The Chicago Bears finally enter their bye week with four games left to play. It gives them a long overdue chance to catch their breath and let injuries heal over the next two weeks. While many players will take the opportunity to step away and relax, others inside Halas Hall will keep their eyes on what’s happening around the league. That is especially true for GM Ryan Poles. His off-season plans hinge on the Bears’ final record, which will determine their NFL draft spot. The same is true for other teams.
Chicago holds the 2nd overall pick as of this moment. One of their biggest threats to that spot is the Detroit Lions, who hold the rights to the Los Angeles Rams’ 1st round pick courtesy of the Matthew Stafford trade. The Bears’ weekend off started great when L.A. pulled off a stunning comeback on Thursday Night Football to beat the Raiders 17-16. That dropped Detroit to the 4th overall pick and eased pressure on Chicago. Now it comes down to whether any other Sunday games can also help their cause. Here are a few to monitor.
The Chicago Bears will be watching these games carefully.
Denver Broncos defeat Kansas City Chiefs
This is the big one. With the Rams’ victory over Las Vegas, there is only one other team with three wins, like the Bears. That is Denver. If they fail to win another game, their 1st round pick will go to the Seattle Seahawks, who would pick #2 if Denver and Chicago finish with the same record. That means the Broncos have to win at least one more game to give the Bears some breathing room. Asking them to get it against Patrick Mahomes might be too much. He’s playing at an MVP level and is coming off a loss. So he’ll be angry. Plus, Denver’s offense can’t score. Still, anything can happen. The Broncos’ defense is excellent. If they can hold Mahomes down, maybe some magic will happen.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Carolina Panthers defeat Seattle Seahawks
While they aren’t a direct threat, the Panthers remain in striking distance of the #2 pick at 4-8. Their strength of schedule would win a tiebreaker if it came to that. So getting them out of the conversation entirely would be a good thing. Seattle has played really well this season. However, they’ve also lost to Atlanta, Las Vegas, and New Orleans. So it’s not like they can’t lose to bad teams. Carolina has won two of their last three games and is well-rested coming off their own bye week.
New York Giants defeat Philadelphia Eagles
This one might seem unusual since both teams have a winning record. They have no direct impact on the #2 pick chase. That isn’t entirely true. The Eagles currently control the top seed in the NFC playoff race. Their biggest threat? The Minnesota Vikings. A Philadelphia loss would open the door for the Chicago Bears’ rivals to make a big push down the stretch to seize homefield advantage. It means they wouldn’t have cause to sit their starters in the season finale when the two teams meet at Soldier Field. That would hand the Bears an almost certain victory that could ruin their hopes of securing the 2nd pick.
Any one else sick of the spammers and scammers in the comments?
@Russ With the Rams getting Mayfield the odds on the Broncos winning that game go down. Its still possible, but unlikely imho. As far as the Lions beating the Vikings, I hope the Lions lose. The Vikings are one game behind the Eagles for the top seed that comes with a bye during wildcard weekend. If the Vikings fall more games behind the hope of overtaking the Eagles vanishes and they will likely rest key players the last game of the season. That would make it easier for the Bears to win that game. If they do rest players I… Read more »
@jim. Cardinals…and RAMS. Therefore we have 2 chances. Having said that and read all of this…. I get the sinking feeling (can’t believe I’m going to say this) the bears will win at least! 1 game ‘down the stretch’. (e.g. Vikings resting starters or…. sneaky win vs Eagles. Any!! given Sunday. I hope Detr’ beats Vikings THIS weekend. 1 Keeps Detr’s slim playoff hopes alive and knocks Vikings down… maybe they can’t rest starters week 17). Odds are in our favor… but I’m thinking “top 5” v #2. : ( still should be a good slot for trading down and… Read more »
Dont hold your breath for any of those teams to win this week. But the Broncos have a chance to win at least one of the two games against Arizona they have left.