The Chicago Bears season finale in Week 18 against the Green Bay Packers could prove to be the team's biggest turning point in franchise history, and it's one that looks eerily familiar in the NFC North.

The Bears have officially been eliminated from playoff contention in 2023 and will be playing their final game of the season for nothing but pride and to spite their arch rival. The Packers, currently in the #7 seed in the NFC Playoffs, desperately need a win on Sunday to lock in a playoff spot and avoid a second consecutive season of missing the postseason.

The scenario for the Packers entering Week 18 looks like an exact replica of their 2022 season conclusion. However, the same can be said for the Bears and how the Week 18, 2022 outcome panned out for the team on the opposite sideline.

In the 2022 season finale, the Packers ultimately lost 20-16 against the then-eliminated Detroit Lions. Heading into the matchup, Lions head coach Dan Campbell's message to the team is what fueled the upset and it's the same mindset the Bears need to have going into Sunday's game.

“More than anything, this is about one objective and that’s winning this game," Campbell said. "It’s us or it’s nobody. That’s the most important thing."

The Lions slammed the door shut on the Packers playoff hopes and carried that momentum from the strong finish into the 2023 season. From that point on, it was evident that Campbell's team was no longer the Same Old Lions.

That same Lions squad went on to go 11-5 this season entering Week 18 and clinched the NFC North title for the first time in franchise history. Detroit turned into a force to be reckoned with in the NFC and a team no one wants to face in the blink of an eye.

People in Chicago are beginning to have the same doubts that plagued the Lions during the first two years of their rebuild. It's the same old Bears who are doomed to repeat the same old mistakes. However, the Bears can change that narrative on Sunday and continue following in the tracks the Lions paved before them.

Let's take a step back and compare the Lions rebuild to the last two seasons for the Bears. The Lions hired Campbell as the team's head coach in 2021 alongside quarterback Jared Goff. The first season was a disaster as the Lions finished 3-13-1 and didn’t get their first win of the Campbell Era until Week 13.

Detroit didn’t panic and saw major improvements in 2022 after finishing the season with a 9-8 record. The Lions unfortunately were once again eliminated from playoff contention but the team's victory in Week 18 against the Packers sparked confidence in both Campbell and Goff heading into the 2023 season. That confidence clearly paid off for Detroit.

Now, let's look at the Bears. Chicago hired head coach Matt Eberflus in 2022 alongside quarterback Justin Fields. The first season under the new leadership was disappointing with the Bears finishing 3-14. The frustrations continued early this season with the Bears starting the season 0-4 but have since turned it around. The team is now 7-9 heading into their Week 18 showdown against the Packers.

With a win in Week 18, both Eberflus and Fields should inspire confidence in the Bears front office to keep the stability in place going into 2024 just as Campbell and Goff did for the Lions heading into 2023. It'll be a decision that both the players and the fanbase have publicly been in favor of. The exact same script is in place once again.

The other turning point for the Lions in 2023 has been the play of their rookie class. Instead of replacing Goff with a new quarterback (which would have been a band-aid fix), the Lions worked the draft board in the 2023 NFL Draft and surrounded the roster with incredible rookies. Players such as Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, Jack Campbell, and Brian Branch have been a major pieces of the Lions ascension to the top in 2023.

Armed with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Bears general manager Ryan Poles can work the draft board in his favor similar to what Lions general manager Brad Holmes back in last April. Or, Poles can elect to spend that pick on a new quarterback and entire into the unknown with the franchise on that rookie's shoulders.

The Bears front office would be foolish to overlook all of these similarities and instead make decisions that could very well set the franchise back another 3-5 years this offseason.

The worst part is that all of these major decisions seem like easy ones to make, because they've already successfully been made for a franchise just 280 miles away.

The Bears best path to success in 2024 is by having faith in Eberflus and Fields while surrounding the rest of the team with as much talent as possible. However, that faith has to first be earned, and the last chance to do so is in Week 18.

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