NFL experts aren’t worried about the Detroit Lions in Week 18 vs. Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears have come a long way since Week 2, when they lost to the Detroit Lions, 52-21.

It was the kind of defeat that sent Bears Nation into hiding. The fear and anxiety that the 2025 season, the first under coach Ben Johnson, would end like failed years past. Years that were tarnished by the blundering decisions of Matt Eberflus, or the failed first-round quarterbacks like Mitch Trubisky.

Losing the way the Bears did in Week 2, to a division rival, felt all too familiar.

It's why Week 18, and the turnaround the Bears have undergone over the last 16 weeks, feels asboltuely incredible.

It's Chicago who enters Sunday's game as NFC North champions, sporting an 11-5 record, and with a win will secur the No. 2 seed in the conference.

The Lions, meanwhile, have already been eliminated from the playoffs and are reeling in life after Ben Johnson.

So, yeah, Bears Nation is feeling great. And it's not just Bears fans who see the difference between these two teams. NFL experts are buying in, too.

According to NFL Pick Watch, 80% of experts have picked the Chicago Bears to defeat the Detroit Lions.

Yes, you read that right. The team that allowed 52 points in Week 2 is expected to win in Week 18.

"It's early in the season and you're still trying to get to know your team a little bit," Johnson said this week of that loss in the season. "Being in that locker room after the game and how that felt. I don't remember exactly what was said or anything like that, but you always remember how you felt in those moments and I know our players do too. It's never a good taste when you get beat like that so handily. Fourth quarter wasn't even close."

Johnson knows the Bears will be in for a fight, regardless of the different directions the teams are going in.

"They are going to come out here and fight. It's what they do," he said. "It's going to be a good challenge for us. It's a very good team. This group has talent all over the place."

Talent is one thing. Execution is another. The Chicago Bears are executing at a higher level, and it should lead to a satisfying end-of-year 12th win for Johnson and company.