NFC North-leading Lions host Bears in quest to end 3-decade drought without a division title

CHICAGO (3-7) at DETROIT (7-2)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EST, FOX

BETTING LINE: Lions by 8 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Bears 3-6-1; Lions 7-2.

SERIES RECORD: Bears lead 104-77-5.

LAST MEETING: Lions beat Bears 41-10 on Jan. 1 in Detroit.

LAST WEEK: Bears beat Panthers 16-13; Lions beat Chargers 41-38.

BEARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (20), RUSH (5), PASS (24), SCORING (19).

BEARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (2), PASS (26), SCORING (27).

LIONS OFFENSE: OVERALL (2), RUSH (4), PASS (4), SCORING (6).

LIONS DEFENSE: OVERALL (9), RUSH (3), PASS (20), SCORING (21).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Bears minus-9; Lions plus-1.

BEARS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Justin Fields. The No. 11 overall pick from 2021 is set to return after missing the past four games because of a dislocated right thumb. The rest of the season could go a long way toward determining his future with the Bears’ decision on his fifth-year option for 2025 looming.

LIONS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB David Montgomery. The former Bears standout is the first Detroit player with 350-plus yards rushing and five scores in a four-game span since Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in 1997. He has two TD runs of 40-plus yards, becoming the first player to do that for the franchise since Sanders in 1998.

KEY MATCHUP: Detroit's running game against Chicago's run-stuffing defense. The Lions have developed a dynamic ground game with Montgomery and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, ranking fourth in team rushing.

KEY INJURIES: Bears guard Nate Davis (ankle) is expected to return after missing the past four games. ... LB Tremaine Edmunds (knee) has missed the past two games and did not practice Wednesday. ... RB Khalil Herbert (ankle/shin) remains in a 21-day evaluation window to return from injured reserve. ... Lions guard Jonah Jackson (wrist, ankle) did not practice Wednesday, days after playing for the first time in a month. ... Guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai (back) is not expected to play again this season after starting three games and being a backup in three games.

SERIES NOTES: Detroit beat Chicago twice last season. ... The Bears have won four of the past five games on the road in a series that goes back to 1930, and seven of the past 10 matchups.

STATS AND STUFF: The Bears have matched their win total from last season when they finished with a league-worst 3-14 record and set a franchise mark for losses. ... Chicago hasn’t won consecutive games since beating Seattle and the New York Giants in Weeks 16 and 17 of the 2021 season. ... The Bears rank last in the NFL with 13 sacks. The Giants are 31st with 15. ... RB D’Onta Foreman has run for 80 or more yards in three of the past four games. ... LB T.J. Edwards has had 12-plus tackles in three straight games, surpassing 100 stops for the third year in a row. ... The Lions, who haven’t won a division title since 1993, lead the NFC North with their best record through nine games since 2014. ... Montgomery has run for 100 yards three times, tied for the most this season in the league, and WR Amon-Ra St. Brown has 100 yards receiving in six games, tying him for the most in the NFL. ... If QB Jared Goff throws for 300-plus yards for the 35th time in his career, he will trail just Patrick Mahomes (44) and Hall of Famer Dan Marino (38) for the most through a player's first eight seasons in the NFL.

FANTASY TIP: St. Brown, who is averaging a league-high 8.1 catches a game, is one of the hottest players in the NFL. If St. Brown has 100 yards receiving, he will join Odell Beckham Jr. and Isaac Bruce as the three players in league history under 25 with 100-plus yards receiving in five consecutive games.

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