Where: Ford Field, Detroit (Indoors, FieldTurf)
When: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET (FOX)
Spread: Bears by 3
Records: Lions (4-11, NFC North 0-5); Bears (9-6, NFC North 2-3)
Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Oct. 22, 2012: Bears 13, Lions 7; Nov. 13, 2011: Bears 37, Lions 13. Series record: Chicago holds a 95-65-5 lead in the series, largely thanks to its dominance over Detroit in games played in the Windy City. The series is tied at 39 wins apiece in games played in Michigan.
What matters: Sunday’s game may technically be a part of the 2012 season, but the Lions should view their season finale strictly as a preamble to 2013. Lions center Dominic Raiola was correct when he said that finishing the season with a win is vital, because it would eliminate the references to Detroit’s current seven-game losing streak that would accompany any offseason evaluation of the team. A victory would also help the Lions avoid finishing the season without a divisional win.
Sunday’s game will also be the final opportunity for some Lions’ players to prove they belong on an NFL roster next season. Of the 65 players on Detroit’s active roster and injured lists, 24 are due to become free agents. Eight others are restricted or exclusive rights players whose contracts give Detroit a negotiating advantage, but that doesn’t guarantee they’ll be asked to return. Those 32 players should treat this game like it’s an audition that will be seen by every GM in the league.
Who matters: Four players will be in the spotlight for the Lions Sunday, each for very different reasons. QB Matthew Stafford needs 305 passing yards to become the first player in NFL history to throw for over 5,000 yards in consecutive seasons. While that achievement would be a nice feather in Stafford’s cap, he also needs to prove he can maintain his accuracy against the Bears’ potent pass rush. Chicago safety Major Wright made headlines during the week when he said that Stafford folds under pressure. Stafford has the chance to prove Wright wrong Sunday and eliminate Chicago from the playoffs at the same time.
Sunday will be DE Cliff Avril’s final game under his one-year franchise tag contract. Avril leads Detroit with 9.5 sacks in 2012, but Lions’ DC Gunther Cunningham said Friday that Avril hasn’t made as many big plays as he did in 2011. Avril has the opportunity to respond to Cunningham’s statement on the field, and set the stage for what are sure to be difficult offseason contract negotiations,
Calvin Johnson already owns the NFL single-season receiving yards record, but he says he wants to finish the season by breaking the 2,000-yard plateau. Johnson needs 108 receiving yards Sunday to accomplish the feat.
DT Ndamukong Suh has produced a string of dominating performances over the season’s second half, and he has the opportunity Sunday to eclipse the performance of one of his fiercest critics. With two sacks and eight tackles, Suh will have better stats over the first three years of his career than those of former DT Warren Sapp, who has criticized Suh’s play all season.
Key matchups: All eyes will be on the battle between Johnson and Bears CB Charles Tillman. Tillman held Johnson to a season-low 34 yards on three catches when Detroit lost to Chicago in Week 7, and Johnson will be intent on proving that he can be effective against the only NFL corner to shut him down during an otherwise stellar year.
Don’t be surprised if you see some post-play scuffles between Raiola and Bears’ DT Henry Melton. Melton got Raiola’s attention Wednesday when he said the 12-year vet was part of a “dirty” Lions’ team. Raiola responded by saying that Melton wasn’t a player on Chicago’s roster whose opinion was important enough for him to care -- then he called Melton a clown.
Injuries of note: The Lions released the following status report for Sunday’s game. OUT: DT Sammie Hill (toe). Doubtful: TE Brandon Pettigrew (ankle). Questionable: CB Chris Houston (hamstring/hip) and S Louis Delmas (knee). Probable: S Don Carey (knee), WR Calvin Johnson (knee/ankle) and RB Kevin Smith (thumb).
Pettigrew practiced Friday for the first time since he injured his ankle in Detroit’s Week 14 loss to Green Bay, but his three-week layoff makes it unlikely that he will be available Sunday. Hill’s absence means that Andre Fluellen will see significant reps again Sunday. Fluellen played 21 of Detroit’s 56 defensive snaps against the Falcons in Week 16. Houston and Delmas both expect to play Sunday.
Inside stuff: KR Stefan Logan’s repeated mistakes this season finally exhausted the patience of coach Jim Schwartz. Logan will not handle return duties against the Bears for the first time in three seasons. He will likely be replaced by WR Mike Thomas on punts, and RB Joique Bell on kickoffs.
Connections: Bears’ assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli was the final head coach hired by former Lions’ GM Matt Millen. His three-year tenure in Detroit ended after he led the team to the NFL’s only winless 16-game season in 2008.
Record watch: If Johnson gains 100 yards Sunday, it will be his 12th 100-yard receiving game of the year. That total would break the NFL record for the most 100-yard receiving games in a season that Johnson currently shares with WR Michael Irvin (11 in 1995). With 162 receiving yards, Johnson will surpass the 2,053 rushing yards gained by Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders in 1997 for the most single-season yards from scrimmage in a single offensive category by a Lions player.
Looking ahead: All that’s left for Detroit to look forward to following Sunday’s season finale is the uncertainty that comes following a 10-plus loss season. The Lions’ dismal record, coupled with a tight salary cap situation, virtually guarantees that some new faces will be on the coaching staff and in the locker room when offseason workouts begin.
Prediction: Bears 23, Lions 17
Follow Lions reporter John Kreger on Twitter at @CBSLions and @JohnKreger.
