The Chicago Bears are in the playoffs. That much is certain. Only two things remain to figure out. One is whether they win the division, and the other is what seed they end up with. Much of that hinges on their final two games, as well as those of three other teams: the Seahawks, Eagles, and Packers. However, it turns out the Detroit Lions may have cleared away some of the murk. To the shock of many, they were upset by the Minnesota Vikings and third-string QB Max Brosmer on Christmas Day, 23-10. Jared Goff turned it over five times. It was a collapse of epic proportions.
Detroit’s hopes of a third straight playoff appearance are finished. Their season is over. That loss also ensured the Green Bay Packers made the postseason. Now the obvious question is who the Bears will face. Here is where it gets interesting. Based on every possible scenario, there is a strong likelihood they will face teh Packers for a third time this season.
#1 – Bears go 1-1 and secure the second seed. The Packers lock in as the seventh seed.
#2 – Bears win out and Seahawks win out. Bears claim second seed and likely face Packers.
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#3 – Bears lose out and Packers win out. The Packers claim second seed, and the Bears get the seventh seed.
#4 – Bears lose out, Eagles go 1-1 or 0-2, Bears still get the second seed.
The only clear way the Bears can avoid the Packers in the first round is if they claim the first seed by winning out and Seattle loses one of its last two games. Or they could lose both, the Packers go 1-1, and the Eagles go 2-0. That would give them the third seed.
It almost had to happen this way for the Chicago Bears.
Each of the past two times this franchise has won a championship, they had to beat the Packers twice. They swept the season series in 1963 and again in 1985. In 2006, they split the series, and in 2010, they split the series, and Chicago lost in the NFC championship to Green Bay. If this plays out the way the winds are blowing, this would be only the third time in NFL history these two teams have met in the playoffs. Chicago won the first in 1941 and went on to win the championship a week later. Green Bay won the second, winning the Super Bowl after that.
It feels appropriate that both teams would meet again in this way. Once again, they split the season series. If the Chicago Bears want to stake their claim at legitimacy in this league, they must prove they can get past the Packers when it matters most. You can bet Green Bay will be out for revenge after that collapse a week ago. They will want to show everybody it was a fluke. The Bears can’t expect home field alone to help them. They’ll need to play their best game of the season.
