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NFL schedule 2012: Lions assume role of spoiler vs. Bears

The Lions are going nowhere this season, but they can knock the Bears out of the playoffs on Sunday.

Jonathan Daniel

The Detroit Lions (4-11) have had a dreadful 2012 season, but they can inflict that misery on a division rival with a win on Sunday. The Chicago Bears (9-6) roll into Detroit on Sunday needing a victory to stay alive in the NFC playoff race, and the Lions will be looking to make that task as difficult as possible.

Detroit will also be looking to end the season with some sort of positivity. The Lions haven't won a game since the first Sunday in November, and though a win over the Bears on Sunday won't nearly erase two straight months of losses, it would at least send the team into the offseason with their heads held a bit higher. It would be a small consolation, no doubt, but one it would be. The game kicks at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.

If they win on Sunday, the Bears will have their eyes glued to the TV after the game. That's because Chicago can slip into the playoffs only if they win and the Minnesota Vikings lose to the Green Bay Packers. Minnesota has the home field advantage, but the Packers have a first-round bye on the line. That game kicks at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX.