Tag: Bears postseason

The Chicago Bears now control their playoff destiny

It’s hard to believe when the Bears lost 6 straight games that they’d even be in the discussion involving the playoffs. But here we are.

It’s hard to believe that when the Chicago Bears lost six straight games that they’d even be in the discussion involving the playoffs. Now, the Bears are in firm control of their own fate heading into the final two games.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-12 to drop the Cardinals to 8-7. Which means the Bears can lock up that seventh seed with two wins to close out the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers.

Arizona’s loss boosted the Bears’ playoff odds to 71%, according to FiveThirtyEight. Those odds increase to 84% if Chicago beats Jacksonville on Sunday.

Believe it or not, there’s still a scenario where the Bears can clinch that seventh seed by winning just one of their final two games. If Arizona loses to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, Chicago would only need to win one more game to make the postseason, as the Bears own the tiebreaker over the Cardinals.

While the 49ers gave the Bears a late Christmas gift — despite former Bears kicker Robbie Gould missing two field goals and one extra point — Chicago still needs to take of business.

That starts Sunday against the Jaguars, where the Bears will be looking to win their third straight game after losing six straight games after starting 5-1. Chicago’s offense will be looking to score 30 points for the fourth straight game, which is likely against a Jaguars team that has lost 13 straight games.

Strap in, Bears fans. Things just got interesting.

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Christmas Wish List: 6 things we’d like to see for the Bears

In the holiday spirit, here are six things we’re asking Santa for the Bears as they head into the remainder of the 2020 season.

With the holidays upon it, the NFL’s regular season is about to wrap up as 14 teams will prepare for the postseason. The Chicago Bears just might be one of those teams — if all goes right.

After a six-game losing streak, the Bears have found a way to play themselves back into a position where they can make the playoffs for the first time in two years. Which certainly makes things exciting heading into these final two weeks.

So in the holiday spirit, here are six things we’re asking Santa for the Bears as they head into the remainder of the 2020 season.

What the Bears’ 6-7 record says about their playoff chances in 2020

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 6-7 have made the playoffs just 22% of the time.

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The Chicago Bears finally snapped their six-game losing streak with an impressive 36-7 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

While it’s still difficult to mention the Bears in the same breath as the postseason discussion, they’re still mathematically “in the hunt” as they improved to 6-7 on the season. But they’re going to need a lot of help.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 6-7 have made the playoffs just 22% of the time.

If the Bears had lost on Sunday, their playoff chances would’ve dropped to 2%. Chicago once had a 90% chance of making the playoffs earlier this season at 5-1 before their six-game losing streak sent them spiraling.

The odds of making the postseason do get slightly better for teams that start 7-7 — a measly 36 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 15. But they’re going to need a lot of help, especially when it comes to the Arizona Cardinals.

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Will the Chicago Bears be able to sneak into the playoffs?

At this point, Chicago’s playoff chances remain slim. But they’re still “in the hunt” with three games left. Could the Bears sneak in?

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It’s crazy what a difference one week makes for the Chicago Bears. At this time last week, discussion centered around cleaning house with head coach Matt Nagy, general manager Ryan Pace and president Ted Phillips.

While that’s still a hot topic of conversation, Chicago’s impressive 36-7 victory over the Houston Texans has some thinking playoffs. Well, at the very least, how the Bears could possibly sneak into a wild card spot. If all goes right.

But that’s the thing, not much has gone right for the Bears this season. After starting 5-1, Chicago lost six straight games — including five of them by one score. While the Bears were at once atop the NFC, they’re not battling to remain outside of the basement of the NFC North.

Still, with three games to go, Chicago remains “in the hunt” for a playoff spot, and it would be so Bears for them to blow a potential top-10 pick only to finish 8-8 or 9-7 and miss the playoffs or lose in the wild card round.

The one question is — would simply making the playoffs be enough to justify keeping Nagy and Pace around for another season? Especially given the Bears will likely be drafting a quarterback in the first round. Are the Bears confident in giving Pace another shot at drafting a franchise quarterback?

But we’re getting ahead of ourselves here. The Bears still need to essentially win out and need some help from other teams around the league. If Chicago can beat the Minnesota Vikings, that’ll leave the Arizona Cardinals as the team the Bears would need to edge out for that seventh spot. Which means they’d need to lose at least one of their last three games, which includes match-ups against the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams.

At this point, Chicago’s playoff chances remain slim. But they’re still alive. And anytime the Bears are playing meaningful football in December, it’s something to appreciate.

What say you, Bears fans? Do you think the Bears will be able to sneak into the playoffs?

VOTE!

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What the Bears’ 5-7 record says about their playoff chances in 2020

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-7 have made the playoffs just 10% of the time.

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The Chicago Bears were once thought to have hopes of a postseason berth for the first time since 2018. But that dream has been shattered with Chicago’s sixth consecutive loss, which sent them to 5-7 on the season.

It’s difficult to even mention the Bears in the same breath as the postseason discussion at this point, even though they’re still mathematically “in the hunt” following an embarrassing 34-30 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-7 have made the playoffs just 10% of the time.

If the Bears had won on Sunday, their playoff chances would’ve risen to 41%, which isn’t any more encouraging but it certainly would’ve been better than 10%.

Keep in mind the Bears had a 90% chance of making the playoffs earlier this season before this epic collapse.

The odds of making the postseason do get slightly better for teams that start 6-7 — a measly 22 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Houston Texans in Week 14. But with this Bears team, it’s hard to expect a win at this point, especially against a vengeful Deshaun Watson.

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What the Bears’ 5-6 start says about their playoff chances in 2020

The Bears’ playoff odds took a massive hit with Sunday’s loss to the Packers. Here’s where they stand heading into Week 13.

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The Chicago Bears were once thought to have hopes of a postseason berth for the first time since 2018. But that dream has all but dissipated with Chicago’s fifth consecutive loss, which sent them to 5-6 on the season.

It’s difficult to even mention the Bears in the same breath as the postseason discussion at this point, but they’re technically still in the hunt even though Sunday night’s 41-25 loss to the Green Bay that felt like the final nail in the coffin.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-6 have made the playoffs just 23% of the time.

If the Bears had won on Sunday night, their playoff chances would’ve risen to 60%, which isn’t any more encouraging but certainly would’ve been a step in the right direction.

Keep in mind the Bears had a 90% chance of making the playoffs earlier this season before this epic collapse.

The odds of making the postseason do get better for teams that start 6-6 — a measly 41 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Detroit Lions in Week 13. But with this Bears team, it’s hard to expect a win at this point, even against the lowly Lions.

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6 things to be thankful for as a Bears fan in 2020

While this season has taken a discouraging turn, here are six things that Bears fans can be thankful for in 2020.

For the first time in three years, the Chicago Bears won’t play football on Thanksgiving, which is reason enough for Bears fans to be thankful. It’s been a rough year for the Bears and their fans, especially considering how a 5-1 start has turned into 5-5 in the middle of a four-game losing streak.

While this season has taken a discouraging turn, here are six things that Bears fans can be thankful for in 2020.

What the Bears’ 5-4 start says about their playoff chances in 2020

The Bears’ playoff odds took a massive nosedive with Sunday’s loss to the Titans. Here’s where they stand heading into Week 10.

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Just three weeks ago, the Chicago Bears were 5-1 and appeared primed for a postseason berth. But after three straight losses — including Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans — the Bears find themselves on the outside looking in at the playoff race.

While it’s insane to mention the Bears and playoffs in the same breath through Week 9, as long as Chicago is still in the hunt, it certainly warrants conversation.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-4 have made the playoffs 43% of the time, which is a substantial dip from the 82% odds after starting 6-3. While the Bears face a 3-5 Minnesota Vikings team next Monday night, it certainly won’t easy following three straight disappointing outings.

If the Bears had won on Sunday, their playoff chances would’ve risen to 82% and they would’ve been a game out of first place in the NFC North.

The odds of making the postseason do get better for teams that start 6-4 — 59 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Vikings on Monday night in Week 10. But it’s quite the possible the Bears could go from 5-1 to 5-5 in a matter of a month.

 

What the Bears’ 5-3 start says about their playoff chances in 2020

The Bears’ playoff odds took a massive nosedive with Sunday’s loss to the Saints. Here’s where they stand heading into Week 9.

The Chicago Bears remain stuck in the middle tier of the NFL, which isn’t a good place to be. It’s not good enough to make a postseason push and it’s not bad enough to be in a position for a high draft pick.

Following Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints, the Bears appear to be in free-fall. After starting 5-1, they’ve lost two straight games, and it seems as if Matt Nagy has finally lost his team.

While another loss isn’t going to ruin the entire season, if this team continues to play like this, playoffs aren’t even going to be in consideration. Especially if the season ended today, Chicago would be on the outside looking in at a wild card spot. But the Bears are still 5-3 through the first eight weeks, which isn’t terrible not good good either when it comes to their postseason chances.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-3 have made the playoffs 68% of the time, which is a substantial dip from the 90% odds after starting 6-2. And it’s not going to get any easier as the Bears are going to face an angry Tennessee Titans team coming off two straight losses.

If the Bears had won on Sunday, their playoff chances would’ve risen to 90% and they would’ve been in first place in the NFC North.

The odds of making the postseason do get better for teams that start 6-3 — 82 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Titans on Sunday in Week 9. But it’s quite the possible the Bears could go from 5-1 to 5-4 in a matter of three weeks.

 

What the Bears’ 5-1 start says about their playoff chances in 2020

While it’s too early to start talking playoffs, it’s hard not to wonder what the Bears’ 5-1 record says about their postseason chances.

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Against all odds and close one-possession games, the Chicago Bears have improved to 5-1 on the season. And they’ve done it without even playing a complete game of football on all phases.

The Bears defense has found its groove — and the takeaways that eluded them this season — holding a surging Carolina Panthers offense to 16 points and forcing three turnovers.

But Chicago’s offense continues to struggle finding a rhythm, as the run game was once again abysmal and the passing game less-than-impressive. The Bears have a lot of work to do on offense if they hope to keep winning games — especially because the defense can’t be expected to be near flawless every week.

While there are definitely concerns about this Bears team through the first six weeks, they’ve continued to find ways to win in spite of those flaws. And while it’s too early to start talking playoffs, it’s hard not to wonder what the Bears’ 5-1 record says about their postseason chances.

Over the last 10 seasons, NFL teams that have started the season 5-1 have made the playoffs 90% of the time, which is definitely an encouraging sign for the Bears. Especially as they’re about to face arguably the toughest portion of their schedule over the next few weeks.

If the Bears had lost on Sunday, their playoff chances would’ve dropped to 69%.

The Bears were always going to have a favorable stretch at the start of the season. But they’re going to be tested in the second half of the year, where they’ll face seven playoff teams from a season ago, starting Monday night against the Los Angeles Rams.

The odds of making the postseason only get better for teams that start 6-1 — 95 percent — as the Bears have a chance to do against the Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 7.