Four Bears to watch vs Lions in Week 14

The Bears will be looking to hit on the explosive plays against the Lions on Sunday and Moore is the guy that can make it happen. Four of Moore's six touchdowns in 2023 have gone for 20+ yards.

Moore is 9th in the NFL with 1,006 receiving yards in 2023, his fourth career 1,000 yard season. With five games to go, Moore needs 191 yards to surpass his single season career-high he set in 2020. However, the most impressive stat Moore has shown in 2023 is the fact that he has one drop on 92 targets. Meanwhile, no other wide receiver on the team has more than 40 targets.

The impact of the team's top option in the passing game will have to be elevated even more against the Lions after the team ruled out Equanimeous St. Brown and listed Tyler Scott and Velus Jones Jr. as questionable for Sunday's game.

Tyrique Stevenson

The Bears exciting rookie cornerback will return in Week 14 after missing the last game with an ankle injury. Stevenson has been stellar for the Bears defense despite being thrown into the fire early on in his career.

Against the Lions in Week 11, Stevenson was targeted just once and came away with his first career interception against quarterback Jared Goff. Stevenson has seven pass breakups but has also allowed seven touchdowns in coverage this season.

He will certainly be tested in coverage once again on Sunday and we'll see if he can once again get the better of the Lions starting quarterback. 

Darnell Wright

The Bears first-round pick will be faced with another tough task on Sunday but one he's already matched up against during his first season in the league. Darnell Wright will once again be tasked with protecting quarterback Justin Fields against Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Hutchinson had one sack and five hurries against the Bears the last time they faced off, including a strip sack on the Bears final possession of the game when the Bears were down three points. The sack was the sixth of the season allowed by the Bears starting right tackle.

Wright will be looking to correct his errors from his last matchup against Hutchinson on the right side of the trenches. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus believes that besides the final play, Wright performed well against the Lions.

"We thought he really operated well most of the game and he would tell you that he wished he had that last play back too," Eberflus said on Friday. "Overall, I thought he operated well, it's a heck of a pass rusher. He's got a heck of a motor, one of the best motors in ball and you got to be ready to go every single snap and he knows that and it's gonna be a big challenge for him this week. Techniques got to be great every single snap, you can't take one off."

Hutchinson proved in Week 11 he can be a game wrecker at a moment's notice and it will be Wright's job to make sure that doesn't happen again on Sunday.

Marcedes Lewis

With the Bears potentially without three wide receivers for Sunday's game, the offense should be expected to roll out more 12 and 13 personnel looks. This would mean a higher snap count for blocking tight end Marcedes Lewis. 

Lewis has played 20+ percent of the team's offensive snaps in each game since Week 4. The 18-year veteran played 30+ percent of the team's snaps in four games, including each of the last two. In those four games, the Bears rushed for 169.5 yards per game and three rushing touchdowns (all by D'Onta Foreman who is slated to return to the lineup on Sunday). 

Big Dog could be in line for a big game on Sunday for those who watch closely. Lewis has been a silent weapon over the past few seasons by being an effective blocker on the line of scrimmage. The added protection could spring some big plays in the running game and maybe Lewis could catch the Lions defense off guard with a reception or two.