As the Chicago Bears cling to slim playoff hopes, all they can do is focus on doing their jobs — while hoping for a lot of help along the way.
The road to a Wild Card playoff berth won’t be an easy one. While the Bears essentially need to win out in their final four games, they also need some help from other teams.
Heading into Sunday, the Bears sat in eighth in the NFC — two spots out of that final Wild Card spot. They trailed the Los Angeles Rams, who were 6-5, and led the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, who were 5-6 heading into Week 13.
The Bears got some help from the Miami Dolphins, who upset the Eagles 37-31, as well as from the Washington Redskins, who upset the Carolina Panthers 29-21. Those losses dropped the Eagles and Panthers to 5-7 on the season and gave the Bears a little wiggle room as they vie for that playoff berth.
But it wasn’t all good news on Sunday, as the Rams pounded the Arizona Cardinals 34-7 to advance to 7-5 on the season. The good news is that the Rams will face the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in the coming weeks. If the Bears can win out — and the Rams lose two of their final four games — they might have a chance at a Wild Card berth.
Although that all depends on how the Minnesota Vikings fare in their final five games. The Vikings (8-3) will face the Seahawks (9-2) on Monday Night Football, and the Bears also need the Vikings to lose three of their final five games. Minnesota will also face the Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Bears to close out the regular season.
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