SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Bears’ final game of the regular season will be Sunday at 3:25 p.m. against the Lions at Soldier Field, the NFL announced Sunday.
After losing 42-38 to the 49ers on Sunday, the Bears need a win over the Lions or an Eagles loss to the Commanders to secure the No. 2 playoff seed in the NFC.
If they hold at No. 2, they’ll open the playoffs at home against the Packers. Green Bay is locked into the No. 7 seed.
The Week 18 matchups are set when the rest of the schedule comes out, but date and times are left open until the week before in order to maximize the standalone broadcast windows on Saturday and Sunday with game that have playoff implications. The league has games Saturday at 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. and “Sunday Night Football” at 7:20 p.m.
🚨 WEEK 18 SCHEDULE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/c4kM67GCmR
— NFL (@NFL) December 29, 2025
The Bears-Lions game has minimal stakes with the Lions already eliminated from the playoff race. The Bears have clinched the NFC North crown, but still need the game as they seek to secure at least the No. 2 seed and chase the No. 1 seed.
The Lions beat the Bears 52-21 in Week 2, but the team won 11 of its next 13 games. There also is a chance Lions coach Dan Campbell will sit his starters.
