Following a convincing win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, the Chicago Bears are very much “in the hunt” for a playoff berth.
Sitting at 7-6, the Bears are currently one game out of that final Wild Card spot, where they’re battling the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams for that sixth seed.
While the Bears need to take care of business in their final three games — including matchups against Green Bay, Kansas City and Minnesota — they still need some help from teams facing the Vikings and Rams in these final four games.
Let’s take a look at the two games that Bears fans should keep an eye on in the NFC playoff race in Week 14:
Lions (3-8-1) vs. Vikings (8-4)
12:00 p.m. CT, FOX
While it’s possible the Lions could beat the Vikings, it’s not likely. Not with Detroit down to their third-string quarterback David Blough and with one of the NFL’s worst defenses. Then there’s the fact that the Vikings offense has been efficient and kept up with the Seahawks in last Monday’s loss.
The Vikings are still very much battling the Packers for the NFC North title or, at worst, a Wild Card spot. While the Bears essentially need to win out to have a shot at that final playoff spot, they also need the Vikings to lose two of their final four games. While one of those is not likely to be against the Lions on Sunday, Minnesota does have to play the Packers (Week 16) and Bears (Week 17), both of which could be losses.
Seahawks (10-2) vs. Rams (7-5)
Sunday Night Football, 7:20 p.m. CT, NBC
This is certainly the most important game of the week as the Rams will host the NFC’s current No. 1 seed in the Seahawks.
The Seahawks are battling the 49ers for the NFC West title — and a top seed in the playoffs — which means that these final four games are crucial. Following a hard-fought victory over the Vikings last Monday night, expect to see a focused Seahawks team come Sunday night. Although we certainly know that division games sometimes have a way of surprising people.
If the Bears can win out in their final three games, the Rams need to lose two of their last four games for Chicago to sneak past them for that final Wild Card spot. Luckily, the Rams still have to face the Seahawks (Week 14) and 49ers (Week 16) this season.