The 11-5 Chicago Bears will play the 8-8 Detroit Lions at Soldier Field in a Week 18 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (3:25 p.m., Fox-32).
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5 things to watch — plus our Week 18 predictions
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs jumps over Bears defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo in the second quarter Sept. 14, 2025, in Detroit. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
The marathon is over. Sunday marks the end of the NFL regular season.
In recent years, Week 18 has signaled the end for the Bears. Not so this year. For the first time since 2020, the Bears are headed to the postseason. They have bigger goals on the horizon, starting with next week’s wild-card round of the playoffs. Read more here.
Rome Odunze returns to Bears practice — and the wide receiver is listed as questionable for Week 18
Ben Johnson says Bears are ‘playing to win’ in Week 18 finale vs. the Lions
Who will the Bears play in the wild-card round?
Bears and Packers fans prepare for the game on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)
The simplest scenario for the Bears is to beat the Lions and clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC.
Even if Philadelphia beats Washington, which would give the Bears and Eagles the same record, the Bears hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would mean a matchup with the Packers, who are locked in as the No. 7 seed.
If the Bears lose, it gets more complicated. Read more here.
Eagles — in a battle with Bears for NFC’s No. 2 seed — to rest key starters in finale
NFL playoff picture: Final week of regular season arrives with No. 1 seeds still undecided in AFC and NFC
Who would be the Bears’ most favorable 1st-round matchup?
Bears clinch their 1st NFC North title since 2018
‘I was brought here for those types of things, the things that haven’t been done here, to try and be able to accomplish’
Bears quarterback Caleb Williams walks on the field while warming up before playing the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025 in Santa Clara, Calif. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Caleb Williams will be staring down history this afternoon.
With 3,730 passing yards this season, Williams is 108 yards shy of tying Erik Kramer’s franchise record of 3,838 passing yards from 1995. He’s also 270 yards shy of becoming the first Bears quarterback ever to total 4,000 passing yards in a regular season.
The Bears are the only franchise to never have a 4,000-yard passer. When Carson Wentz threw for 4,039 yards in 2019 with Philadelphia, becoming the Eagles’ first 4,000-yard passer, the Bears were left as the only team still looking for its first.
It’s a remarkable stat, considering the 100-plus-year history of the Bears franchise. Read more here.
Column: Finding edges in the running game fuels Ben Johnson’s evolution of the Bears offense
Bears Q&A with Brad Biggs: Will Caleb Williams reach 4,000 yards?
Bears won’t go far in the playoffs if their defense doesn’t improve
49ers quarterback Brock Purdy throws in the second quarter against the Bears at Levi’s Stadium on Dec. 28, 2025, in Santa Clara. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)
Week 17 marked the fourth time this season the Bears have surrendered 431 yards or more and third time an opponent has averaged 7.3 yards per play or more. A defense that flirted with being in the top five on third down through the first half of the season has slumped to 19th, and as explosive as the Bears offense has been, opponents are hitting far too many big plays.
This is a better defense right now than the one the Lions crushed for 52 points in Week 2. Whether it’s ready for playoff football remains to be seen. Read more here.
About last week
Caleb Williams and the offense took possession with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter Sunday night against the 49ers. Trailing by four points, the Bears needed a touchdown.
Williams took over with the game on the line, a position he has grown very comfortable with after leading the Bears to six fourth-quarter comebacks this season. He connected with wide receiver Luther Burden III and tight end Colston Loveland for key completions to draw the offense to the 13-yard line. A pass to Loveland, who pitched to running back D’Andre Swift, brought the Bears to the 2.
With four seconds on the clock and the game on the line, Williams scrambled from the pocket and tossed a pass intended for Jahdae Walker in the end zone, but it fell incomplete for a dramatic 42-38 loss. Read more here.
Read more here.
Bears run out of magic late: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 17
Inside the Bears’ 15-play, 63-yard, nail-biting final series that came up short: ‘We had a shot’
‘We’re always in the game’: How the Bears have become battle-tested against the NFC’s best
Bears’ Darnell Wright took a private plane to Week 17 game after a bug ‘did a number on our guys’
https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/04/chicago-bears-detroit-lions-week-18/
