Burning Questions: Will Justin Fields Torch Lions' Defense?

Here are three burning questions facing the Detroit Lions entering their Week 17 contest with the Chicago Bears.

With two games left in the 2022 regular season, All Lions is back with its latest batch of burning questions. 

It's a three-pack today, with questions focusing on the Lions' Week 17 matchup with the Chicago Bears and rookie receiver Jameson Williams' involvement in Detroit's offense. 

Here are those burning questions.

1.) Can the Lions limit Justin Fields as a runner?

This most certainly will be easier said than done for the Lions on Sunday.

Fields enters the Week 17 contest already with 1,011 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He's also presently averaging 72.2 rushing yards per contest, plus has rushed for north of 70 yards in five of his last six games. 

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One of his biggest days on the ground this season came in Week 10 against the Lions. In the game, he accumulated 147 yards and a season-best two touchdowns on 13 carries. From a yards standpoint, it was the Ohio State product's second-best rushing game of the season. He also threw for two touchdowns in the divisional contest. 

After witnessing Detroit's failure to wrap up Carolina's ball-carriers a week ago (13 missed tackles), it makes me think that Aaron Glenn's defense will be in for a long day trying to tackle Fields, especially once he gets in the open field. 

At this juncture, I'm going to say that the Lions will have a hard time limiting the production of the Bears' second-year quarterback on Sunday. 

2.) How much will Jameson Williams be involved? 

Well, he's bound to be featured more than he has since making his NFL debut in Week 13. Since then, he's been targeted just five times, and has come down with only catch (also a touchdown). He was also utilized in just 17 percent of the Lions' offensive snaps last week in Carolina. 

Up to this point, the rookie wideout -- and No. 12 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft -- surely hasn't been utilized enough in the eyes of the Detroit faithful or Williams himself (just check out the tweets he's liked for proof). 

Get the ball in Jameson Williams hands man. I don’t wanna hear it.

— Dolph (@Ruedoggy) December 24, 2022

I see him getting more reps in his fifth career NFL game Sunday, and Lions head man Dan Campbell expressed as much during his weekly appearance on 97.1 The Ticket Tuesday. 

"We’ll get him a couple more plays this week," Campbell said. "He’s coming. It takes work. We just can’t throw him out there and say, ‘You’re taking 65 plays.’ There’s a trust that has to be built. But, he’s working through that, and it’s good.”

My prediction for Williams is that he'll receive four targets and make two catches in Week 17 against the Bears. 

3.) Will the Lions get their running game back on track? 

I'm not going to lie... I'm worried about the state of the Lions' running game right now. 

Detroit totaled a dismal 45 yards on the ground in Week 16 in Carolina, and has rushed for north of 110 yards only once in its last five games. 

Additionally, the production of Jamaal Williams, the Lions' leading rusher in 2022, has gone significantly down over the last four weeks. In the aforementioned span of time, the sixth-year back has rushed for no more than 37 yards in a single game, and has averaged a measly 2.5 yards per rushing attempt.

On a positive note, Detroit is presented with a great opportunity to get its running game back on track in Week 17 against the Bears. 

Going into the divisional matchup, Chicago has allowed both the third-most rushing attempts (465) and the third-most rushing yards (2,268). Additionally, the Bears have permitted the most touchdowns on the ground in 2022 (27). 

Williams is long overdue for a bounce-back game, and I believe Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will feature him and D'Andre Swift heavily Sunday at Ford Field. 

If I were a betting man, I'd put my money on the Lions producing at least 125 total rushing yards in the Week 17 tilt.