Lions-Bears. Soldier Field. Outdoors in January. Seems about right.
Detroit's final two regular-season games are both on the road in the NFC North, starting with Chicago. It's one of the easiest Lions road trips to look at from Michigan, but January at Soldier Field has a way of making “it's just Chicago” sound a little too confident.
Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears
Sunday, January 3, 2027
4:25 PM Eastern · 3:25 PM Central in Chicago
Soldier Field · Chicago, Illinois
FOX
NFC North
The Lions swept Chicago in both 2024 and 2025. Last season ended with Detroit going into Soldier Field and beating the NFC North champion Bears 19–16. Now they head back to Chicago in January for another late-season division game.
Chicago won the NFC North in 2025. Detroit still beat the Bears twice. That gives this game a little more to work with than simply “division rival.”
Detroit swept Chicago, winning 23–20 at Ford Field on Thanksgiving and 34–17 at Soldier Field.
The Lions beat the Bears 52–21 in Chicago head coach Ben Johnson's first trip back to Detroit.
Detroit closed the season with a 19–16 win in Chicago, completing a second straight season sweep.
Chicago comes to Ford Field on Thanksgiving before the teams meet again here in Week 17.
This is not one of the indoor winter games on the schedule. You're outside, on the lakefront, in Chicago, in January. Plan accordingly.
1410 S. Museum Campus Drive · Chicago, Illinois
1924
1971
The Bears played their first game in the renovated Soldier Field in September 2003.
63,500
None. This is outdoor football.
Natural grass.
Chicago's lakefront Museum Campus, just south of downtown.
It affects what you wear, how early you leave, whether you walk, how you get to the stadium and what the drive home looks like. You don't need to be afraid of January football. You just need to plan like January is actually happening.
Soldier Field is close to downtown on a map. That doesn't mean your hotel lobby is five minutes from your seat.
If you're driving to the stadium, look at the current parking setup before game day rather than assuming you'll find something when you get there.
A downtown or South Loop hotel may put you in a good position, but check the actual route and distance. January can make a walk feel considerably longer.
Public transportation can be part of the plan, but work out the route ahead of time instead of trying to learn Chicago transit while wearing four layers of Lions gear.
Thousands of people will be leaving at once after dark. Know how you're getting back before kickoff.
There are two pretty different ways to do this: make it mostly about football, or make it a Chicago weekend with a Lions game in the middle.
Worth looking at if keeping the stadium and Museum Campus relatively close is the priority.
A better fit if restaurants, attractions and spending time in the city are as important as minimizing the game-day route.
May save money, but add parking, transit or rideshare costs before deciding how much you're actually saving.
Don't automatically choose a hotel based on which one looks easiest from the interstate. Choose it based on how you want the whole weekend to work.
This is where Chicago has a big advantage as a road trip. Even in January, you have plenty of ways to turn the football game into a real weekend.
Chicago gives you enough choices that I wouldn't tell you where to eat without knowing what you actually like. Pick one good place and make a night of it.
Soldier Field sits next to the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium and Adler Planetarium, giving you several indoor options in the same general part of the city.
Restaurants, shopping, museums and entertainment give you plenty to work with if the weather isn't cooperating outside.
Chicago is big. Pick a couple areas that fit what you want to do instead of spending half the weekend moving between them.
Drive or fly in, check into the hotel and enjoy Chicago. Make Saturday the main city day so Sunday doesn't turn into a race.
Have breakfast and keep the morning fairly easy. A 3:25 local kickoff gives you time, but not an unlimited amount of it.
Start moving toward Soldier Field earlier than you think you need to. Parking, transit, walking, weather and stadium entry all take time.
Lions-Bears at Soldier Field. January. Outdoors. NFC North football.
Stay in Chicago. Have dinner if everybody is still awake and thawed out. There is no trophy for immediately driving four or five hours home after the game.
Have breakfast, check the weather and head home when it makes sense.
For Lions fans in southeast Michigan, Chicago is one of those road trips where driving can make a lot of sense. I just wouldn't let the distance talk you into a bad Sunday-night plan.
Gives you room for traffic, weather and an actual evening in Chicago without watching the clock all day.
Possible, but it leaves less room if weather or traffic decides not to cooperate.
A 4:25 Eastern kickoff means you'll be leaving Soldier Field after dark. Fatigue and weather matter more than how many miles Google says are left.
For a lot of groups, one hotel night after the game is the difference between a road trip and one very long day in a car.
If conditions are good and everybody feels fine, great. If not, having a hotel already booked is a much better backup plan than trying to make that decision after the game.
Chicago isn't the regular-season finale. It's the first half of a two-game NFC North road finish.
at Chicago Bears · Sunday, January 3 · 4:25 PM EST · FOX
at Green Bay Packers · date, time and network to be announced
Whatever the standings look like by January, the Lions know exactly where the regular season ends: two NFC North road games, outdoors, in Chicago and Green Bay.
That changes almost every other decision about the hotel, transportation and how much of Chicago you can actually enjoy.
Don't choose a hotel until you understand how you plan to get from it to Soldier Field and back.
Build enough flexibility into the drive or flight that bad weather doesn't immediately ruin the entire weekend.
Make Saturday your Chicago day. Sunday already has enough going on.
Chicago makes a lot of sense for a Lions road trip because you can drive there, it's a division game and there is plenty to do besides football. I just wouldn't treat January at Soldier Field like a quick run down the road. Go Saturday, enjoy Chicago, go to the game Sunday and stay the night. If the weather is perfect and everything goes exactly according to plan, great. If it isn't, you're not trying to figure out Plan B from a frozen parking lot.
Tell me who's going, whether you're driving or flying and whether you want this to be mostly a football trip or a full Chicago weekend. I can help you look at the hotel, travel timing and the rest of the trip around the game.
Start Planning My Chicago Lions Trip →This is an independent fan-focused travel guide from Rob Sturdy Travels. It is not an official Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, NFL, FOX or Soldier Field page. Game and travel information can change; verify current details before travel.