The Athletic has live coverage of Lions vs. Broncos

The Detroit Lions head to Chicago to take on the Bears on Sunday with the teams at opposite ends of the NFC North standings. Out of the bye week, the Bears will host the division-leading Lions as underdogs.

Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Sunday at Soldier Field in Chicago. The game will be televised on FOX.

Advertisement

The Lions are 9-3 for the first time since 1962. Detroit’s success has created hopes the Lions can win their first division title since 1993. Reaching those expectations would require not giving away games to inferior competition, which the Lions have recently either flirted with or have done. In the last four games, the Lions beat the Chargers on a last-second field goal, came back from 12 points down with less than four minutes to go to beat the Bears, lost to the Packers and saw a 21-point lead turn into a five-point win against New Orleans last week.

Raising their level on the defensive side of the ball would help tremendously prevent said situations from arising. The Lions allowed 26 or more points in each of its last four games after doing so only twice in the eight games prior.

The Bears did their best to upset the Lions in Week 11, but a 17-0 Detroit run over the final few minutes of the fourth quarter erased a 12-point Chicago cushion and stuck a fork in those upset plans. But one win and a bye week later, it might not be an outrageous thought to imagine the Bears being in a position to come out of Week 14 victorious. For that scenario to play out, Chicago will need Justin Fields to not turn the ball over.

Eight of the previous 10 meetings between these two NFC North foes were decided by one score.

All odds from BetMGM. Looking for NFL tickets? Buy them here.

What are the odds for Lions vs. Bears?

Storylines for Lions vs. Bears

How the Lions’ defense can improve: More takeaways, tighten up in red zone

Bears rookie progress report: Positive signs for Darnell Wright, Tyson Bagent, others

Expert picks for Lions vs. Bears

(Photo of Jahmyr Gibbs: Chris Graythen / Getty Images)