Story byMike Pendleton, Bears WireMon, January 5, 2026 at 2:26 AM UTC·3 min readIt took far too long for the Chicago Bears to be competitive in their Week 18 regular-season finale against the Detroit Lions, and it was not a game that will give any confidence to the team or the fanbase. Chicago was down 16-0 entering the fourth quarter, but they put together two scoring drives to storm all the way back and tie the game. Detroit would get the ball late in the fourth quarter, throw an interception that Chicago was unable to capitalize on, and gave the Lions their momentum back. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIn the end, Jake Bates kicked the game-winning field for Detroit, sweeping the season series against the Bears, and seeing Chicago end their regular season with an 11-6 record but ultimately claiming the No. 2 seed in the NFC. In what was an emotional roller coaster of a game, especially in the fourth quarter, the Bears had more disappointing performances than positive ones, leaving much to be desired ahead of next week's wild-card playoff game against the Green Bay Packers.
