Bears lost more than just a game in Week 17 and the result puts Chicago on a collision course for a highly anticipated wild card matchup
The Bears have one likely wild card opponent and it’s one the team knows well.
The Chicago Bears gave it everything they had on “Sunday Night Football” in a heavyweight slug fest against the San Francisco 49ers but fell just short again on the final play to potentially win it.
Even with the loss, the Bears still proved on offense they can hang with other high-octane offenses that await in the NFC playoffs and learned the hard way that the defense needs to hold up their end of the bargain a little more to better give this team a chance come playoff time.
With the loss, Step 3 of head coach Ben Johnson’s regular season plan is now up in smoke. The Bears are now out of the running for the No. 1 seed in the NFC and locked into either the No. 2 or 3 seed.
Current NFC Playoff Picture after Week 17
- Seattle Seahawks (13-3)
- Chicago Bears (11-5)
- Philadelphia Eagles (11-5)
- Carolina Panthers (8-8)
- San Francisco 49ers (12-4)
- Los Angeles Rams (11-4)
- Green Bay Packers (9-6-1)
The No. 1 seed is still up for grabs between the Seahawks and 49ers, who will face off in Week 18 on Saturday night to decide who will have the first-round bye and home field advantage. For Chicago, there’s still much to play for in Week 18 against the Detroit Lions.
With a win, the Bears will hold the No. 2 seed and for sure have at least two home games at Soldier Field saying the team wins in Super Wild Card Weekend. With a loss, and a Philadelphia Eagles win, the Bears will fall to the No. 3 seed.
That first option (Chicago holding the No. 2 seed) will set up the most highly-anticipated wild card matchup of the season, and perhaps ever.
Bears seem to be on a collision course to face the Packers on wild card weekend
With the Green Bay Packers locked into the No. 7 seed after their loss in Week 17, everything seems to be headed toward Bears-Packers Round 3 in the playoffs, and it’s a likely scenario that the entire world should be rooting for. And something Bears quarterback Caleb Williams knew would happen.
“I want to start off, that’s a helluva team over there,” Williams said after the Week 16 win over the Packers. “A playoff team. We’ll probably see them again.”
As fate would have it, Chicago and Green Bay could square off one last time this season at Soldier Field. Both matchups in the regular season came down to the final play and a series split, so it’s only fitting that these two potentially go at it one last time, winner take all. As the football gods intended.
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