As far as championship aspirations go, the Detroit Lions have nothing left to play for this season. A loss could give them a favorable fourth-place schedule next season, but resting players in a "meaningless game" has never been the Dan Campbell way.
That may be one of the reasons why the Lions will play the Chicago Bears as one of the premium 4:25 P.M. (EST) games on Sunday, January 4th, on FOX.
Details for our Week 18 matchup at Chicago have been announced. pic.twitter.com/ZI2wcqfahO
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 29, 2025
The timeslots for the final week of the regular season are determined after the Week 17 games have ended. This is so the NFL can maximize viewership for Week 18 by ensuring fans can see the games with the biggest stakes and appeal.
The Lions-Bears game does have meaningful playoff stakes for the Bears. Depending on how this week ends, the Bears will be either the #2 seed or the #3 seed. A #2 seed would mean a playoff game against a battered Green Bay Packers. A #3 seed would mean a matchup against one of the three NFC West teams, the Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, or the Seattle Seahawks. It's easy to see what their preference is.
For the Lions, it's only pride. A win would mean bringing their streak of above .500 seasons to four. That would be tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history and tied for their longest in the Super Bowl era. The Lions are in the midst of a three-game losing streak and are overwhelmed with injuries, but ending the season on a high note could ease anxiety among fans that the Super Bowl window is closed.
A win would also mean another victory over former offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who in his first season with the Bears led them to an NFC North title. Johnson is still waiting for his first victory over his former team after the Lions demolished the Bears 52-21 in Week 2, which feels like millennia ago. This game may also end up being an audition for members of Johnson's coaching staff, as there's growing speculation that Dan Campbell may look in their direction for the Lions' next OC.
All that considered, it's easy to see why the NFL wanted the Lions and Bears to be one of the late-afternoon games. However, the Lions were probably wishing for one of those earlier timeslots for one reason and one reason only: the weather.
A later timeslot may not have been ideal for the Lions
The good news for the Lions at this stage is that they won't be playing in Chicago at night. The bad news is that they'll be playing while the sun is beginning to go down.
As of Monday, AccuWeather has Sunday's game as partly sunny with a high of 37 degrees. This is the highest high temperature forecasted within the next week. That high temperature would likely come prior to kickoff, which would be 3:25 P.M. local time. AccuWeather also has a 12% chance of precipitation with 10 MPH winds.
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Reading that forecast would send cold chills down the spine of any Lions fan from the warm comfort of their home. Week 18 was always going to be a cold-weather game, but a late-afternoon timeslot makes for an even colder experience for fans in attendance and for quarterback Jared Goff.
Cold weather, glove-wearing, Goff has built up a reputation for poor play outdoors and in the elements. The truth is, there isn't too much of a drop-off in his play in outdoor games compared to indoor games, based on his splits, but narratives have a way of sticking. Especially after his performance in Philadelphia in November, where he posted a career-low 37.8% completion percentage in a seven-point loss.
The stage is now set for the final game of the 2025 Lions season, and their rematch against Johnson and the division-winning Bears. Whether it's pride or seeding, both teams have something to play for and will likely be going all out in order to win. So long as the cold is not a factor, it should be an entertaining game, which is definitely what the NFL was hoping for when giving them a late-afternoon timeslot.