Detroit (8-8) – Chicago (11-5)
Sunday, 4:25 pm EST on Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Bears at 3 odds.
Against the reversal: Lions 7-9; Bears 9-6-1.
Series record: Bears lead 105-81-5.
Last meeting: The Lions beat the Bears 52-21 in Detroit on September 14.
Last week: Lions lost 23-10 to Minnesota; The Bears lost in San Francisco 42-38.
Lions offense: total (6), rushing (15), passing (5), scoring (3).
Lions defense: total (18), rushing (16), passing (19), scoring (22-T).
Bears offense: total (3), rushing (3), passing (11), scoring (10).
Bears defense: overall (28), rushing (28), passing (21), scoring (22-T).
RPM differential: Lviv plus-4; Bears plus-22.
Lions player to watch
QB Jared Goff. The four-time Pro Bowler hopes to show the same form he had in the first meeting against Chicago and finish the game on a strong note after his worst performance of the season. Goff set season highs with two interceptions and three fumbles and tied one with five sacks last week. In the first game against the Bears, he threw for 334 yards and a career-high with five touchdown passes, including three to Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Bears player to watch
QB Caleb Williams: Last year's overall draft pick, Williams has a chance to set the franchise's single-season passing record and become the first Bears player to throw for 4,000 yards. With 3,730 yards, he needs 109 to surpass Eric Kramer's 3,838 in 1995. Chicago is the only team in the NFL without 4,000 passing yards. Williams broke out last week, throwing for a season-high 330 yards and two touchdowns. It was his 23rd game without an interception, something no other NFL starting quarterback had done in his first two seasons. Dallas' Dak Prescott went 22 games without an INT in his first two years.
Key match
Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson vs. Chicago offensive line. Hutchinson gave the Bears all they could handle in four seasons, with 4 1/2 sacks in five games. He scored a career-high 13 1/2 points on the season, including one in Week 2 against Chicago. This time around, he'll be going up against a completely different offensive line that performs as well as any in the NFL. Rookie Ozzie Trapilo took over at left tackle after Braxton Jones was benched in Week 4 and was initially replaced by Theo Benedet.
Key injuries
Lions: St. Brown (knee) could be a game-time decision. … C Graham Glasgow (knee) missed the game against Pittsburgh two weeks ago and was relegated to two special teams duties against Minnesota. … Lt. Taylor Decker (shoulder), who is considering retirement this offseason, is expected to start after missing last week's game with an illness. … TE Sam LaPorta is recovering from back surgery in mid-November, although he is not fully recovered.
Bears: WR Rome Odunze (foot) has missed the last four games. … Chicago hopes WR Luther Burden (Q) will play this week after he was injured late in the San Francisco game. … LB Noah Sewell (Achilles tendon) was placed on injured reserve Wednesday.
Episode notes
The Bears have lost three straight and six of seven to Detroit, including a disappointing Week 2 loss that left them 0-2. The Lions came within three points of the franchise's regular season record, set against Chicago in 1997; they scored 59 runs against Cleveland in the 1957 NFL Championship Game. Chicago's 52 points were three shy of its franchise mark.
Statistics and more
Detroit, which entered the season as a Super Bowl favorite, could go from first place in the NFC last season to last place in the NFC North. The Lions are tied with Minnesota in the division, while the Vikings won both meetings. … Detroit has lost three in a row, its worst streak since a five-game skid in 2022. … The Lions lead the league with 21 rushing touchdowns by running backs — 13 by Jameer Gibbs and eight by David Montgomery. … The NFC North champion Bears are out of contention for first place with a loss last week. They can secure second place and a home game against rival Green Bay if Philadelphia wins or loses to Washington. Chicago would receive third place with a loss or tie combined with an Eagles win. … Ben Johnson needs one win to tie the franchise record for a first-year head coach, set by Matt Nagy in 2018. … The Bears have won six straight home games since losing to Minnesota earlier in the season. … Chicago leads the NFL in interceptions (22), takeaways (32) and turnover margin (plus-22). The Bears also committed a league-leading 10 turnovers. … Kevin Byard leads the NFL with six interceptions. CB Nahshon Wright is tied for second with five INTs and a league-best eight tackles. … Chicago is the only team with at least two 700-yard rushers in D'Andre Swift (1,047) and Kyle Monangai (769). … With 9 1/2 sacks, DE Montez Sweat is poised for his second double-digit season. He had 12 1/2 with Washington and Chicago in 2023….Burden, a rookie, had a career-high eight receptions for 138 yards and caught a touchdown pass against San Francisco after missing the previous game with an ankle injury.
Fantasy advice
Despite catching just one pass against San Francisco, Chicago's DJ Moore has played a larger role in recent weeks while Odunze has been sidelined. If Burden is limited or unable to play, this could create more opportunities for him.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
