Don’t look now, the Chicago Bears are leading the NFC playoff race thanks to the Carolina Panthers stunning the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Yeah, the team that hasn’t been to the NFL playoffs since 2020 is the current top team in the NFC. In one year, Ben Johnson has effectively taken the Caleb Williams led Bears to NFC supremacy and it’s shaking up the NFC in a crazy way.
Here’s who in the Bears’ way as the real contenders arose during Thanksgiving Weekend football. The Los Angeles Rams are still one of the strongest teams in the conference, with the Panthers now making an argument to win the NFC South and make a playoff run. The San Francisco 49ers got their ninth win of the season as well. Here’s what the rest of the NFC playoff picture looks like.
NFC playoff field after Los Angeles Rams loss gives Bears top seed
Current Field
Here’s what the current playoff field looks like after the Rams’ loss and the Chicago Bears’ Black Friday win over Philadelphia gives them the top seed in the NFC playoff race.
SEED | TEAM | RECORD |
|---|---|---|
1 | Chicago Bears | 9-3 |
2 | Los Angeles Rams | 9-3 |
3 | Philadelphia Eagles | 8-4 |
4 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-5 |
5 | Seattle Seahawks | 8-3 |
6 | Green Bay Packers | 8-3-1 |
7 | San Francisco 49ers | 9-4 |
Late-season momentum is paramount when it comes to finishing the year strong ahead of the playoffs and the Bears are very much in position to ride that hype all the way through the end of the season. The Rams looked human against the surging Carolina Panthers which is a good sign for Chicago, but they’re not out of the race for the top seed.
The Bears don’t have an easy slate to finish the year by any means. That said, the way they’re playing, you have to feel like four wins would be remarkable, three would be expected and anything less would be a cause for concern with the NFC having a tight race for just eight playoff spots. The best way to ensure a playoff spot is to win the division and Chicago needs to stay hot to do just that.
In the hunt
TEAM | RECORD | GAMES BACK |
|---|---|---|
Detroit Lions | 7-5 | 1.5 |
Carolina Panthers | 7-6 | 2 |
Dallas Cowboys | 6-5-1 | 2.5 |
Minnesota Vikings | 4-7 | 3.5 |
Atlanta Falcons | 4-8 | 4.5 |
Though you could argue that the Atlanta Falcons and the Minnesota Vikings are still technically in the hunt with the division in play for them still, this feels like a three-horse race for essentially one spot. The Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers are all within a game of each other.
The Lions have the Bears to play again and the Cowboys, which both of those games could determine Detroit’s playoff fate. The Carolina Panthers got a big win over the Rams and have a win over the Cowboys. Realistically, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers left to play (twice), the New Orleans Saints and the Seattle Seahawks left as well, it’s not unlikely the Panthers steal the division from the Bucs.
For Chicago, the Bears need to pull off the sweep of the Lions to strengthen their grip on the NFC North title.
Bears remaining schedule makes NFC North title push clear
WEEK OPPONENT |
|---|
14 at Packers (8-3-1) |
15 vs. Browns (3-9) |
16 vs. Packers (8-3-1) |
17 at 49ers (9-4) |
18 vs. Lions (7-5) |
The biggest thing for the Bears is they can solidify their NFC North title with wins over the Packers and the Lions. Sure they’d still need to win one of the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers games as well to strengthen their case, but it’s clear that with four wins and possibly three over the next five games should be enough to give the Bears the top spot in the NFC.
It will be a close race with the Rams, but with the Panthers possibly cracking the code on Stafford, games against the Lions and Seahawks will be paramount for the Rams to win if they want to take the No. 1 seed in the NFC back.
Who is in position to steal the top seed in the NFC from the Chicago Bears?
It very much feels like the Bear’s NFC title race to lose at this point, but it’s a neck-and-neck race between them and the Rams. That’s their biggest threat and the top spot in the conference might come down to the final game of the season like it did a year ago. Aside from them, the Seahawks, Packers and 49ers could all threaten as well.
The Bears, Rams, Seahawks, Packers and 49ers all have at least eight wins. The Eagles could jump up, but with the head-to-head loss to Chicago, would need a classic Bears implosion to leapfrog them and the Rams. Tampa Bay could realistically climb high enough, but they’ve lost four of the last six games and it feels like they’ve lost too much ground.
Right now, the Bears’ biggest threats would be the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers. The NFC West is brutal and just like the NFC North a year ago, will be decided in the final weeks of the season. Chicago is in the driver seat, but that can change rather quickly and it’s up to a continued hot streak for Johnson and his squad to complete the full-season turnaround.