The Chicago Bears’ winning streak came to a crashing end on Sunday when they lost a heartbreaker to the Green Bay Packers, but their playoff hopes remain in their own hands.
That’s because the Bears have three games remaining against teams competing for NFC playoff berths, including a rematch with the Packers and a rematch with the Detroit Lions, both of which will be played at Soldier Field.
Here’s what’s ahead for the 9-4 Bears as they prepare for their final four games of the regular season.
Where do the Bears sit in the postseason standings?
After Sunday’s loss, the Bears dropped from the top spot in the NFC standings to the seventh seed, a huge fall that would leave them in the final postseason spot and just one game ahead of the Lions, who currently sit in eighth after beating the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
If the season were to end today, the Bears would end the campaign with the same record as the San Francisco 49ers, who would own the tiebreaker over Chicago thanks to a superior record against NFC opponents.
Coincidentally, the Bears would have to travel back to Green Bay to face the Packers in the wild card round if the season were to end today, with the Los Angeles Rams taking over the top spot in the NFC.
What is the rest of the Bears’ schedule?
Fortunately for the Bears, they will have plenty of opportunities to secure playoff positioning against the very teams they are trying to fend off, but that will have to wait as they take on the Cleveland Browns this weekend at Soldier Field.
Of the Bears’ final four games, three of them will be played at their home stadium, with contests looming against the Lions and Packers.
Finally, the Bears will take on the 49ers in a Sunday Night Football game in the second-to-last week of the regular season, with the matchup in Santa Clara airing on NBC Chicago.
Here are the final four games of the season on the Bears’ schedule.
Sunday, Dec. 14: vs. Cleveland 12 p.m. (Fox)
Saturday, Dec. 20: vs. Green Bay 7:20 p.m. (Fox)
Sunday, Dec. 28: at San Francisco 7:20 p.m. (NBC)
TBD: vs. Detroit
What are the Bears’ playoff odds?
The loss to the Packers on Sunday dropped the Bears’ playoff chances to 63%, and they have just a 22% chance of winning the NFC North and guaranteeing themselves a home game in the first round of the playoffs, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
The Athletic is slightly more bullish on the Bears’ chances, with 70% chance of reaching the playoffs and a 26% chance of winning the division.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
