Despite clinching NFC North, the Bears have a chip on their shoulder for Lions rematch

The only point Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards remembers from his nonaccomplishment to nan Detroit Lions successful Week 2 was chasing aft Jameson Williams connected a break-away 64-yard drawback and pulling his hamstrings.

That wounded costs Edwards a period of nan play arsenic portion of nan Bears’ worst nonaccomplishment this play arsenic they fell 52-21 to nan Lions astatine Ford Field.

But nan memories aren’t arsenic constricted for nan remainder of nan team.

The Bears person knowledgeable an unexpected turnaround successful nan first twelvemonth nether coach Ben Johnson that has them headed to nan postseason aft winning nan NFC North.

The stakes for nan Week 18 rematch betwixt nan Lions and Bears astatine Soldier Field are now mostly constricted to playoff seeding for Chicago and draught placement for Detroit. However there’s surely a hunger for nan Bears to make bully connected their only lopsided conclusion successful an 11-5 record.

“It was early successful nan play and you’re still getting to cognize your squad a small spot and conscionable being successful that locker room aft nan crippled and really that felt,” Johnson said during a property convention Wednesday. “You don’t ever retrieve precisely what was said aliases thing for illustration that, but you ever retrieve really you felt successful those moments and truthful I cognize our players do too.”

The Lions wasted small clip successful dispatching nan Bears successful that matchup, going up 21-7 pinch little than 5 minutes near successful nan 2nd 4th and going up by 30 connected nan first play of nan 4th quarter.

Since nan loss, which dropped nan Bears to 0-2 astatine nan time, fortunes were rather different for each team. Chicago took nan nonaccomplishment arsenic substance and won 9 of its adjacent 10 games to solidify its opinionated arsenic a playoff contender.

Even though a short representation has been important to nan group, getting a wake-up telephone for illustration that early successful nan play spurred connected a overmuch cleaner shot team.

“That tin spell 1 aliases 2 ways aft games for illustration that, right?” Edwards said. “And I deliberation it benignant of shows wherever we’re astatine correct now of conscionable having that belief successful 1 another, it’s uncommon to person that successful a squad wherever everyone’s connected nan aforesaid page and everyone’s knowing what we’re trying to get done. It allows erstwhile those things are going wrong, it allows america to benignant of travel together and make judge that it doesn’t enactment that way.”

The Lions (8-8) saw their playoff hopes vanish aft dropping their 3rd consecutive crippled past week against nan Minnesota Vikings.

That triumph complete nan Bears group disconnected a four-game triumph streak for Detroit, but that would beryllium nan sole clip nan Lions would triumph consecutive games for nan season.

The Lions ne'er rather had nan acquisition of an overwhelming loss. Even a Week 1 nonaccomplishment to nan Green Bay Packers that looked person connected insubstantial than it was successful nan crippled served arsenic nan largest conclusion of nan play by conscionable 14 points.

Detroit’s last crippled of nan play will now beryllium astir pridefulness much than thing for nan Lions astatine Soldier Field. But nan Bears are still coming successful pinch a spot connected their shoulder, knowing its nan only NFC North squad they haven’t hit this season.

“It’s ne'er a bully sensation erstwhile you get hit for illustration that truthful handily,” Johnson said. “So, time off it astatine that.”

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Jacob Richman is simply a sports newsman for MLive.com and covers pro and assemblage teams crossed Michigan. Before joining MLive, Jacob covered assemblage sports successful Texas astatine LoneStarLive.com pinch a attraction connected Texas A&M and...