Lions at Bears: Week 17 preview, odds and injuries

Week 17 · Sun, Jan 3 · Soldier Field4:25 PM ET

at4:25 PMET · Fox

At a glanceUpdated Nov 10, 2026, 5:10 PM ET

The Detroit Lions (6-2) visit the Chicago Bears (7-2) on Sun, Jan 3, 4:25 PM ET at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL (Week 17, 2026 season), on Fox.

When and where is Lions vs Bears?

Sun, Jan 3, 4:25 PM ET at Soldier Field in Chicago, IL. TV: Fox.

Who is injured for Lions vs Bears?

Lions: Kerby Joseph (S, out, knee), Cade Mays (C, questionable, ankle), D.J. Reed (CB, questionable, hip), DJ Wonnum (LB, questionable, concussion) and Jacob Saylors (RB, questionable, neck). Bears: Case Keenum (QB, out), Kyle Monangai (RB, out, toe), Malik Muhammad II (CB, out, toe), Luther Burden III (WR, questionable, concussion) and Tyrique Stevenson Sr. (CB, questionable, hand).

Cite this page

Pigskin Nightly, “Lions at Bears: Week 17 preview”, https://pigskinnightly.com/games/2027-01-03-det-at-chi (updated 2026-11-10).

How we calculate Plain-text version Report an error

Regular season through week 16 · rank out of 32

Where this game will be decided

1Bears third-down defense vs Lions third-down offense
The Bears' third-down defense ranks 1st in third-down conversion rate (22.8% allowed, 92 third downs faced) and faces a Lions third-down offense ranked 22nd (37.2%, 94 third downs).
22ndDET offense21 spots apart1stCHI defense
2Lions big-play offense vs Bears defense against big plays
The Lions' big-play offense ranks 5th in explosive-play rate (10.8%, 517 plays) against a Bears defense against big plays ranked 22nd (9.9% allowed, 473 plays faced).
5thDET offense17 spots apart22ndCHI defense
3Bears dropback offense vs Lions pass defense
The Bears' dropback offense ranks 12th in EPA per dropback (+0.09, 354 dropbacks) against a Lions pass defense ranked 27th (+0.16 allowed, 355 dropbacks faced).
12thCHI offense15 spots apart27thDET defense

When the Lions have the ballNo big edge

DET dropback offenseEPA per dropbackCHI pass defense

5th+0.21299 dropbacks

-0.03 allowed303 dropbacks faced7th

DET run gameEPA per rushCHI run defense

13th-0.05218 rushes

-0.08 allowed170 rushes faced15th

Dropbacks include sacks and scrambles; rushes are designed runs. What EPA measures.

When the Bears have the ballEdge CHI · +15 ranks

CHI dropback offenseEPA per dropbackDET pass defense

12th+0.09354 dropbacks

CHI +15

+0.16 allowed355 dropbacks faced27th

CHI run gameEPA per rushDET run defense

11th-0.04270 rushes

-0.11 allowed164 rushes faced12th

Third downEdge CHI · +21 ranks

DET third-down offensethird-down conversion rateCHI third-down defense

22nd37.2%94 third downs

CHI +21

22.8% allowed92 third downs faced1st

CHI third-down offensethird-down conversion rateDET third-down defense

7th45.3%128 third downs

CHI +19

44.9% allowed107 third downs faced26th

Conversions are third-down snaps that gained a first down or scored.

Red zoneNo big edge

DET red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateCHI red-zone defense

13th62%34 trips

56% allowed25 trips faced14th

CHI red-zone offensered-zone touchdown rateDET red-zone defense

20th54%37 trips

66% allowed29 trips faced23rd

A trip is a drive with at least one snap inside the opponent's 20; the rate is trips that ended in an offensive touchdown. Small samples swing fast here.

Explosive playsEdge DET · +17 ranks

DET big-play offenseexplosive-play rateCHI defense against big plays

5th10.8%517 plays

DET +17

9.9% allowed473 plays faced22nd

CHI big-play offenseexplosive-play rateDET defense against big plays

11th9.8%624 plays

CHI +17

11.0% allowed519 plays faced28th

Completions of 20+ yards and runs of 10+, per snap. Definition.

Pressure & sacksEdge CHI · +16 ranks

DET pass protectionsack rateCHI pass rush

19th6.4% sacked299 dropbacks

CHI +16

8.6% of dropbacks303 dropbacks faced3rd

CHI pass protectionsack rateDET pass rush

13th5.6% sacked354 dropbacks

7.6% of dropbacks355 dropbacks faced7th

Sacks per dropback. The public play-by-play has no pressure charting, so this is the sack side of it only.

TurnoversEdge DET · +17 ranks

DET ball securityturnovers per gameCHI takeaway defense

2nd0.6 giveaways a game8 games

DET +17

1.1 takeaways a game9 games19th

CHI ball securityturnovers per gameDET takeaway defense

29th1.9 giveaways a game9 games

1.0 takeaways a game8 games22nd

Interceptions and lost fumbles on offensive snaps, per game. Turnover rates are among the least stable numbers in football.

AbsencesDET 0 · CHI 1 regulars out or doubtful

Lions5 listed

0 of them are regulars ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

QD.J. ReedCB94% defense · 7 wk
QCade MaysC66% offense · 2 wk
QDJ WonnumLB54% defense · 7 wk
QJacob SaylorsRB3% offense · 7 wk
OUTKerby JosephSno snaps

Bears5 listed

1 of them is a regular ruled out or doubtful (60%+ of their unit's snaps across 3+ weeks on the field).

OUTMalik Muhammad IICB75% defense · 7 wk
QTyrique Stevenson Sr.CB67% defense · 8 wk
QLuther Burden IIIWR60% offense · 9 wk
OUTCase KeenumQB45% offense · 3 wk
OUTKyle MonangaiRB41% offense · 4 wk

Snap share is the average of the weeks each player was on the field this season. Full injury report ↓

Rest & travelCHI +3 days of rest · DET travels 237 mi

AwayLions

6days since last game

237miles to get here

1time zones

Last: Mon wk 16 vs NYG · 7,124 mi flown this season

Normal week

Rest edge+3CHI daysTravel gap 237 mi

HomeBears

9days since last game

0miles · home

0time zones

Last: Fri wk 16 vs GB · 6,181 mi flown this season

Normal week

League splits for these situations ↓

Sample: DET 8 games, 517 offensive and 519 defensive plays · CHI 9 games, 624 offensive and 473 defensive plays. Rank 1 is the best offense or the best defense in each stat. Keys are the largest rank gaps (12+ spots) between an offense and the defense it faces, one per stat. Ranks are not schedule-adjusted.

Season to date · rank out of 32