When the Bears have the ball
Caleb Williams quarterbacks a Bears offense that ranks in the top 10 in the NFL in scoring (10th at 26.6 points per game) and total yards (3rd at 375.8) after finishing in the bottom five in both categories last season.
Williams has thrown for 3,730 yards with 25 touchdowns, six interceptions and a 90.3 passer rating. He has also rushed for 387 yards and 3 TDs on 76 carries and reduced the number of sacks he has taken from 68 last season to 23 this year.
The USC product enters the regular-season finale playing the best football of his two-year NFL career. He has thrown multiple touchdown passes in each of the last four games and has passed for at least 240 yards and two TDs with no interceptions in each of his last three starts—both his longest streaks as a pro.
Williams needs 109 yards versus the Lions to break Erik Kramer’s single-season Bears record of 3,838 set in 1995 and 270 yards to become the franchise’s first 4,000-yard passer.
“If it were to happen, that’d be great,” Johnson said about Williams reaching the 4,000-yard plateau. “But he would agree with me when I say that our No. 1 objective is to win this ballgame. Whatever that takes, that’s our goal.”
Williams has spread the ball around in the passing game, as evidenced by the Bears having four players with 44-49 receptions and 617-671 yards in DJ Moore (49-671), Rome Odunze (44-661), Colston Loveland (48-622) and Luther Burden III (44-617).
The Bears rank third in the NFL in rushing (149.4 yards) and second since their Week 5 bye (165.2). They are the league’s only team with two runners who have gained at least 750 yards in D’Andre Swift (1,047) and Kyle Monangai (769).
An improved offensive line is led by two players who were voted to the Pro Bowl Games in left guard Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman, both of whom were acquired during the offseason as part of a plan to fortify the interior of the line.
The Lions defense ranks 23rd in points allowed per game (24.8) and 18th in total yards (335.8), 16th against the run (117.6) and 19th versus the pass (218.1). The unit is led by two Pro Bowlers in end Aidan Hutchinson, who ranks fifth in the NFL with a career-high 13.5 sacks, and linebacker Jack Campbell, who is third in the league with 165 tackles and is second on the Lions with 5.5 sacks.
“They’ve given up some points over the last few games, but they’re still a very stout front,” Johnson said. “They guys are flying to the football. They create pressure. You see some explosive plays, but they’re all contested. It’s tight coverage on the back end and [defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard] is doing a great job getting those guys going. They play hard, they play fast and they play physical.”
Key matchup: Bears running back D’Andre Swift vs. Lions linebacker Jack Campbell
Swift needs just three yards to set a new career high in rushing yards in a season and already has the most rushing TDs in his six years in the NFL with nine. Campbell is a tackling machine who is headed to his first Pro Bowl since being selected by the Lions with the 18th pick in the first round of the 2023 draft out of Iowa.
When the Lions have the ball
Jared Goff quarterbacks a Lions offense that ranks third in the NFL in points per game (28.9) and sixth in yards (369.4), 15th rushing (119.9) and fifth passing (249.5). The four-time Pro Bowler has completed 68.3% of his passes for 4,233 yards with 33 TDs, seven interceptions and a 107.0 passer rating that ranks third in the league.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are one of two NFL receiving tandems to each have at least 1,000 yards this year. St. Brown, who is questionable for Sunday’s game with knee and ankle injuries, is fifth in the league in both receptions (106) and yards (1,262) and is tied for second with 11 TDs. Williams has caught 59 passes for 1,043 yards and seven TDs.
The Lions ground game is powered by the 1-2 tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Bears from 2019-22. Gibbs is seventh in the league with 1,725 yards from scrimmage and is tied for second with 17 TDs.
“Their skill positions are absolutely loaded,” Johnson said. “Receiver-wise, they’re fast. The quarterback is playing at a super high level. He’s so accurate. You give him a clean pocket, he can just pick you apart, and then these runners are dangerous, both of them.”
The Bears counter with a defense that leads the NFL with 32 takeaways and 22 interceptions. This season, they are 9-0 when they generate multiple turnovers and 2-5 when they create one or none. The unit has forced a turnover in its last nine games, the longest active streak in the NFL and the longest streak by the Bears in a single season since 2012.
Kevin Byard III leads the NFL with six interceptions and Nahshon Wright tops the league with eight takeaways; he’s tied for first with three fumble recoveries and tied for second with five interceptions.
The Lions had committed eight turnovers in their first 15 games this year before giving the ball away six times in their most recent contest, a Christmas Day loss in Minnesota. Goff was sacked five times in that game, matching a season high set in Detroit’s first meeting with the Vikings.
The Bears hope to affect the quarterback more than they did in San Francisco when they registered only one sack and one hit versus Brock Purdy.
“I think winning the line of scrimmage is going to be a big part of trying to win this game,” said defensive coordinator Dennis Allen. “When you look at the quarterback and being able to affect him in a lot of max protection stuff, play-actions, things designed to help protect him and keep that pocket clean for him, when they’re able to do that, they execute at a very high level.
“So, that’ll be a challenge for us trying to win the line of scrimmage. A lot of what they do starts in the run game, being able to run the ball effectively. This Jahmyr Gibbs is a [heck] of a player. As he goes, when he’s really rolling, their offense really rolls. So, that’ll be a huge part of what they want to do.”
Key matchup: Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards vs. Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs
A home-run threat who possesses speed and explosiveness, Gibbs fuels Detroit’s explosive offense. The Lions are 8-1 this season when he scores a touchdown and 0-7 when he does not. Edwards and the Bears defense must contain Gibbs, especially on first and second down to create predictable passing situations on third down.
Fun facts
- The Bears have won six games this season in which they trailed in the final two minutes of regulation, the most by any team since the NFL/AFL merger in 1970.
- The Bears have won six consecutive home games, their longest streak in a single season since they also won six straight in 2005.
- Johnson is just the second Bears coach to win six home games in a row in his first season, joining Paddy Driscoll in 1956.
- Since 2016, Bears left guard Joe Thuney has played in 136 wins in the regular season and postseason, the most of NFL player. He has won nine division titles in 10 years in the league. The only time he did not capture a division crown was 2020 with New England. Thuney has won four Super Bowls, two with the Patriots and two with the Chiefs.
- The Bears have not allowed a score on their opponents’ first possession in five straight games and in 14 of 16 contests this season. The 10 points they’ve permitted on opening drives this year are the fewest in the NFL.
- With a victory Sunday, Williams would become only the third quarterback drafted No. 1 overall to win 12 or more games in his second season, joining Peyton Manning in 1999 and John Elway in 1984. No quarterback has ever done it as a rookie.
