DOWN X DOWN › week 12 › Bears at Lions
Updated Nov 3, 9:16 AM ET
2026
2026this season2025final

Week 12 · Thursday 1:00 PM ET · Ford Field

CHIvsDET

Bears offensevsLions defense

Season numbers through Week 8: 8 games for Bears, 7 for Lions. Ranks are out of 32; #1 is the best offense or the stingiest defense.

CHI offenseDET offense
Keys to the game · where this matchup tilts, from the season numbers4 reads
01
Biggest edge

Tight ends feast

Lions give up 11.4 targets a game to tight ends (32nd), against a league average of 7.6. Bears' tight ends produce 8.8 (6th).

02
Opportunity

Deep right is open

Lions are worst against deep right throws, allowing +1.32 EPA per attempt. Bears send 8% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Pressure problem

Bears take a sack on 6% of dropbacks (17th). Lions get home on 8% (7th). League average is 7%.

04
Wash

Yards per play

Call this one even. Bears gain 5.5 yards per play (15th). Lions give up 5.6 (21st), with the league at 5.4.

Players to watch

CHI Bears

18Caleb WilliamsQB · 112/158 · 1267 yds · 6 TD · 1 INTEPA per dropback +0.29 · 3rd4D'Andre SwiftRB · 143 car · 545 yds · 10 TD · 24 recEPA per touch -0.01 · 22nd10Luther Burden IIIWR · 42 rec · 547 yds · 3 TD · 56 tgtEPA per target +0.3184Colston LovelandTE · 33 rec · 309 yds · 2 TD · 51 tgtEPA per target -0.0699Jeffery SimmonsRight Defensive Tackle · 44 tackles · 5 sacks · 4 PD5 sacks · T-12th in the NFL31Dillon ThienemanStrong Safety · 51 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 1 INT · 5 PD1 INT

DET Lions

16Jared GoffQB · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INTEPA per dropback +0.27 · 6th0Jahmyr GibbsRB · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 recEPA per touch -0.01 · 24th14Amon-Ra St. BrownWR · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgtEPA per target +0.3187Sam LaPortaTE · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgtEPA per target +0.74 · 2nd97Aidan HutchinsonLeft Defensive End · 20 tackles · 5 sacks · 1 PD5 sacks · T-12th in the NFL55Derrick BarnesWeakside Linebacker · 34 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 2 PD3 sacks
The series · Bears and Lions since 1999, and this season's records54 meetings

The Bears lead the series 28–26 since 1999. The Lions have won the last 4. Jan 4, 2026, at Soldier Field: the Lions won 19–16. Caleb Williams started at quarterback for the Bears and Jared Goff for the Lions; Ben Johnson and Dan Campbell coached.

Bears at home16–11the Bears' record
In Detroit12–15the Bears' record
Most pointsBears 48 · Lions 522009 · 2025
Biggest winBears by 32 · Lions by 312005 · 2022

The last 5

2025 · Wk 18DET 19 at CHI 16
2025 · Wk 2CHI 21 at DET 52
2024 · Wk 16DET 34 at CHI 17
2024 · Wk 13CHI 20 at DET 23
2023 · Wk 14DET 13 at CHI 28

2026 records

BearsLions
Overall6–25–2
Division0–22–0
Conference4–24–1
Other conference2–01–1
Home3–14–0
Away3–11–2
Last 5WLWWWWLWWW
StreakWon 3Won 3
Points a game26.8 – 20.029.0 – 25.7

Every meeting since 1999, regular season and playoffs, from nflverse's game list, which starts in 1999; the all-time series goes back further. Franchises that moved count as one team (the Raiders, Chargers and Rams). Home and away are from the Bears' side. Records are this regular season.

The lineups · Bears offense against the Lions defenseDepth charts
Lions defense · 4-3 DBears offense · 3WR 1TE79Benedet62Thuney67Bradbury73Jackson58Wright84Loveland18Williams4Swift15Odunze14Raymond10Burden93Lacy91Williams54McNeill97Hutchinson55Barnes46Campbell44Rodriguez2Rakestraw4Reed21McCreary32Branch36Clark

Bears offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBCaleb Williams#18 · 112/158 · 1267 yds · 6 TD · 1 INT
  • RBD'Andre Swift#4 · 143 car · 545 yds · 10 TD · 24 rec
  • WRRome Odunze#15 · 28 rec · 468 yds · 0 TD · 44 tgt
  • WRLuther Burden III#10 · 42 rec · 547 yds · 3 TD · 56 tgt
  • WRKalif Raymond#14 · 28 rec · 258 yds · 1 TD · 34 tgt
  • TEColston Loveland#84 · 33 rec · 309 yds · 2 TD · 51 tgt
  • LTTheo Benedet#79
  • LGJoe Thuney#62
  • CGarrett Bradbury#67
  • RGJonah Jackson#73
  • RTDarnell Wright#58

Lions defense · Base 4-3 D

  • RDETyler Lacy#93 · 6 tackles
  • RDTTyleik Williams#91 · 16 tackles
  • LDTAlim McNeill#54 · 14 tackles · 4.5 sacks · 1 PD
  • LDEAidan Hutchinson#97 · 20 tackles · 5 sacks · 1 PD
  • WLBDerrick Barnes#55 · 34 tackles · 3 sacks · 1 INT · 2 PD
  • MLBJack Campbell#46 · 58 tackles
  • SLBMalcolm Rodriguez#44 · 18 tackles · 0.5 sacks
  • RCBEnnis Rakestraw Jr.#2 · 10 tackles · 2 PD
  • LCBD.J. Reed#4 · 41 tackles · 1 INT · 7 PD
  • NBRoger McCreary#21 · 26 tackles · 1 sack · 7 PD
  • SSBrian Branch#32 · 7 tackles · 1 INT · 1 PD
  • FSChuck Clark#36 · 43 tackles · 1 sack · 1 INT · 2 PD

Starters from each team's current depth chart (nflverse, from ESPN), drawn in the offense's base three-receiver set against the defense's base front. The nickel back, the extra defensive back most teams use against three receivers, is drawn lighter. Left and right are as the offense sees the field. The toggle at the top flips which offense is drawn.

Head to head · CHI offense against DET defense
StatCHI CHI offFavors CHI · Favors DETDET DET def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.06#8
+0.11#30+0.00
Success rate
47%#8
45%#2544%
Yards per play
5.5#15
5.6#215.4
Explosive play rate
10%#10
11%#309%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.11#12
+0.18#29+0.03
Sack rate
6%#17
8%#77%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.02#11
-0.09#13-0.08
Yards per carry
4.3#11
3.9#164.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
44%#7
46%#2741%
Red zone TD rate
59%#18
74%#2861%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
166#8
177#27147
TE yards per game
54#18
98#3255
TE targets per game
8.8#6
11.4#327.6
RB receiving yards per game
34#11
23#832
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Bears: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.015% of throws
+0.215% of throws
-0.088% of throws
Short
+0.0924% of throws
+0.4024% of throws
+0.1434% of throws

Lions: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.0318 throws
+1.2918 throws
+1.3224 throws
Short
+0.0079 throws
+0.5645 throws
+0.19101 throws

Green gains more than expected, red loses value. Cells with fewer than 5 throws are grayed out.