The Detroit Lions don’t have much of anything to play for. They’re obviously already out of playoff contention, and, in fact, they’ve already clinched last place in the NFC North—which does come with some 2026 perks.
A first-to-worst season is not what was expected nor what should be considered acceptable around these parts. But you don’t have to tell Lions coach Dan Campbell that. He already warned that changes are inevitable this upcoming offseason.
But the Lions aren’t quite ready to turn the page just yet. The team plans on playing their starters for the finale against the Chicago Bears, and they won’t go quietly into the night. The Bears are playing for the two seed over the three seed—and maybe a chance to get a quarterback to 4,000 yards in a season. We’ll recap it all right here.
This post will serve as a live-updating story on the game. When the Lions and Bears kick off at 4:25 p.m. ET, I will populate this story with drive-by-drive analysis, the biggest highlights of the game, score updates, and any sort of injury news that drops during the game. All you have to do is refresh the page occasionally and watch the updates come in.
Once the game is over, this will turn into our game recap, where you’ll be able to track all the biggest moments of the game, watch the full-game highlights, and share your thoughts on the contest in the comment section at the bottom of the page.
For the last time for the 2025 season… GO LIONS!
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First quarter
The Lions won the toss and wanted the ball first.
Amon-Ra St. Brown helped the Lions avoid a three-and-out with a diving 2-yard reception on third down. Rookie Isaac TeSlaa picked up 18 yards on the very next play to move into Bears territory. Then Jared Goff threw a 13-yard pass under pressure to Jameson Williams. After another first down, the Lions faced a third-and-6 in the red zone, and Goff’s attempt to St. Brown was broken up by Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. The Lions would kick a 34-yard field goal to take the early lead. 3-0 Lions.
After opening the drive with an 8-yard pass, the Bears followed with six straight runs for a collective 21 yards, setting up a third-and-9 near midfield. The Lions sniffed out Chicago’s screen attempt, forcing an incompletion and a punt.
The Lions offense went right back to work on the back of St. Brown. The Lions receiver converted a third-and-9 with a 14 yard reception, then followed it up with another 11 to move into Bears territory as the first half came to a close.
Second quarter
Detroit tried to kick off the second quarter with a trick play, but the reverse flea flicker was batted down at the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Goff moved the chains by buying some time and finding Williams for 13 yards. After a holding penalty on Tate Ratledge moved the Lions back, Detroit chipped away and found themselves in a third-and-7. They went right back to trusty St. Brown for 12 yards and a new set of downs.
But Detroit would stall in the red zone again—three straight incomplete passes—and settle for a field goal to make it 6-0 Lions.
Still, the Lions defense would hold strong, forcing a quick three-and-out. Linebacker Jack Campbell nearly had an interception on first down, and Aidan Hutchinson closed out the series with a sack.
Detroit nearly went three-and-out after three consecutive runs to Jahmyr Gibbs, but the Lions lined up to go for it on fourth down and the Bears jumped offsides to gift Detroit a new set of downs. Then St. Brown took over again. He picked up 11 yards, and then on a third-and-4, Goff hit Saint for a 30-yard crossed to bring the Lions into the red zone for the third time. This time, they finally cashed in with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Gibbs for a 13-0 Lions lead.
The Bears looked like they were finally going to get on the board before the end of the half. Caleb Williams converted a fourth-and-1 at midfield by finding a wide-open Colston Loveland for 11 yards. On third-and-14, williams then found Loveland again for 12 yards—setting up another fourth down. The Bears went for it again, but this time Derrick Barnes did a beautiful job breaking up a pass to Loveland to force an incompletion.
With 30 seconds left in the half—and two timeouts in hand—the Lions looked to add to their lead. So who did the Lions go to? St. Brown, of course, who picked up gains of 6 and 17 yards to move into the edge of field goal position. Jake Bates had an opportunity to kick a 53-yard field goal at tricky Soldier Field, but missed it wide left to keep it 13-0 at halftime.
Third quarter
Detroit’s defense started with another three-and-out forced after Rock Ya-Sin broke up a third-down pass intended for Loveland.
Detroit couldn’t add to their lead, though. After four straight rushes, the Lions faced a third-and-4. Goff made a big mistake by failing to see the play clock, resulting in a delay of game. Then on third-and-9, Goff was sacked and Lions punted the ball back to the Bears.
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