🏈 Why This Week 4 NFL Game Is Filled With Intrigue

It’s been a tough start for both teams, but either the Lions or the Bears are going to have something to smile about on Sunday. [View in browser]( [FOX SPORTS INSIDER WITH MARTIN ROGERS]( In today’s FOX Sports Insider with Martin Rogers: One NFL team that has little cause for cheer is finally going to get some as the Bears and Lions meet at Soldier Field on Sunday ... we take a look at Ben Simmons’ situation and why it appears to be far from a resolution ... and the FOX Sports design team creates a must-see graphic to highlight Nick Saban’s incredible record against his former assistants. We don’t usually look ahead to Sunday games in the National Football League as early as a Tuesday, but so cursed are the Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions that we can’t be certain some other grave misfortune won’t come over them in the next couple of days. And that would just be too much misery to write (or read) about. As it is, at Soldier Field this weekend, something very unusual is going to happen. Either the Lions or the Bears are going to have something to smile about amid a season that has been a catalog of demoralizing ineptitude for one and laugh-or-we’ll-cry misfortune for the other. Barring a bizarro-world occurrence like a 0-0 tie after overtime, which maybe isn’t as utterly bizarro as you’d think and more on which later, one of the two most tortured teams in the NFL is going to get a win, even if it is only a Band-Aid sized answer for a gaping wound. [STORY IMAGE 1] Given that this is a story that’s happily leaning into being a little on the oddball side, let’s start in a slightly unexpected place. With Mitch Trubisky, in Buffalo. Trubisky, the former much-maligned Bears QB, had a pretty quiet day in his backup role to Josh Allen on Sunday. Called into action for just one pass against the Washington Football Team, Trubisky completed it, for one yard, as the Bills comfortably cruised to victory. Thing is, that yard of net passing productivity was as much as Chicago, with highly-touted rookie Justin Fields under center, accomplished across an entire afternoon of action as they were ripped to pieces by the Cleveland Browns. Fields went 6-for-20 with 68 yards passing, gains mitigated by the 67 yards given up on the nine times he was sacked, equating to that solitary helping of one lonely, friendless yard, the lowest tally in a game, any game, since the 2009 Cincinnati Bengals. The Bears’ average of 1.1 yards per play was the second fewest of any team this century. “We didn’t expect great things but what we got was horrendous,” FS1’s Chris Broussard said on “First Things First.” “A lot of this is on (head coach) Matt Nagy and that woeful offensive line. A lot of it was out of Fields hands … but it’s been ugly.” [STORY IMAGE 2] It was a dismal way to fail, sure, but is it better to lose because you were thoroughly inept or to do so in the most improbable fashion possible with a tear-your-heart-out last gasp thunderbolt of a field goal? That’s what happened to the Lions, the victim of that monstrous 66-yard boot from Justin Tucker that you’ve already seen replayed dozens of times. It was part bad luck and part their own fault, with the Baltimore Ravens having been allowed to convert a 4th-and-19 as time wound down to put Tucker in range. And on top of that, the referees also missing a delay of game penalty that would have pushed the yardage back to a level unmanageable even for the most clutch kicker of them all. As fans grumbled over various forms of how it was the “most Lions way to lose ever,” Detroit fell to 0-3 to sit at the foot of the NFC North, the exact spot they’ve finished for the past three seasons. “I know this city and this franchise have gone through a lot of gut punches in the last few years, but I’m telling you we will remain true and remain resilient and the gut punches will stop,” quarterback Jared Goff said. [STORY IMAGE 3]( In Detroit’s case, the focus of the loss is on the awe-inspiring feat it took to beat them (Tucker’s kick). It spares the mass recrimination and second-guessing, which is exactly what was happening in Chicago. The Bears, from Nagy to general manager Ryan Pace, are getting roasted by all and it’s hard to find anything of substance to muster in their defense. When one of your own players (Jimmy Graham) retweets a stat about how statistically horrible you’ve been, it’s pretty bad. Former players, pundits, fans, everyone it seems, is lining up to take a shot. For now, Fields, Andy Dalton and Nick Foles are all in contention to start against the Lions. Both fanbases might be fooled into thinking that things simply can’t get any worse, except that this is the Bears and Lions, so they most assuredly can, and for one of them this weekend, probably will. [STORY IMAGE 4] The Lions began the campaign with some optimism under new coach Dan Campbell. In Week 1, Detroit nearly engineered one of the most incredible comebacks in NFL history. Down by 24 to the San Francisco 49ers at the two-minute warning, they came all the way back to within eight and were driving down the field late in the game, only for Goff to then go cold and throw three incomplete passes to torpedo the revival attempt. That was a gut-punch. What happened on Sunday, with Tucker’s kick cruelly dinging off the crossbar and going over, was an absolute haymaker. [FOX Bet has Chicago at -154 and Detroit at +135]( a difference that is mostly attributed to home field. In truth, there’s not much separating these two clubs. How could there be, when so much has gone wrong? The bright side? Easy, a team that has little cause for cheer is finally going to get some. For the loser, however, the hits just keep on coming. [STORY IMAGE 5]( AMERICA’S GREATEST GAME DAY EATS SHIPPED TO YOU! Sponsored Content There’s nothing like a nostalgic taste from your alma mater. This year, as you root for your college team, experience your favorite foods, too! [Goldbelly]( ships America’s top regional dishes to your door—yes, even those late-night bites you loved back in college. Whatever comfort food you’re craving, Goldbelly brings it right to you. For Badger fans, game day wouldn’t be complete without [Madison’s State Street Brats]( complete with fried cheese curds on the side. If Mr. Commodore’s your man, get fired up for [Hattie B’s Nashville hot fried chicken](. And what’s a Bulls game without Buffalo wings from [Duff’s]( Give it the ol’ college try and order these feasts & more, with a promo code just for Fox Sports fans! Here’s what others have said ... Bucky Brooks, FOX Sports: “Rookie Justin Fields got a chance to drive the car this week, but (Matt) Nagy must have typed the wrong address into the GPS system. The offense lacked rhythm or direction and the call sheet looked much like the one utilized by Andy Dalton, Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky when they were in charge of the unit.” Aaron Leming, CBS Sports: “Matt Nagy simply doesn’t know how to adjust his play calling. Your OL is getting killed. Switch it up. Get Fields out of the pocket. Do something.” Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions head coach: “I think we’re going to come out the other end pretty good out of this. We just can’t get discouraged and we can’t stop continuing to believe and fight. Because I see where it’s going. I can see it. I feel like things became a little more clear today and I love the grit of this fricking team, I do." [IN OTHER WORDS] - From listening to the Sixers at camp Monday, the Ben Simmons situation appears far from resolution. [FOX Sports NBA Writer Yaron Weitzman has the story](. - [On this week’s “Club Shay Shay,”]( former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson expresses a desire to return to the sideline. - [There is a new leader atop the latest NFL MVP odds]( as Kyler Murray shot past Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes after Week 3. [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED] [THE INTERNET IS UNDEFEATED]( It’s a stat that keeps evolving every college football season, and with No. 1-ranked Alabama set to take on No. 12 Ole Miss this weekend, it’s only fitting that we bring light to it once again. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is now ... ready for it ... 23-0 against former assistants. Check out this graphic that our FOX Sports design team put together, which includes the likes of Jimbo Fisher, Mark Dantonio, Kirby Smart, and yes, that’s right ... Lane Kiffin, who will get the chance to put an end to the streak when his Ole Miss Rebels travel to Tuscaloosa for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Will Kiffin and the Rebels’ high-scoring offense be able make it 23-1? All we can do is wait and see. [VIEWER'S GUIDE] Philadelphia Phillies at Atlanta Braves (FS1, 7:20 p.m. ET) Zach Wheeler takes the mound for the Philadelphia Phillies, who take on Freddie Freeman and the Atlanta Braves. San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Dodgers (ESPN, 10 p.m. ET) Walker Buehler takes the mound as the Los Angeles Dodgers take on Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres. [BET OF THE DAY] [BET OF THE DAY] Odds provided by [FOX Bet]( Ole Miss (+14.5 at FOX Bet) at Alabama Per FOX Sports Betting Analyst Sam Panayotovich: This is too many points to spot the Rebels offense. Nobody has banged the Matt Corral for Heisman drum harder than yours truly, and I cannot wait to see what he and Lane Kiffin have in store for the Crimson Tide with an extra week to prepare. It’s always dangerous betting against Nick Saban, but this Alabama defense is going to give up plenty of points and big plays. I’ll gladly take over two scores in a game that should be an absolute track meet with a total of 77.5. PICK: Ole Miss (+14.5 at FOX Bet) to lose by fewer than 14.5 points (or win outright) [WHAT THEY SAID] “Let me tell you what winning means ... you’re willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else.” — Vince Lombardi [FOLLOW FOX SPORTS] [Twitter]( [Facebook]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( Download FOX Sports App: [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [Google Play]( [App Store]( [Fire TV]( [Roku]( [App Store]( [Google Play]( Also available on these devices: [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] [fireTV | AppleTV | ROKU | Google Chromecast | XBOX ONE | SAMSUNG Smart TV] Trademark & Copyright Notice: ™ and © 2021 Fox Media LLC and FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Please do not reply to this message. If you do not wish to receive emails like this in the future, please [unsubscribe](. FOX Sports respects your privacy. Click [here]( to view our Privacy Policy. Fox.com Business & Legal Affairs - Manager Digital Media P.O. Box 900 Beverly Hills, California 90213-0900