Are Lions resting starters vs. Bears? Who’s in, who’s out for Week 18 game

1 week ago 2

The Detroit Lions face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in the Week 18 regular-season finale on Sunday, Jan. 4, at 4:25 p.m. For the first time since 2022, the Lions will miss the playoffs after they were eliminated following a 23-10 Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Vikings. The Bears, in their first season under the command of former Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, already clinched the NFC North title and could claim the conference’s No. 2 seed with a victory Sunday. Chicago has come a long way since losing to the Lions, 52-21, in a Week 2 matchup. The Bears are now favored by the oddsmakers to win the second meeting Sunday. But if the Lions pull the upset, they will finish with a winning record for the fourth consecutive season, which would match their longest streak (1969-72) in the Super Bowl era.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) talks to teammates before a snap against Chicago Bears during the first half at Soldier Field in Chicago, Ill. on Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024.

Are Lions resting starters vs. Bears?

Although Detroit’s playoff hopes have already been extinguished, Lions coach Dan Campbell indicated he had no plans to sit his top players Sunday unless they were injured to the point that they couldn’t go, or their long-term health would be endangered if they did.

“We’re not playing for the playoffs, but there are still things we can find out,” Campbell said. “And I expect the guys that we have here to give it what they’ve got one more time. That’s the expectation.”

So, don’t be surprised to see Jared Goff behind center. Goff has logged 98.3% of the Lions’ quarterback snaps in 2025 and hasn’t missed a start since the penultimate game of the 2021 season. Star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who is dealing with knee and ankle injuries, was trending toward playing as well, Campbell said Friday. Meanwhile, left tackle Taylor Decker is expected to be back in the lineup after the flu knocked him out of the loss to the Vikings.

“It doesn’t matter what our record is, what the situation may be,” Goff said. “We want to go out there and put something good on tape, gain a little bit of respect back from probably some of the loss of respect we’ve earned this year.”

If they are to accomplish that objective, they will have to overcome a Bears team expected to play all its regulars. Johnson said as much earlier this week, telling reporters their goal is to win. After all, there are stakes for Chicago, which can take the No. 2 seed with a victory Sunday.

Lions vs. Bears inactives

Who's out for Lions

RT Penei Sewell (ankle)

LB Alex Anzalone (concussion/personal)

DT Alim McNeill (abdomen)

S Thomas Harper (concussion)

OL Trystan Colon (wrist)

OL Gio Manu (knee)

Who's out for Bears

DL Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (concussion)

Lions vs. Bears odds

Line: Bears by 3.

NFL playoff picture

The NFC field will go down to the final day, after the Carolina Panthers missed a chance to lock up the NFC South against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday. Both teams are 8-9, half a game up on the 7-9 Atlanta Falcons, who have been eliminated ahead of their 1 p.m. game against the New Orleans Saints. A Falcons win would create a three-way tie atop the division, with the Panthers winning the three-team tiebreaker for the No. 4 seed and a home game against the No. 5 seed, which will be either the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams. A Saints win would give the Bucs the 4-seed and the home playoff game, thanks to their head-to-head edge with the Panthers

At the top of the table, the Seattle Seahawks grabbed the NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the conference with their 3-3 win over the 49ers on Saturday night. The Niners drop to the 5-seed, but could fall as far as No. 6 if the Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon.

The Bears can lock up the No. 2 seed with a win over the Lions, or an Philadelphia Eagles loss to the Washington Commanders (4:25, CBS).

The top seed in the NFC receives a bye to the divisional round, with the three other remaining division winners hosting wild-card games against the three wild-cards, 2/7, 3/6, 4/5. Here are how the standings sit entering Sunday:

*Seed clinched

1. Seattle Seahawks*, 14-3.

2. Chicago Bears, 11-5.

3. Philadelphia Eagles, 11-5.

4. NFC South winner (Bucs or Panthers)*, 8-9.

5. 49ers, 12-5.

6. Rams, 11-5.

7. Green Bay Packers*, 9-6-1.

In the AFC, six of seven teams are set, though plenty of seed movement is possible, with the top three division winners still in play for the No. 1; the No. 4 seed will go to the AFC North winner, determined by Sunday's final game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. The seeds entering Sunday:

1. Denver Broncos, 13-3.

2. New England Patriots, 12-4.

3. Jacksonville Jaguars, 12-4.

4. AFC South* (Ravens, 8-8; Steelers, 9-7).

5. Houston Texans, 11-5.

6. San Diego Chargers, 11-5.

7. Buffalo Bills, 11-5.