lions secondary has been exposed the past two weeks due to a lack of pressure up front, and the Bears' offensive line is coming off a solid one-sack performance against the Chargers. The Lions have made a number of personnel changes at RDE without starter Tracy Scroggins in the lineup, but none have produced results. If their front four can't get consistent pressure on Miller it will be another long day for the Lions' secondary.

The Bears will come out looking to throw the ball, but RB Curtis Enis has to at least pose a threat on the ground. The Lions rebounded after a dismal effort against Arizona to hold Green Bay's Dorsey Levens to just 47 yards on 23 carries. With Conway healthy, expect the Bears to use even more multiple-receiver sets than in the past to spread the field and create wider running lanes for Enis.

The Lions are a tough team to run on because of MLB Stephen Boyd's instincts and the athleticism of OLBs Chris Claiborne and Allen Aldridge. If the Bears can hit on a couple of big plays early in the game, it will discourage SS Ron Rice from overplaying the run and thus create better blocking matchups for the offensive line.

Frerotte has played well in Batch's absence, but a couple of poorly thrown balls really cost the Lions in Sunday's loss at Green Bay. His job won't be made any easier this week, because WR Herman Moore's expected return looks bleak. Without Moore, the Lions again will be limited in the number of formations they can implement.

WRs Germaine Crowell, who posted his third consecutive 100-yard game last week, and Johnnie Morton have done an excellent job of adjusting to coverage without Moore in the lineup. Last Sunday, the Packers took away the outside routes and forced them to make plays between the hashes. Despite a couple of drops, this duo made tough grabs over the middle and consistently got good separation from defenders.

The Bears shuffled their secondary before last week's win at San Diego, promoting rookie DC Jerry Azumah into a nickel role over former starter Tom Carter. The change didn't provide the desired results, as Jim Harabaugh completed 29 of 46 passes for 273 yards in a hurry-up gameplan. Look for the Lions to attack the deep part of the field with Crowell whenever he's matched against DC Walt Harris. Harris doesn't have the speed to stay with Crowell, and safeties Chris Hudson and Tony Parrish have been slow to provide help.

Aside from the injuries, Detroit has dropped two consecutive games because of its inability to run the football. The offensive line doesn't appear to be on the same page with the ball carriers, and the lack of cohesion has resulted in consecutive sub-par performances. Take away RB Sedrick Irvin's 51-yard jaunt last week and the Lions have rushed for just 101 yards on 36 carries the past two games.

RB Greg Hill is in jeopardy of losing his job to Irvin if he doesn't start running more decisively. The Bears like to slant their front four and let their linebackers take away the cutback lanes. If the Bears are successful with this strategy early, look for Irvin to get the bulk of the carries, because his shifty running style will be more effective than Hill's straight-line speed.

Last week, the Packers chose to kick away from Terry Fair, and their strategy backfired, as the Lions often found themselves in great field position. Fair has made little happen in recent weeks and he'll have a tough time on Thursday against the league's top-ranked cover unit.

Ex-Lion and current Bears RS Glyn Milburn will be looking to make an impact in his return trip to the Silverdome. Milburn is currently tied for sixth in the league on punt returns (12.5 avg.) and 12th on kickoff returns (23.4).