It has been a very good weekend for the Bears.
Their comeback from 10 points down to beat the Packers on Saturday night ensured they’d head into Week 17 in first place in the NFC North and they now know that they will be in the playoffs regardless of what happens in the final two weeks of the regular season. Their ticket to the postseason was punched when the Lions lost to the Steelers 29-24 on Sunday.
They weren’t the only team celebrating the Lions’ failure to score in the final seconds. The 49ers are also officially in the playoffs regardless of what happens against the Colts on Monday night or in their final two games.
While they don’t need a win on Monday to make the playoffs, it would give them a chance to end the season as the top seed in the NFC. They face the Bears and Seahawks in the final two weeks of the season and winning out will leave them atop both the NFC West and the entire conference. The Bears will clinch the NFC West with one more win, but will need help to wind up as the No. 1 seed.
Sunday’s loss was painful for the Lions, but it did not eliminate them from playoff contention. If they win out and the Packers lose out, the Lions will go to the playoffs as a wild card.
The Packers are short on healthy quarterbacks right now.
Jordan Love left Saturday night’s game against the Bears in the first half with a concussion and Malik Willis played the rest of the way in the overtime loss. Willis took a hard hit to his right shoulder on a sack by Bears defensive end Montez Sweat late in the game, however, and Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said on Sunday that Willis is dealing with the aftermath of that shot.
“I’d say he’s pretty sore,” LaFleur said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “That’s a legitimate deal that he’s dealing with, and he’s going to be another guy that we’ll see where he’s at as we progress. That further complicates the other problem.”
The Packers do not have another quarterback on their 53-man roster, but they do have former Cardinal Clayton Tune on the practice squad. With Love in the protocol and Willis ailing, they’ll likely have to add another body at the position as they move toward their Week 17 game against the Ravens.
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers last faced the Lions nearly three years ago, in his final game with the Packers. The loss at Lambeau Field kept Green Bay from making it to the playoffs.
On Sunday, Rodgers has a chance to throw a wrench into Detroit’s playoff hopes.
Rodgers takes an 18-8 all-time record against Detroit to Ford Field for Sunday’s Steelers-Lions game. His first loss happened in 2010, a late-season game he exited with a concussion.
He started 9-1 against the Lions. Which means he’s gone 9-7 since then. Ten years ago this month, an incredible Hail Mary won a Thursday night game at Detroit.
The Lions, at 8-6, are hanging on by a thread in a top heavy NFC playoff field. The Steelers can lose the next two and still win the AFC North by beating the Ravens in Week 18.
The best news for the Lions? They’re 15-0 after a loss since 2022. A win today would tie the longest regular-season record, set by the Broncos from 1984-88.
Last night’s unlikely overtime win by the Bears happened when receiver DJ Moore caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Caleb Williams.
Moore made the catch despite having Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon on his back, making clear contact before the ball arrived.
No flag was thrown, and it didn’t matter because Moore made the catch. It would have gotten very interesting if Moore hadn’t held on to the ball. Would a late penalty have been called? Would no flag have been thrown?
If Moore hadn’t made the catch and if the Bears would have lost the game, Chicago fans rightfully would have been livid.
Again, it doesn’t matter. Moore made the catch. Still, Nixon clearly hit Moore early.
Fourteen teams have been eliminated from playoff contention. Four more eventually will be bounced. And one of four very good teams in the NFC is destined to be among them.
Even after winning last night in overtime to extend their record to 11-4, the Bears are not in. Which means they could still be out.
Likewise, the 49ers, Packers, and Lions have yet to qualify. Among Chicago, San Francisco, Green Bay, and Detroit, one of them will not make it.
The 49ers, if they win out, will be the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If they lose to the Colts, Bears, and Seahawks, the Niners could be SOL.
The Bears, currently the No. 2 seed, could slip and slide right out of the seven-team field if they close the season with losses to the 49ers and Lions.
The Packers, at 9-5-1, face the Ravens and the Vikings, who already have played spoiler for the Cowboys — and who would love to poke a fatal hole in the Cheeseheads’ playoff chances.
The Lions, who are as good as anyone when things are clicking, have lost three times as many games as they did in 2024. At 8-6, they take a very small margin for error into games against the Steelers, Vikings, and Bears.
This feels like one of those years in which nearly any team that gets a seat at the playoff table could run the table. It’s possible that an NFC team that otherwise would have gotten red-hot in January will slip up just enough to not get that opportunity.
