Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions – Week 18 Game Preview: Overview, Keys to Game, Insights
The Bears (11-5) came up just short against the 49ers on Sunday night but they still clinched the NFC North thanks to the Packers loss Saturday night. Now they finish up the regular season with a chance to earn the number two seed in the conference if they beat the rival Lions this Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.
Detroit (8-8) crashed out of the playoff race with three consecutive losses down the stretch run. The defense has struggled with a combination of injuries and poor play, allowing 24.8 points per game in 2025. The secondary has been a particular sore spot and teams have been able to pick up big chunks of yardage through the air often.
The Lions offense can be dynamic at times with wide receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs capable of taking it to the house at any time. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has been the favorite target of quarterback Jared Goff, who has thrown for over 4000 yards this season.
Consistency on offense has been a major issue for Detroit with Ben Johnson no longer calling the plays. Head coach Dan Campbell took over the job from his new offensive coordinator a few weeks back but it has not improved the results. Probably the low point of the season was a loss to Max Brosmer and the Vikings on Christmas in which they only scored 10 points.
The Bears do have something to play for Sunday, but the difference between the two seed and the three seed is not huge stakes so it will be interesting to see how much action the starters get. Also, don’t be surprised if a few banged up players end up sitting out the game entirely.
The Lions handed Chicago their worst loss of the season in Detroit Week 2 putting up 52 points. That result feels like it happened three years ago and these two squads are in much different places at the moment. The biggest goal at this point is to get through the week and focus on the playoff game coming up next on the schedule.
Where to Watch/Listen
- Sunday, January 4 at 3:25pm CT on FOX, WBBM Radio (English), and WRTO Radio (Spanish).
Keys to Victory
Here are my keys to Sunday’s game. If these things happen, the Bears should have a shot to win.
- Limit explosive plays. Detroit needs to have big plays to make their offense work. If the Bears can limit that they have a higher chance of messing up on a long drive and committing a turnover.
- Keep the tight ends involved. Both Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland have been playing well and Chicago needs to make them a big part of the game plan.
- Reestablish the run game. Quarterback Caleb Williams had to do more of the work against the 49ers when the ground game sputtered a bit. Detroit has a much more difficult time with rush defense so the Bears should make it a focus Sunday.
Don’t Tell Me the Odds
The Bears are favored by three points at home against the Lions. Vegas expects another high scoring contest with the over/under set at 50.5.
It’s Football Weather
The high temperature for Sunday’s game at Soldier Field is expected to be 31 with partly cloudy skies and light wind.
My Prediction
Detroit has nothing to play for Sunday and they put up a rather lifeless effort against the Vikings in their last game. I expect the Bears offense to continue clicking like it did against San Francisco and for them to win 28-17.
Official NFL Preview
Here is the official preview of the Lions-Bears game from the NFL.
