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The Chicago Bears will look to jump up to the No. 2 seed in the NFC as they close out their regular season by hosting the Detroit Lions today. FOX has the coverage at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Chicago has more on the line here and has been playing better than Detroit, which is why I’m taking it to cover in my Lions vs. Bears predictions.
Let’s take a deeper look at this Week 18 NFC North matchup in my free NFL picks for Sunday, January 4.
Lions vs Bears prediction
Lions vs Bears Best bet: Bears -3 (-104)
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This isn’t a critical game for either team, though the Chicago Bears may want to clinch the No. 2 seed, as that would allow them to play the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the postseason rather than a strong NFC West wild card team.
In any case, that’s more to play for than the Detroit Lions, who have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Detroit will still be playing hard, given the intense divisional rivalry.
And some may look at how the Lions have played all year and note that, with a +65 point differential, it sure looks like this is a team that’s clearly better than its record suggests.
But that’s not what we’ve seen down the stretch from Detroit. The Lions have lost three in a row and four of five, and have only covered once in the last seven weeks.
On the other hand, Chicago has won six of its last eight, with its only two losses during that span coming by one score on the road to playoff teams.
Dan Campbell will try to get his team up for this game, but I’m not sure how effective that will be, how much his stars will ultimately play, or how much it even matters if the Lions are at 100% on Sunday. Right now, Chicago is the better team.
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With a small spread at home, I’m taking the Bears to cover.
Lions vs Bears same-game parlay
Detroit has regularly been playing high-scoring games this season, and the Bears have shown they’re not afraid of a shootout either, so I’m taking the Over to pair with a Chicago cover in my parlay.
I’m also betting on another big game from Caleb Williams, who has gone for Over 236.5 yards and at least two touchdowns in each of his last three contests.
Lions vs Bears SGP
Chicago Bears -3
Over 50.5
Caleb Williams Over 236.5 passing yards
Caleb Williams Over 1.5 passing touchdowns
Our big-ticket SGP: Stone Cole!
Cole Kmet only has two scores this year, but has caught multiple balls in each of his last five games, making him a good longshot bet to reach the end zone on Sunday
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Lions vs Bears SGP
Chicago Bears -3
Over 50.5
Caleb Williams Over 236.5 passing yards
Caleb Williams Over 1.5 passing touchdowns
Cole Kmet anytime touchdown
Lions vs Bears odds
Spread: Lions +3.5 (-110) | Bears -3.5 (-110)
Moneyline: Lions +162 | Bears -194
Over/Under: Over 50.5 (-110) | Under 50.5 (-110)
More NFL picks and odds from Covers
Lions vs Bears trend to know
The Lions are 1-6 ATS over their last seven games. Find more NFL betting trends for Lions vs. Bears.
How to watch Lions vs Bears
Location | Soldier Field, Chicago, IL |
Date | Sunday, January 4, 2026 |
Kickoff | 4:25 p.m. ET |
TV | FOX |
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