Detroit News predictions: Lions vs. Bears

James Hawkins, Justin Rogers, John Niyo and Bob Wojnowski predict the outcome of Sunday's Lions-Bears game.

Predictions

James Hawkins: The Bears rank 27th in total offense and are averaging 15 points. To make matters worse, they will be without starting RB Jeremy Langford and potentially QB Jay Cutler. The Lions should be able to keep them at bay while Matthew Stafford & Co. should continue to score in bunches and get the run game going against a subpar defense. Lions 30-14

Justin Rogers: You need an abacus just to track the number of injuries heading into this NFC North matchup. The Lions still are likely to be without defensive leaders DeAndre Levy and Ziggy Ansah, but the Bears have it worse, even if QB Jay Cutler is cleared to play. The Lions have a six-game winning streak in the series and they’ll make it seven, forcing a couple turnovers and running wild on a depleted defensive front. Lions 27-16​

Lions vs. Bears preview: Take advantage of wounded foe

John Niyo: The Lions haven’t lost to the Bears — at home or on the road — since 2012, and now is no time to start. Not with so many key injuries, and so few playmakers on this Chicago roster. The Lions have plenty of issues defensively. But with a couple quick scores from Matthew Stafford & Co., the Soldier Field crowd will turn on a team that hasn’t won a home game in 363 days. Lions 31-24​

Bob Wojnowski: Quietly, Matthew Stafford has gotten off to a very good start. Not so quietly, the Bears quarterbacks have bombed. If Jay Cutler can’t play because of an injured thumb, it’s Brian Hoyer, and neither is likely to shred the Lions defense like Aaron Rodgers did. Teryl Austin has to patch together his threadbare group, but if he can’t, the Lions should score enough to keep the Bears winless. Lions 30-23​