The Chicago Bears are playing meaningful football in December for the second straight year. And while the Bears are clinging to slim playoff hopes heading into these final three games, they’re still in the hunt for that final Wild Card spot.
While the Bears need to win out in their last three games, they also need a lot of help in terms of the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams both losing two of their last three games.
The Vikings have the Los Angeles Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Bears left on their schedule. The Rams have the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals remaining. So it’s definitely possible, but certainly not a guarantee by any means.
But believe it or not, there’s actually a scenario where the Bears could still win the NFC North.
I kid you not.
Here’s what would need to happen for the Bears to win the NFC North:
- The Bears win out against the Packers, Chiefs and Vikings
- The Packers lose out to the Bears, Vikings and Lions
- The Vikings lose to the Bears in Week 17
That would then set up a three-way tie for first place in the NFC North at 10-6, and the Bears would win the tiebreaker with the best division record at 5-1.
Now, of all the scenarios that could happen, this feels like the least likely. Sure, the Bears could win out (especially with the way they’ve been playing). Sure, the Vikings could lose to the Bears. Sure, the Packers could lose to the Bears and Vikings. But the Packers losing to the David Blough-led Lions in Week 17 just doesn’t seem in the realm of possibility.
The likelihood that the Bears make the playoffs isn’t good. FiveThirtyEight gives the Bears a 2% chance to make the playoffs as of Saturday. Stranger things have happened, but we shall see.
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