(670 The Score) The Lions and Bears face off for the first time this season Sunday, and if you think that sounds boring now, just wait until you actually have to watch it. The Lions are 0-3 and very bad. The Bears are 1-2 and might be worse. Do we know who's calling the offensive plays for the Bears? Nope! But knowledge is overrated. Some say it'll be obvious who's calling the plays when the game starts, although personally I'm a bit more skeptical -- offensive coordinator Bill Lazor is as professional as they come, and I trust he can get just as many false starts out of the lads as Nagy did. What else is worth watching Sunday? Nothing? Let's take a look.
Bears LB Roquan Smith (and Danny Trevathan?) vs. Lions TE T.J. Hockenson
The good news is that Trevathan was designated for a return from injured reserve this week, indicating that he's close to, if not at, a point in which he's ready to return. The bad news is that he may no longer actually be very good. If he plays, it'll be interesting to see how quickly he's thrown back in the mix -- fellow linebacker Alec Ogletree is a great player to have on the roster, but he hasn't exactly stolen Trevathan's gig over the last four to six weeks. Hockenson is arguably Detroit's best offensive player, ranking as Pro Football Focus' seventh-best tight end through the first quarter of the season. Across the league, he's third in total targets among tight ends (22), receptions (18), and touchdowns (two). Smith looked pretty rough in pass coverage against the Bengals in Week 2, and Trevathan's pass coverage skills have, to put it politely, not aged terrifically. If the Bears don't want to get boo'd off the field after a 17-6 first half in favor of the Lions, stopping Hockenson would certainly help.
Bears WR Allen Robinson vs. Lions CB Amani Oruwariye
I imagine Robinson probably had more ambitious ideas about what the first month of his contract season would look like. Through the first three games, he has 10 receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. The biggest moment of his season, so far, has been that dropped would-be touchdown against Cincinnati. Robinson will get his chance to turn it around against the Lions, whose secondary has been one of the worst pass coverage units in football this season. Gone are the days when Detroit would forgo every ounce of available modern football knowledge and just play man every snap, but there will still be plenty of opportunities for Robinson (and Darnell Mooney) (and even Cole Kmet!).
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Bears OT Germain Ifedi vs. Lions LB/DL Romeo Okwara
Okwara is coming off one of the best games of his career, posting six pressures, including a sack of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, while playing every single defensive snap last week. Ifedi is *not* coming off one of the best games of his career, and we'll just leave it at that. His penalties have been rough -- albeit somewhat predictable -- but the between-the-whistle play hasn't been a whole lot better. My guess is that the Bears aren't planning on allowing nine sacks this week, something the offensive tackles have, you know, somewhat of a say in. Maybe Ifedi's Pro-Bowl caliber season that offensive line coach Juan Castillo talked about so frequently this summer starts Sunday?
Cam Ellis is a writer for 670 The Score and Audacy Sports. Follow him on Twitter @KingsleyEllis.