(670 The Score) Bears head coach Ben Johnson made it clear that his team won’t hold back in any way against the Lions on Sunday in their regular-season finale.
The Bears (11-5) can secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC with a victory over the Lions (8-8) or a loss by the Eagles (11-5) against the Commanders (4-12) on Sunday. The No. 2 seed would give the Bears home-field advantage in the divisional round should they win in the wild-card round.
“We’re playing to win this week,” Johnson said Monday.
The Bears clinched the NFC North on Saturday night by virtue of the Packers’ loss to the Ravens at Lambeau Field. Chicago then suffered a 42-38 loss at San Francisco on Sunday night.
Regardless of outcomes in Week 18, the Bears can’t drop below the No. 3 seed in the NFC. The Eagles currently hold that spot. Chicago and Philadelphia have identical records, but the Bears hold the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of their 24-15 win against the Eagles on Nov. 28.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni indicated to reporters in Philadelphia on Monday that he could hold out key players in his team’s regular-season finale, citing the importance of rest ahead of the postseason.
The Eagles rested their starters in the regular-season season finale in the 2024 campaign en route to a Super Bowl championship weeks later.
The Lions were eliminated from postseason contention Thursday with their loss to the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The season finale only holds significance for Detroit from a draft slot perspective.
The Bears and Lions will kick off at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday from Soldier Field. The Eagles and Commanders will kick off at the same time at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.