Lions Prepare for Rival Bears

One of the contributing factors to the Lions victory on Sunday was the running game which produced 154 yards on 36 carries.

Of those rushing yards, running back Kevin Smith produced 101, marking his third career 100-yard rushing game.

Smith, who left the game in the third quarter after suffering a shoulder injury, has been a crucial part of the Lions offense by not only gaining yardage on the ground, but also creating opportunity in the passing game.

Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan on the disappointment of Smith’s injury: “Well, injuries are part of it. It’s always disappointing when you lose players for whatever reason, but injuries – that’s part of the game that you’ve got to deal with. It’s another person’s opportunity to come in and make a key play like Maurice (Morris) did on the touchdown and that’s why you have a full team.  Kevin will get back; you’ve just got to handle that … that’s some of the adversity that’s going to happen in games and in-season that you’ve got to deal with – it’s part of the game.”

This week the Lions prepare to head to Soldier Field to face the rival Chicago Bears, which will be another big challenge for the offense in protecting the passer and running the ball.

Linehan: “Well, they’re playing great defensive football. It seems like every week we turn around and we’re playing one of the best defenses in the league. They’re playing extremely well. They’re playing exactly how they’re built, getting teams in tough situations, and letting their athletes run around. They’ve got 11 guys flying to the ball; very athletic and fast defense that creates some real match-up problems for you.

“We’ve got to sustain a lot of things both on the ground and through the air. Stay on the field; keep drives alive and stay out of unfavorable down and distance situations because these guys can flat-out get to the quarterback.”