Caleb Williams eyes 4,000 yards passing as Bears try to clinch NFC's No. 2 seed when they host Lions

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — Though Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears fell out of the running for the No. 1 seed in the NFC last week, they still have plenty on the line before the playoffs begin.

A milestone for the quarterback and a stronger postseason position for the team are at stake.

Williams has a chance to become the first 4,000-yard passer in the founding NFL franchise's history, and the NFC North champion Bears can lock up the No. 2 seed in the NFC when they close the regular season against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field on Sunday.

“What's been stressed is going out to win,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “If that results in us getting the 2 seed, that's what it is. But the message is going out there to win. Obviously, we understand what comes behind that as far as playing in front of our fans. That's a huge momentum change in the playoffs.”

The Bears (11-5) went from finishing last in the division a year ago to winning the NFC North for the first time since 2018 in their first season under coach Ben Johnson. They're set to make their first postseason appearance in five years.

As impressive as that sounds, they still have a few things to accomplish before the playoffs begin.

They fell out of contention for the top seed last week with a narrow loss at San Francisco, but can lock in the second spot. A win over the Lions or a loss by Philadelphia against Washington would do just that. Chicago would host Green Bay in a wild-card game and have home-field advantage in the divisional round if it beats the Packers.

The Bears would get the third seed with a loss to the Lions and a win by Philadelphia. In that scenario, they would host the sixth seed next week and would potentially have to travel for the divisional round if they advance.

Williams will almost certainly set Chicago's single-season passing record. With 3,730 yards, he needs 109 to surpass Erik Kramer’s 3,838 in 1995. The bigger question is whether he can also get to 4,000. The Bears are the only team in the NFL not to have a 4,000-yard passer.

The Bears have dropped three straight and six of seven against Detroit, including a 52-21 embarrassment at Ford Field in Week 2 that put them at 0-2. But they're now in a far better spot.

Detroit (8-8) comes in with three straight losses and no shot at the playoffs after falling 23-10 at Minnesota last week.

It's a big letdown for a team that set a franchise record for wins last year while claiming the No. 1 seed in the NFC with a 15-2 record. The Lions lost two coordinators in the offseason, with Johnson taking the Bears job and Aaron Glenn becoming the New York Jets' head coach.

They've struggled on offense and defense lately and are in danger of finishing last in the NFC North. They're tied with Minnesota, with the Vikings winning both meetings.

“We would’ve liked to get on a little bit of a stretch there at some point in the last eight games and be able to string a few together and get out of that adversity,” quarterback Jared Goff said. “But we weren’t able to and it sucks and I wish there was a magic potion that would have fixed everything, but there isn’t."

The Lions will need Goff to shake off his worst performance of the year and play more like he did against Chicago in Week 2 if they're going to end the season on a winning note.

The four-time Pro Bowler set season highs with two interceptions and three fumbles and matched one by getting sacked five times last week. But in the first meeting with the Bears, he dominated. Goff threw for 334 yards and matched a career best with five touchdown passes, including three scores to Amon-Ra St. Brown. It's the only division win for the Lions, who are 1-4 against the NFC North.

Detroit has been hit by its share of injuries, particularly on an offensive line that came in with two new guards after moving Graham Glasgow to center.

Rookie Tate Ratledge took over at right guard, while injuries have forced a rotation at left guard. Glasgow, meanwhile, has been dealing with a knee injury. He missed the game against Pittsburgh two weeks ago and was relegated to two special teams snaps last week, with rookie Kingsley Eguakun making his second straight start at center. Left tackle Taylor Decker, who will mull retirement in the offseason, is expected to start after missing last week’s game due to illness.

Coach Dan Campbell wants the line to finish the season with a strong showing.

“See if we can polish some things up, work together, work our combinations — just a little bit,’’ he said.

The Bears have been the best in the NFL at taking the ball away — and hanging onto it.

Chicago leads the NFL in interceptions (22), takeaways (32) and turnover differential (plus-22). The Bears have also committed a league-low 10 turnovers. Williams has 23 games without an interception, something no other starting NFL quarterback has done in their first two seasons.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell wipes his face during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks on the field during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Jed Jacobsohn)

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff walks off the field after the team's loss to the Minnesota Vikings in an NFL football game, Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams passes against the San Francisco 49ers during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Eakin Howard)

MIAMI (AP) — The Florida Panthers arrived in Ferraris, cigars lit, dressed in all-white Miami Vice attire — and, in true South Florida fashion, fashionably late.

The New York Rangers followed suit, stepping into loanDepot Park in their own Miami Vice whites.

With that, the 2026 Winter Classic was underway.

At loanDepot Park, home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins, an expected sold-out crowd had already begun filling the streets hours before the defending Stanley Cup champion Panthers were set to host the Rangers in the first outdoor game to take place in Florida.

The retractable roof on the ballpark — which has been shut while air conditioning has been piped in to help ice builders create a playing surface suitable for hockey — will be opened not long before the puck drops.

“I would have never thought that I would play in a Winter Classic in Miami and be a part of this cool," said Florida center Anton Lundell, wearing a baby pink shirt and blue handkerchief to accent his all-white suit. "Obviously we still have the game but everything building up to this game has been awesome and very unique.”

For Panthers general manager and hockey operations president Bill Zito, the game — one that’s filled with “wonderment,” he said — represented a full-circle moment. His career path started in baseball, and on Friday, his team was playing on a baseball field.

Zito was a batboy for the Milwaukee Brewers in the early 1980s and still credits general manager Harry Dalton for what became the start of a career that saw him become an agent and then one of the top executives in the game.

“The lessons I learned from that experience impact me, and really then via me, our organization on a daily basis,” Zito said. “I’m not here today if I hadn’t had that good fortune.”

That said, his baseball ways were long ago. When he first arrived at loanDepot Park to see the setup, he asked where the locker rooms were. Baseball doesn’t use that term.

“I forgot,” Zito said. “It’s a clubhouse.”

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

New York Rangers Taylor Raddysh enjoys family skate time after practice for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)

New York Rangers players gather for a team picture during practice for the NHL Winter Classic outdoor hockey game, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026, in Miami. (AP Photo/Michael Laughlin)