The Chicago Bears Take on Divisional Rival in Regular Season Finale: Week 18 Game Preview
With the regular season coming to a close, the Chicago Bears (11-5) will face the Detroit Lions (8-8), who are in two different positions going into the postseason. Since their first matchup, in which the Lions beat the Bears 52-21, Detroit has fallen into mediocrity and is out of playoff contention. The Bears, on the other hand, since losing that game, have clinched the #1 seed in the NFC North for the first time since 2018. They also have the chance to clinch the #2 overall place in the NFC with a win this weekend.
A major concern for the Bears could be Detroit’s solid defensive line, with Aidan Hutchinson leading the way. They sacked Max Brosmer a whopping 7 times last week in their matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, holding him to just 51 yards. They’ll be going up against Caleb Williams, who had a fantastic game this past Sunday with 330 yards passing and two touchdowns with no turnovers. Some injuries could affect his play, as star wide receiver Rome Odunze has sat out the past couple of weeks. Luther Burden III also seemed to go down awkwardly in the final play of last week’s game with a quad injury.
On the other side of the ball, the Bears’ injury concerns don’t seem to stop. It’s feared that breakout linebacker Noah Sewell could be done with a torn Achilles tendon, ending his 2025-2026 campaign. They’ll also be without Kyler Gordon in the secondary when he was put on the IR a couple of weeks ago.
Key Factors:
First to 4000?
So, if some of you remember, I almost guaranteed that Caleb Williams would reach 4000 yards this season and be the first Bear ever to do it. This could be the game. He has 3,730 yards (8th best in the NFL) and would need 270 yards to complete that feat. It’s entirely possible, given how last week’s game with the 49ers went, that this could lead to another shootout.
Many factors play into this as well. Depending on the state of the game, would we see Caleb Williams benched to keep him healthy for the first round of playoffs? Obviously, it would be the smart thing to do, and we’ve seen it done with Saquon Barkley last year, being benched by Nick Sirianni before Barkley could reach 2,000 rushing yards. Granted, the Eagles did win the Super Bowl. It also depends on the health of his receivers, including Burden III, who is questionable for Sunday.
Defensive Worries for this Week and Beyond?
As I mentioned before, a lot of defensive starters will be out for the Bears, meaning this game could get ugly really fast. We saw that against the 49ers, where they put up 42 points without George Kittle and Trent Williams. On the other side of that coin, Jared Goff had an off game, fumbling the ball three times, throwing two interceptions, and being sacked 5 times. This Lions offensive line has been depleted, which allows guys like Austin Booker, who had a sack last game and three tackles, to get more involved with starters like Montez Sweat. This would be beneficial to get game reps against their first playoff opponent.
Playoff Scenarios
Bears vs. Packers: Chicago beats the Lions, or Eagles lose to the Commanders.
Bears vs. 49ers: Chicago loses to the Lions, and Eagles beat the Commanders, and Seahawks beat the 49ers.
Bears vs. Rams: Chicago loses to the Lions, and Eagles beat the Commanders, and the 49ers beat the Seahawks.
Bears vs. Seahawks: Chicago loses to the Lions, and the Eagles beat the Commanders.