A lot of fans may not be happy with the 36-7 throttling of the Houston Texans mostly because it hurts draft position. The reality is though a Chicago Bears playoff push is more realistic at this point than them getting high enough to grab one of the top quarterbacks in the 2021 draft. That may not be what people want to hear but it’s the truth.
What makes this win over Houston even more interesting is the ripple effect from around the league. The Minnesota Vikings just got beat by Tampa Bay, dropping them to 6-7. This makes their game against the Bears next week hugely important for that final wild card spot which the Arizona Cardinals currently hold at 7-6.
Making it even better is what just happened in Philadelphia.
An Eagles team playing with their backup rookie quarterback in Jalen Hurts managed to knock off the 10-2 New Orleans Saints. A huge win for them but the bigger key is the ramifications it has on the NFC playoff picture. That loss drops the Saints to #2 in the conference with the Green Bay Packers, who defeated them earlier this year to claim the #1 spot.
Looking ahead, the two teams have interesting final stretches. New Orleans will return home to host Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next week before finishing up against the Vikings and Carolina Panthers. Green Bay will take on the Panthers next followed by the Tennessee Titans and finally the Bears. There is a chance the Packers could have full control of the #1 seed by the season finale on January 3rd.
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Would that compel them to rest their starters for the playoffs?
Chicago Bears playoff chances could hinge on that
Naturally, they would have to get to the final week at 8-7 to even think about such a scenario. That said, it’s not like they can’t. They should’ve beaten the Vikings in their last meeting at Soldier Field. It isn’t like Minnesota is a great opponent. This is a game the Bears can win. Especially if the offense plays as well as it has for the past couple of weeks.
After that, it’ll be a trip to Florida for a showdown against the one-win Jacksonville Jaguars. That could end up being a trap game but the reality is the Bears can and should win it. This would get them to their 8th victory, setting up a return home to Soldier Field for a rematch with the Packers. No doubt revenge will be on their minds after the humiliation they suffered at Lambeau Field a few weeks ago.
Winning that game has a good chance of pushing them into the playoffs.
Especially if the Packers have nothing left to play for and decide to protect their most vital assets. If nothing else, Bears fans should at least be grateful for one thing. They’re still talking about a Chicago Bears playoff run midway through December. That didn’t happen much throughout the previous decade. This year didn’t go as planned but there is still a chance to salvage a positive outcome.