LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Despite no longer being contenders for the NFC’s top seed after last week’s events, Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are still fighting for crucial objectives as the playoffs loom.

Both a personal achievement for Williams and a fortified playoff standing for the team are within reach.

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Williams could make history as the first quarterback from this storied NFL team to surpass 4,000 passing yards. Meanwhile, the NFC North champion Bears have the opportunity to secure the No. 2 seed in the NFC when they wrap up their regular season competing against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field this Sunday.

“The main focus has been on securing a win,” emphasized linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. “Achieving the 2 seed will be a bonus, but winning is our primary goal. We are fully aware of the advantages of playing in front of our home fans, which can significantly influence the playoff momentum.”

With a record of 11-5, the Bears have made a remarkable turnaround from last year’s last-place finish in the division, clinching the NFC North title for the first time since 2018. This achievement marks their return to the playoffs after a five-year hiatus, under the guidance of new coach Ben Johnson.

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.

Record, milestone in reach

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.

Lions letdown

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.”

Eye on Goff

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.

On the line

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 takeaway

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.

The video in the player above is from a previous report.