LAKE FOREST, Ill. — When the clock strikes zero in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on Sunday, the Bears will still have more football to play this season.
The Detroit Lions will not.
What a difference one year can make. This time last year, head coach Dan Campbell and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson were on the verge of clinching the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their 15th win. Now Campbell and the Lions are fighting to finish the season above .500 while Johnson prepares for the postseason in his first season with the Bears.
That doesn’t mean the Lions will roll over on Sunday without a playoff spot on the line.
“They’re going to come out here and they’re going to fight,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I mean, it’s what they do. And so, it’s going to be a good challenge for us. It’s a very good team. This group has talent all over the place. Offensively their skill positions are absolutely loaded. Receiver wise, they’re fast. Quarterback is playing at a super high level. He’s so accurate. You give him a clean pocket, he can just pick you apart. And then these runners are dangerous, both of them. And so, I think defensively we’ve got a tall task at hand, a lot like we did last week.”
Despite clinching the NFC North last Saturday, the Bears are still playing for something, too – the second seed and a chance to play the shorthanded Green Bay Packers at home next weekend.
As a result, the idea of resting healthy starters was never really on the table.
“We’re playing to win this week,” Johnson said Monday.
That also means putting blinders on to block out any desire to prematurely focus on the postseason. The task at hand is the Detroit Lions, not the Packers, San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen isn’t worried about that being an issue. He’s trained his players well to take things one week at a time.
“I don’t think that’s a challenge,” Allen said Thursday. “I think each and every week in this league, your next opponent is enough energy and enough time and enough mental process just to focus on that, that thing that’s right in front of you. So, our guys have done a good job of that this week so far.”
That brings us to our predictions for Week 18 … and Week 18 only.
Adam Hoge
2025 record: 12-4
Dan Campbell’s Lions won’t go down without a fight and this one might take more fourth quarter heroics from the Bears. But both of these teams are much different than they were in Week 2. Bears get the win and secure the No. 2 seed to cap off a memorable regular season that won’t be forgotten.
Bears 26, Lions 20
[READ | Insider Analysis: Bears eye No. 2 seed as Caleb Williams approaches 4,000-yard milestone]
Mark Carman
2025 record: 12-4
Eye on the prize. Detroit is playing for nothing; the Bears are playing for everything. Caleb builds off last week but comes up just short of 4000. Bears survive.
Bears 26, Lions 24
Adam Jahns
2025 record: 11-5
I have my concerns about the Bears’ defense after what unfolded against the San Francisco 49ers last week. But Jared Goff and Co. aren’t rolling like the 49ers offense is right now. It’s important that the Bears feel good about what they’re doing in the postseason. Beating the Lions will do that. And this time, revenge is on the Bears’ side.
Bears 30, Lions 20
[READ | The Bears aren’t the same team that lost to the Lions — and everyone knows it]
Greg Braggs Jr.
2025 record: 11-5
Bears want to take the North and never give it back? Well, beat the Lions and set up round three against the Packers at Soldier Field and do just that.
Bears 30, Lions 21
Jerry Azumah
2025 record: 11-5
Bears 30, Lions 28
Patrick Norton
2025 record: 10-6
I don’t think the Week 2 31-point beatdown was a fluke. But these teams aren’t close to the same product they were then, either. Ben Johnson called the 4,000-yard passing mark “just a number” on Wednesday. He’s right – the priority is coming away with a win and locking up the No. 2 seed.
Johnson, however, regardless of what he says publicly, has given the occasional nod to personal achievements throughout the year. Rome Odunze was the first receiver targeted in the week after his dad became outspoken on social media about his son’s usage. DJ Moore was the first read on the first play against the Browns after a career-worst performance the week prior in Green Bay.
Johnson is going to do everything in his power to get Caleb Williams to that 4,000-yard mark. Williams needs 270 on Sunday to get there. That means points. And that means the Bears’ 12th win of the regular season.
Bears 38, Lions 18
Corey Wootton
2025 record: 10-6
Chicago has confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Defensive was shaky last week and will still struggle to generate a consistent pass rush this week. Offense carries them this week by putting up over 30. Great game against a rival to get ready for the playoffs.
Bears 31, Lions 24
Lance Briggs
2025 record: 9-7
Bears 31, Lions 25
Stephen Nicholas
2025 record: 8-8
The Bears come into this matchup as the healthier team. Peneii Sewell, Alim McNeill and Alex Anzalone have all already been ruled out by the Lions. I like the Bears’ offense to go over 30 points again and avenge their Week 2 loss to Ben Johnson’s former employer.
Caleb goes for 270-plus pass yards to become the organization’s first 4,000-yard passer, while his wide receivers feast on the Lions’ secondary that’s given up the second-most TDs (20) to opposing WRs. DJ Moore has averaged 92 receiving yards per game in his career against Detroit. I like him to go over his 35.5 receiving yard prop at the time of this writing.
Bears 31, Lions 24
