Game day guide: Everything you need to know for the Detroit Lions' season finale in Chicago

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● What: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears

● When: Sunday, Jan. 4, 4:25 p.m.

● Where: Soldier Field, Chicago

● How to watch: FOX (Burkhardt/Brady/Andrews/Rinaldi)

● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.

● Line: Bears -3

● Injury report: The Lions have ruled out five players, including four starters. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell will miss his first game since 2021 due to an ankle injury, while linebacker Alex Anzalone (concussion), defensive tackle Alim McNeill (abdomen) and safety Thomas Harper (concussion) also won’t suit up for the season finale.

● Officiating assignment: Brad Rogers’ crew.

● Last meeting: Detroit had a feel-good moment in Week 2, stomping the Bears, 52-21 at Ford Field. Quarterback Jared Goff posted a near-perfect passer rating, connecting on 23-of-28 throws for 334 yards, five touchdowns and zero interceptions in the win. Amon-Ra St. Brown was the recipient of three of those scores as part of a nine-catch day.

Three things worth watching

● The Lions are playing for pride on Sunday, while the Bears are fighting for playoff seeding. With a victory, Chicago would capture the No. 2 seed in the NFC and the right to host rival Green Bay during Wild Card weekend.

A loss, paired with an Eagles win, means Chicago slips to the No. 3 spot in the conference, where they’d host either San Francisco or the Los Angeles Rams.

More importantly, the No. 2 seed would guarantee the Bears the right to host a Divisional Round matchup if they advance out of the opening round. That’s a significant incentive.

Meanwhile, if the Lions can pull off the season sweep, they secure a winning season for the fourth straight year. The last time the franchise accomplished that feat was from 1969-72.

However, with a loss, the Lions could move up a few spots in the draft order. They’ll enter Sunday slated to select 15th in the first round. A loss gets them to 14th, with the possibility of leaping both Dallas and Atlanta, if either emerges victorious on Sunday.

● After getting embarrassed by his former employer earlier in the season, Ben Johnson is getting the last laugh, regardless of Sunday’s outcome, because he’s taking his new team to the playoffs, while the Lions are prematurely heading into what is shaping up to be an offseason full of self-reflection and adjustment.

Still, don’t rule out pettiness as a motivating factor in this game. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Johnson seeking a measure of revenge for Week 2, which could include a couple of extra trick plays and potentially running up the score, if the opportunity is there.

● Detroit will be down a handful of starters due to injury, but the team is planning to play all of its healthy regulars in the contest, despite minimal stakes. However, there’s hope that some of the roster’s younger, lesser-used players will get some offensive and defensive reps.

Keep an eye out for guys like Miles Frazier, Sione Vaki, Dominic Lovett and Mekhi Wingo, who could all be looked at to have bigger roles in 2026.

On the other side of that equation, it’s potentially going to be the last time you see several players in a Lions uniform. Kalif Raymond, Amik Robertson, DJ Reader, Malcolm Rodriguez and Al-Quadin Muhammad are among a group playing the last game on their current deals.

Meanwhile, others, such as Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow and David Montgomery, are under contract beyond this season, but could be on the way out. Decker and Glasgow will both weigh retirement, while Montgomery could be released or traded if the sides don’t feel they can find enough playing time to justify his salary after his role significantly shrank in 2025.