Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears Prediction, 1/4/2026 NFL Picks, Best Bets & Odds Week 18

Game: Detroit Lions vs Chicago Bears

Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026

Location: Soldier Field in Chicago, IL

TV: FOX

Odds-Point Spread: Bears (-3)

Total-Over-Under: 50.5

Soldier Field is the site where the Chicago Bears (11-5) will try to defeat the Detroit Lions (8-8) on Sunday. Chicago opens as 3-point favorites from oddsmakers. The total is set at 50.5.

The Detroit Lions step on the gridiron holding a record of 8-8 for this campaign. In their last contest, the Lions took on the Minnesota Vikings and took a loss by a score of 23-10. Jared Goff finished 18-29 with 197 yards through the air and 1 touchdown. He had a quarterback rate of 64.9 and walked away from the game with 2 picks. Amon-Ra St. Brown averaged 8.5 yds per catch by accumulating 68 yds on 8 receptions. Jahmyr Gibbs was the rushing leader for the Lions with 17 attempts for 41 yds (2.4 yds per attempt). When all was said and done, they ran 59 plays for 231 yards. The Detroit Lions ran the rock 30 different times and compiled 68 yds, which had them averaging 2.3 yds per attempt. On the ground, the Lions gave up 158 yards on 28 attempts, which calculates to 5.6 yards per run allowed. Detroit relinquished 9 pass completions on 16 tries for a total of 3 yards, and a completion rate of 56.3%.

The Lions have earned 5,911 yds over the course of this year. Detroit has earned 207 first downs as an offense, and they have committed 98 infractions for 683 total yards. When talking about getting the ball in the endzone, Detroit has attained 34 passing TD's and 21 TD's on the ground. They have surrendered the football 14 different times (7 interceptions and 7 fumbles lost). Offensively, they're averaging 119.9 rushing yds which has them ranked 15th in pro football. When talking about putting the ball in the endzone, the Detroit Lions are sitting at 28.9 points per contest.

The Lions rank 24th in pro football regarding their defensive prowess, relinquishing 24.8 points per outing. They are allowing an average of 4.4 yards per run and 117.6 running yds per contest for this campaign. When examining pass yards, the Lions have allowed 3,490 total yards, giving them a rank of 19th in pro football. They have conceded 218.1 total yards per game via the pass, and are giving up a completion% of 61.7%. In total, they are granting 335.8 yds per game, which ranks 18th in professional football. They have yielded 29 touchdowns through the air, along with 16 touchdowns to runners. In total, they have allowed 1,882 yards via the running game in 16 outings on the year.

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The Bears step on the gridiron with a record of 11-5 on the campaign. The last time they took the field, the Bears took a loss by a score of 42-38 against the San Francisco 49ers. D'Andre Swift carried the ball 9 times for 54 yards, ending the contest with 6.0 yards per carry for Chicago. Luther Burden was featured in the passing game for the Bears, grabbing 8 passes for 138 yards (17.3 yds per catch). Caleb Williams (2 TDs) finished the game with 330 yds on 25-42 through the air while his quarterback rate was 100.3. He didn't throw any interceptions and his average yds per pass attempt was 7.9 yds. Chicago allowed 34 running attempts for 200 yards (5.9 yds per rush). The Bears secondary conceded a completion rate of 72.7%, relinquishing 296 yds on 24 out of 33 through the air. The Bears finished with 440 yds while running 64 plays (6.9 yards per play). Chicago ended up running for 5.0 yards per carry, finishing the contest with 110 yards on 22 carries.

With reference to how much they score, the Bears are sitting 10th in pro football, by scoring 26.6 PPG. So far this year, the Bears have thrown for a total of 3,621 passing yards and are averaging 226.3 passing yards per game, which has them ranked 11th in pro football. They have an average of 149.4 running yards per outing, and have carried the football for 2,391 total yards. The Chicago Bears have an average of 375.8 total yards per outing, putting them 3rd in pro football. The Chicago offense has granted 945 yds on 116 penalties, which ranks 6th in professional football concerning making mistakes. They have thrown 6 picks while giving up 4 lost fumbles, and have earned 180 1st downs as a team.

They have yielded 31 touchdowns through the air along with 222.0 passing yds per game, which ranks 21st in professional football. Chicago has surrendered a total of 2,165 rush yds (135.3 yards per outing), and 15 touchdowns to rushers over the course of the season. The defense has earned 32 takeaways (10 fumbles forced and 22 INTs) so far this year. Altogether, they have conceded 396 total points. The Bears defense has been on the field for 953 plays from scrimmage, which has them ranking 10th in pro football. The Bears are conceding 24.8 points per outing, ranking this team at 22nd in football.

Who will win tonight's Lions-Bears NFL game against the spread?

Josh's Pick: Take the Lions +3

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