Starters will play against the Lions. Discover the crucial playoff implications and Caleb Williams' quest for franchise records in this pivotal Week 18 matchup.
The No. 1 seed is officially out the window for the Chicago Bears after falling to the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on Sunday.
The 49ers can now take the No. 1 seed from the Seattle Seahawks with a win since they have a better conference record. San Francisco is 9-2 in the NFC, while Seattle is 8-3.
The worst the Bears can do is finish as the No. 3 seed come playoff time, depending on what happens in Week 18. The Philadelphia Eagles game is the one to watch for the Bears.
For the Bears to get the No. 2 seed and play the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round, they either need to beat the Detroit Lions on Sunday or the Eagles need to lose to the Washington Commanders.
Because of how important the regular season finale is, the clear choice is to play starters, and head coach Ben Johnson agrees. Via ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Johnson is going to play the starters against the Lions.
"We're playing to win this week," Johnson said.
There is even more to play for when it comes to the legacy of Caleb Williams.
Williams is right on the cusp of breaking some Bears' records in Week 18. He is 108 yards from tying the single-season passing yards record set by former Chicago quarterback Erik Kramer in 1995 (3,838).
Williams has 3,730 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions on the year. On Sunday night, he finished with 330 passing yards and two touchdowns.
He is the third on the all-time list for single-season passing yards, sitting behind Jay Cutler (3,8212) and Kramer. Williams can also tie Kramer's record for single-season passing touchdowns (29) in Week 18, needing four more to do so.
On top of that, Williams can become the franchise's first-ever 4,000-yard passer in a season if he has at least 270 passing yards on Sunday versus the Lions.
Regardless of the personal accolades for Williams, there is a chance to get some much-needed revenge against Detroit. The Lions embarrassed the Bears in Week 2 in Johnson's first game back in Detroit, handing Chicago a 52-21 loss.
The players would love nothing more than to avenge that loss for their head coach at Soldier Field on Sunday.
There is still a lot to play for even if the No. 1 seed isn't in the cards for Chicago anymore. Kickoff is at 3:25 p.m. CT on Fox.