5 Bears players to watch vs. Lions in Week 18

QB Caleb Williams

The Bears are always going to revolve all of their success around Caleb Williams. He is the franchise player and the one who will mostly dictate how they perform. If Johnson wants revenge against his old team for what happened in Week 2, Williams must be on top of his game. Against the San Francisco 49ers, on the national stage, Williams had one of the best games of his career. If he performs like that against Detroit, they will win. Chicago’s defense is below average, but the Lions’ offense won’t expose their weaknesses like the 49ers did last week. Williams is also the type of player who will remember what happened in Week 2. Coming out and battling hard with the No. 2 seed on the line against that team is all the motivation he needs to be the best version of himself.

DE Montez Sweat

Montez Sweat, as he has been for a long time now, is the leader of the defensive front. It is the biggest weakness on the team right now, but Sweat is the one guy who can make a difference regularly. This game against the Lions is his chance to make an impact. For one, the Lions’ offense is a bit beat up this year compared to recent seasons. Sweat should have no problem creating constant pressure. Jared Goff is a good quarterback, but constantly being chased around certainly won’t be beneficial to his game.If Sweat can have a big day, the Bears will have a great chance to win.

LB T.J. Edwards

Last week, against the 49ers, despite having an interception returned for a touchdown, T.J. Edwards was not great. He has had a decent individual year when healthy, but this most recent game won’t yield many highlights. The defense as a whole didn’t play well, but they expect more from Edwards. The Lions are going to try and run the ball a lot. That is where the Bears will need their linebackers the most. If Edwards helps in stopping the run, whether a turnover is created or not, he will have done his job well. Tremaine Edmunds is in the same boat as Edwards to earn an honorable mention here. These two are solid veterans who have been good in 2025, but they must impact this game for the Bears to win.

CB Jaylon Johnson

The Bears need to create turnovers in their games. Jaylon Johnson can do that. However, they also need him to play well when he’s targeted, even on plays where he doesn’t intercept the ball. Johnson, before his injury-riddled year, has been considered one of the best defensive backs in the NFL. Right now, he isn’t showing signs of a guy who is super elite. He’s coming back from, an injury, and he’s not himself, so he deserves some leeway. If Johnson can play well against the Lions, that means that Jared Goff didn’t have an easy time making completions with a player being guarded by Chicago’s top defensive back.

WR DJ Moore

Rome Odunze is going to be out for the Bears once again. That means that the Bears need DJ Moore to keep doing what he’s been doing. For a few weeks now, he has looked like the guy who has been great for the Bears in the past. Moore’s future with the Bears is often discussed, so this could be his last regular-season game at Soldier Field. If they were smart, they’d keep him around because a replacement is likely not going to be better during Williams’ cheapest window. Watch him in this game to see his effort level in helping this team move the football. With the playoffs looming, Williams needs to have at least one elite receiver without rusty chemistry, which could be the case with Odunze when he comes back. If these two could be high-impact guys at the same time for Williams, the Bears would have a very dangerous offensive group going.