What's at stake for the Chicago Bears in Week 18 vs. the Lions

Bears vs. Lions: Will Ben Johnson bury his former team?

The regular season winds down Sunday at Soldier Field as the Bears hope to knock off their divisional foe and lock up the #2 seed in the playoffs. Cassie, Lou & Anthony get you ready for the Bears' regular season finale against the Lions. Will Ben Johnson look to bury his former team early in the game, and how important is it for Caleb Williams to reach 4,000 passing yards? Also, is the Bears' turnover reliant defense sustainable in the postseason?

The final week of the regular season looks nothing like plenty thought it would be.

The Detroit Lions are out of the playoffs. The Green Bay Packers are the final seed in the playoffs. The Chicago Bears are NFC North champs.

With most everything locked up, there are still a few things the Bears can tie up on Sunday.

Here’s what will be on the line Sunday as the Bears close out the regular season against the Detroit Lions.

Will Caleb Williams set Bears’ multiple Bears passing records?

To Ben Johnson, the numbers don’t mean much.

So what if Caleb Williams makes it to 4,000 yards passing on a season, right? Winning the game will always come first in that regard.

"I think it's an arbitrary number," Johnson said. "There are probably some that don't have a 5,000-yard passer either. Right?"

Some, yes. There have been just nine teams that have a 5,000-yard passer. No, the Bears are not one of them.

So, tell that to Bears fans, who have never seen a 4,000-yard passer. The best passing season in Bears’ history was Erik Kramer’s 3,838-yard passing season in 1995. Williams needs 109 yards to break that Bears’ record and 270 yards to eclipse 4,000 yards.

To Williams, though, this is expected. He was drafted by Chicago for a reason.

"It'd be cool just in the sense of there’s never been one here," Williams said. "I think I was brought here for those types of things and these type of moments – things that haven't been done here to try and be able to accomplish."

If he can become the team’s first 4,000-yard passer, Williams lives up to the billing as a No. 1 overall pick. He’s becoming a franchise-changing quarterback.

Can the Bears accomplish a rare feat?

The Bears have 32 takeaways and just 10 giveaways this season. That’s the most takeaways in the league and the fewest giveaways in the league.

If the Bears can avoid a meltdown on offense and record a takeaway or two on defense, they’d be the first team since the 49ers in 2011 to lead the league in takeaways while committing the fewest turnovers.

There are just three teams in the last 28 seasons to achieve that: the 2011 49ers, 2009 Packers and 1997 Giants. The 2011 49ers had a 13-3 record and reached the NFC Championship Game before falling to the New York Giants.

The Jaguars are currently behind the Bears with 30 takeaways. The Texans are ahead of the Bears with 12 giveaways.

A significant reason why the Bears have just 10 giveaways this season is that Williams has thrown only six interceptions. That’s among the lowest in the league.

"It's not like I haven't put the ball in harm's way this year or throughout my career, it's just the belief and trust in them," Williams said. "Belief and trust in myself and what I'm seeing. I think I heard Matthew Stafford say this once, sometimes when you throw a hard enough and typically the DBs can't catch it."

What can the Bears gain Sunday?

It all comes down to seeding, now.

The Bears aren’t in a position to win the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC anymore after losing to the 49ers. But, they still have a home playoff game coming soon.

If the Bears win Sunday, they’ll lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC. That means they’ll have a home playoff game against the Packers.

If the Bears lose, that could slot them down to the No. 3 seed in the NFC. That would still mean getting a home playoff game, but that would mean facing either the Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers or Seattle Seahawks.

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