DOWN X DOWN › week 12 › Bears at Lions
Updated Nov 2, 5:48 PM ET
2026

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

DETvsCHI

Lions offensevsBears defense

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

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

Red zone touchdowns

Lions score a touchdown on 69% of red zone trips (5th). Bears allow 69% (25th).

02
Opportunity

Deep left is open

Bears are worst against deep left throws, allowing +0.50 EPA per attempt. Lions send 6% of their throws there. That is a small part of their offense so far.

03
Watch out

Third downs favor Bears

Lions convert 39% of third downs (22nd). Bears allow 26% (1st).

04
Wash

Success rate

Call this one even. Lions succeed on 49% of plays (3rd) against a defense that allows 41% (7th).

Players to watch

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
Overall5–25–2
Division0–22–0
Conference3–24–1
Other conference2–01–1
Home3–14–0
Away2–11–2
Last 5WWLWWWLWWW
StreakWon 2Won 3
Points a game25.7 – 20.429.0 – 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 · Lions offense against the Bears defenseDepth charts
Bears defense · 4-3 DLions offense · 3WR 1TE58Sewell73Mahogany64Mays69RatledgeMiller87LaPorta16Goff0Gibbs14Brown18TeSlaa1Williams97Lynch99Simmons50Jarrett98Sweat12Bush53Edwards48Jackson29Stevenson1Johnson6Gordon31Thieneman21Lewis

Lions offense · 3WR 1TE

  • QBJared Goff#16 · 168/248 · 1964 yds · 15 TD · 1 INT
  • RBJahmyr Gibbs#0 · 157 car · 773 yds · 10 TD · 34 rec
  • WRAmon-Ra St. Brown#14 · 53 rec · 571 yds · 5 TD · 76 tgt
  • WRJameson Williams#1 · 27 rec · 437 yds · 5 TD · 44 tgt
  • WRIsaac TeSlaa#18 · 10 rec · 197 yds · 0 TD · 21 tgt
  • TESam LaPorta#87 · 31 rec · 367 yds · 3 TD · 44 tgt
  • LTPenei Sewell#58
  • LGChristian Mahogany#73
  • CCade Mays#64
  • RGTate Ratledge#69
  • RTBlake Miller

Bears defense · Base 4-3 D

  • RDEJames Lynch#97 · 16 tackles · 1 PD
  • RDTJeffery Simmons#99 · 38 tackles · 4 sacks · 3 PD
  • LDTGrady Jarrett#50 · 12 tackles
  • LDEMontez Sweat#98 · 7 tackles · 2 sacks
  • WLBDevin Bush#12 · 38 tackles · 1 sack · 1 PD
  • MLBT.J. Edwards#53 · 15 tackles · 1 INT · 3 PD
  • SLBD'Marco Jackson#48 · 21 tackles · 1 INT · 1 PD
  • RCBTyrique Stevenson#29 · 23 tackles · 3 PD
  • LCBJaylon Johnson#1 · 19 tackles · 2 PD
  • NBKyler Gordon#6 · 7 tackles · 4 sacks
  • SSDillon Thieneman#31 · 46 tackles · 1.5 sacks · 1 INT · 5 PD
  • FSCam Lewis#21 · 27 tackles

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 · DET offense against CHI defense
StatDET DET offFavors DET · Favors CHICHI CHI def allowsNFL avg
Overall
EPA per play
+0.12#6
-0.01#15+0.00
Success rate
49%#3
41%#744%
Yards per play
6.0#7
6.3#325.4
Explosive play rate
12%#3
11%#269%
Passing
Pass EPA per dropback
+0.25#2
+0.01#15+0.03
Sack rate
6%#14
9%#27%
Running
Run EPA per carry
-0.05#13
-0.08#15-0.08
Yards per carry
4.7#6
4.2#194.1
Money downs
3rd down conversion
39%#22
26%#141%
Red zone TD rate
69%#5
69%#2561%
Targets by position
WR yards per game
173#7
149#19147
TE yards per game
60#14
57#2155
TE targets per game
7.6#15
6.6#77.6
RB receiving yards per game
48#5
35#2132
Where the ball goes · EPA per throwDeep is 15+ air yds

Lions: EPA per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+1.526% of throws
+0.337% of throws
+0.757% of throws
Short
+0.2033% of throws
+0.4419% of throws
+0.1928% of throws

Bears: EPA allowed per throw

Left
Middle
Right
Deep
+0.5016 throws
+1.408 throws
+0.4815 throws
Short
-0.0958 throws
+0.2333 throws
+0.0863 throws

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