The Chicago Bears are already in the NFC playoffs, but a win against the Detroit Lions in Week 18 will determine their playoff seeding and subsequent wild-card round games. The Lions are out of the playoff picture, but face a tricky situation of their own; while a win does a lot for morale in the short term, a loss will ultimately give them a better draft position.
The Lions-Bears game will air this Sunday at 4:25 pm ET on Fox. Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch this Sunday’s game and get the full Week 18 schedule for the rest of the league.
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How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game:
date: Sunday, January 4
time: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV channel: fox
Streaming media: DirecTV, FOX One, Hulu + Live TV, Fubo + more
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game times:
The Lions vs. Bears game will begin on Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 4:25 PM ET/1:25 PM PT.
Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears Game Channel:
The game between the Lions and Bears will air on Fox.
How to watch the Detroit Lions vs. Chicago Bears game Gaming without cables:
You can stream FOX on platforms like DirecTV and Fubo, and the game will also be available on FOX’s streaming platform, FOX One. You can also watch NFL+ on your mobile device.
DirecTV is currently offering an entertainment package for just $49.99 for the first month, a savings of $40 off the regular price.
DirecTV’s entertainment tier gives you access to a ton of channels for college and professional sports, including ESPN, TNT, ACC Network, Big Ten Network, CBS Sports Network, as well as local affiliates of ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC (depending on where you live).
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN+’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
The best part is, you can currently try all of them for free for 5 days. If you’re interested in trying a live TV streaming service during football season but aren’t quite ready yet, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
Free trial on DirecTV
FOX One is a streaming service launched by FOX in August. With a FOX One subscription, you can watch all of your favorite FOX channels like FOX News, FOX Sports, FOX Weather, FS1, FS2, FOX Business, FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G) and local FOX stations all in one place.
FOX One offers live programming as well as on-demand shows and movies. At launch, FOX One’s base price will be $19.99 per month, or you can save with an annual subscription for $199.99. FOX Nation fans can even bundle it with FOX One for $24.99 per month, or opt for an annual subscription for $19.99 net per month.
You can also bundle FOX One with ESPN’s newly revamped streaming service for $39.99 per month.
Fox Channel $19.99/month
NFL Week 18 schedule:
All time east.
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Saturday, January 3, 2026
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Panthers vs. Buccaneers: 4:30 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
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Seahawks vs. 49ers: 8:00 p.m. (ESPN/ABC)
Sunday, January 4, 2026
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Colts vs. Texans: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
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Chargers vs. Broncos: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
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Browns vs. Bengals: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
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Packers vs. Vikings: 1:00 p.m. (CBS)
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Jets vs. Bills: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
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Commanders vs. Eagles: 4:25 p.m. (CBS)
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Saints vs. Falcons: 1:00 p.m. (FOX)
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Titans vs. Jaguars: 1:00 p.m. (FOX)
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Cowboys vs. Giants: 1:00 p.m. (FOX)
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Lions vs. Bears: 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
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Cardinals vs. Rams: 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
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Dolphins vs. Patriots: 4:25 p.m. (FOX)
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Ravens vs. Steelers: 8:20 p.m. (NBC)
How to watch 2025 NFL games:
Many NFL games are broadcast on local channels, so if you want to watch a game in your market, just turn on your TV (or set up a digital TV antenna) or find a live TV streaming service with the correct RSN (Regional Sports Network). If you want to watch out-of-market games, a $7-per-month NFL+ subscription lets you watch local and primetime games from all out-of-market games this season on your phone, but only a select few regular-season games on TV. You can also purchase a super expensive NFL Sunday Ticket package to attend all off-site Sunday games this season.
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When it comes to nationally televised games, NFL games are typically broadcast on ESPN, NBC, CBS, Fox, ABC and the NFL Network. Thursday Night Football exclusively on Amazon Prime Video, select football games will be live Only Peacock games, CBS games will be broadcast live on Paramount+, while Monday Night Football games will be broadcast live on ESPN or ABC and on the newly revamped ESPN+ this season. That requires 6 channels and 4 streaming platforms to keep up with the season, and that’s not counting your local RSN in-market games and out-of-market games with NFL+ or NFL Sunday Ticket subscriptions. Plus, Netflix will once again be hosting at least two Christmas games, so add your subscription to the mix. We can’t forget Fox One, Fox’s first streaming service, where you can also stream games played on FOX (if you don’t have access yet).
Confused? you are not alone. Here’s a breakdown of the platforms we recommend checking out ahead of the 2025 NFL season so that when game time comes, it’s easy to just turn on the TV and watch your favorite team play.
DirecTV currently offers its Choice plan (normally $108+ per month, including fees) for just $79.98 for the first month, before fees.
DirecTV’s Choice tier gives you access to all the usual football channels: NFL Network, ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and Fox, as well as ACC Network, Big Ten Network, SEC Network and more local regional sports networks. (If you want to avoid paying RSN fees, the entertainment tier also has plenty of channels to watch NFL games.)
No matter which plan you choose, you’ll get unlimited Cloud DVR storage and access to ESPN’s new streaming tier, ESPN Unlimited.
The best part is, you can currently try all of them for free for 5 days. So if you’re interested in trying a live TV streaming service during football season but aren’t quite ready to commit yet, we recommend starting with DirecTV.
- All-inclusive free trial available
- Includes many local RSNs
- Free ESPN Unlimited
- Infinite cloud hard disk recorder
- cost
- Regional Sports Network Fees
DirecTV $79.98 first month
Fubo’s new slimmed-down sports package, Fubo Sports, includes local radio stations owned and operated by ABC, CBS and FOX, as well as other affiliates in select markets, as well as ACC Network, Big 10 Network, CBS Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNNews, ESPNU, Fox News, FS1, FS2, Fubo Sports Network, ION, NFL Network, SEC Network and the Tennis Channel. It also includes free access to ESPN’s new ESPN+ Unlimited package. Fubo subscribers also get unlimited cloud DVR storage.
Get $10 off the first month of the Fubo Sports package, which costs $45.99. After the first month, the cost will rise to $55.99 per month.
This new Fubo package lets you watch most nationally televised or in-market NFL games and still saves you significant money compared to traditional cable packages.
The platform offers a free trial so you can check out a few days of the 2025 NFL season and decide if this is the year for you.
- Free trial available
- Unlimited cloud DVR storage
- Free ESPN Unlimited
- Completely focused on sports
- Excludes NBC
Fubo $45.99 for first month
Amazon Prime Video is the exclusive home for NFL games Thursday night football game. In addition to Amazon Prime Video, an Amazon Prime subscription includes free shipping, exclusive offers, access to Prime Day 2025 promotions, Amazon Music, one year of free GrubHub+, and more. A standard Amazon Prime subscription is $15 per month or $139 per year, but discounts are available for students and people receiving qualified government aid. You can try Amazon Prime for free for 30 days.
- You may already have access to Prime Video
- Thursday night football only
Amazon $15
A $6.99 per month (or $40 per year) basic NFL+ subscription will get you exclusive live streaming of local and primetime regular season and preseason NFL games on your phone or tablet, as well as live audio and NFL Network access to every game this season across supported devices. NFL+ Premium, while slightly more expensive at $14.99 per month (or $80 per year), also includes access to NFL RedZone, as well as full and condensed replays of every game on supported devices.
- Most live matches can only be watched on mobile phones
NFL $6.99 per month
ESPN’s revamped streaming platform offers thousands of exclusive live events, original studio programming and critically acclaimed series across ESPN’s seven linear channels, as well as exclusive content on ESPN+, ABC on ESPN, SEC+, ACCNX and select content from NFL Network and NFL RedZone. The new tier costs $29.99/month or $299.99/year.
It’s also worth noting that in its first year, ESPN Unlimited includes “bundled” access to Disney+ and Hulu at no additional cost!
Starting September 3, for an extra $10 per month, you can bundle ESPN Unlimited with NFL+ Premium, which includes full access to NFL Network and NFL Redzone, and discontinued NFL games on mobile phones.
- All ESPN content in one place
- Content from NFL Network and NFL RedZone
- Bundling options with NFL+
- Basic service only provides ESPN games
ESPN $29.99 per month
FOX One is a streaming service launched by FOX in August. With a FOX One subscription, you can watch all of your favorite FOX channels like FOX News, FOX Sports, FOX Weather, FS1, FS2, FOX Business, FOX Deportes, Big Ten Network (B1G) and local FOX stations all in one place.
FOX One offers live programming as well as on-demand shows and movies. At launch, FOX One’s base price will be $19.99 per month, or you can save with an annual subscription for $199.99. FOX Nation fans can even bundle it with FOX One for $24.99 per month, or opt for an annual subscription for $19.99 net per month – it’s like getting a year of FOX Nation for free.
Fox Channel $19.99/month
Paramount+ offers subscribers access to a wealth of sports, including weekly NFL games throughout the season, as well as highlights such as survivor, challenge etc.
Unlike many other streaming services today, Paramount+ still offers a free trial so new subscribers can sign up to watch the first week of the NFL season along with all the other great programming on the platform. Once your trial ends, you can choose to access the ad-supported Essential package or the ad-free Showtime Premium package, which also gives you ad-free streaming of on-demand content, live access to local CBS stations, and full streaming access to Showtime. The Paramount+ Essential plan costs $7.99/month, while the Paramount+ Premium plan costs $12.99/month.
Free trial on Paramount+
How to watch an NFL game in person:
Tickets for the 2025 NFL season are on sale now.
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Find tickets
Various ways to watch NFL games this season:
To recap, here’s how you can watch the 2025 NFL games.
