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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Alyssa Barbieri

Week 17 picks: Who the experts are taking in Bears vs. Lions

The Chicago Bears (3-12) are battling the Detroit Lions (7-8) on New Year’s Day, where the Bears are looking to get back in the win column and break an eight-game losing streak.

Chicago is coming off a 35-13 loss to the Buffalo Bills, where they kept things close for the first half before the Bills pulled away. Now, they’ll face a Detroit team competing for a playoff spot in the final two weeks.

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The Bears are 6-point road underdogs against the Lions, according to Tipico Sportsbook. But what do the experts think? Here’s a look:

USA TODAY

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USA TODAY’s Week 17 picks:

Jarrett Bell: Lions

Chris Bumbaca: Lions

Nate Davis: Lions

Safid Deen: Lions

Tyler Dragon: Lions

Lorenzo Reyes: Lions

NFL.com

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Gregg Rosenthal – Lions 31, Bears 24

The Lions’ defense was torn apart by Carolina last week. Not great heading into their rematch with the Bears, who racked up 258 yards on the ground against Detroit in a narrow loss back in mid-November. That’s still not enough for me to pick an upset here. Jared Goff is going to have all day to throw, and Lions coordinator Ben Johnson has proven he’ll scheme up open receivers.

ESPN

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ESPN’s Week 17 picks:

Stephania Bell: No pick

Matt Bowe: Lions

Mike Clay: Lions

Jeremy Fowler: Lions

Domonique Foxworth: Lions

Dan Graziano: Lions

Jason Reid: No pick

Laura Rutledge: Lions

Sam Wickersham: Lions

CBS Sports

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CBS Sports’ Week 17 picks:

Pete Prisco: Lions

Jason La Canfora: Lions

Will Brinson: Lions

Jared Dubin: Lions

Ryan Wilson: Lions

John Breech: Lions

Dave Richard: Lions

Jamey Eisenberg: Lions

MMQB

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MMQB’s Week 17 picks:

Albert Breer: Bears

Mitch Goldich: Lions

Gary Gramling: Lions

Conor Orr: Lions

John Pluym: Lions

Sporting News

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Vinnie Iyer – Lions 31, Bears 27

The Lions got a defensive wake-up call by getting pounded on the ground by the Panthers. That should give the Bears’ confidence on the road knowing Justin Fields can rebound in a more favorable rushing matchup while leaning on David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. But the Lions can counter with more offensive explosiveness with Jared Goff in a complete comfort zone at home.

Athlon Sports

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Athlon Sports’ Week 17 picks:

Bryan Fischer: Lions

Steven Lassan: Lions

Mark Ross: Lions

Ben Weinrib: Lions

Bleacher Report

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Bleacher Report’s Week 17 picks:

Gary Davenport: Bears

Greg Ivory: Bears

Kris Knox: Bears

Maurice Moton: Bears

Wes O’Donnell: Lions

Brent Sobleski: Bears

Bottom Line

Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports

According to NFL Pickwatch, 93% of experts are picking the Bears to lose to the Lions on Sunday.

Focusing specifically on the expert picks we rounded up above, here’s how the final tally looks:

Lions: 32

Bears: 6

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