The Chicago Bears have received some excellent news about their place in the 2025 NFL playoffs with less than 24 hours to go until their next kickoff.
The Bears came into Week 17 knowing that a victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football would allow them to claim the NFC North title for the first time since 2018. But in a stroke of good fortune, the Green Bay Packers finished the job for them when they lost, 41-24, to the Baltimore Ravens during Saturday Night Football.
With the Packers’ loss, the Bears have clinched the division and ensured that they will enter the postseason as at least the No. 3 seed on the NFC’s side of the playoff bracket. There are also still realistic scenarios in which Chicago clinches either Nos. 1 or 2.
The Bears opened the door to this possibility when they rallied back from a 16-6 deficit and won, 22-16, in overtime against the Packers in Week 16’s matchup at Soldier Field. The win gave them a commanding 1.5-game lead over the Packers in the division race.
Now, the Bears are guaranteed at least one home game in the 2025 NFL playoffs.
The Bears (11-4) still have work to do against the 49ers (11-4) in Week 17, though, with kickoff scheduled to take place at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday, December 28.
What Must Happen for Bears to Win NFC’s No. 1 Seed?
The Bears are sitting in a great spot with one of the top three seeds in the 2025 playoffs promised to them, but they can still reach higher in the final two weeks of the season.
The ultimate regular-season prize for the Bears would be claiming the NFC’s No. 1 seed along with a first-round bye in the 2025 playoffs. It would also guarantee them home-field advantage in the playoffs until the Super Bowl, should they even make it that far.
So, what needs to happen for the Bears to wind up on top of the conference?
For starters, the Bears are not in complete control. One of the conditions for claiming the No. 1 seed is for them to win out against the 49ers in Week 17 and the Detroit Lions in Week 18. The other, though, is that the Seattle Seahawks (12-3) must lose at least one game in the final two weeks, staring down matchups against the Panthers and 49ers.
The Bears can also clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC if they beat the 49ers on Sunday.
Not a terrible series of potential outcomes for the Bears, ehh?
Who Might Bears Play in Opening Round of NFL Playoffs?
The Bears have three possible outcomes for their seeding in the 2025 playoffs, but it is more complicated trying to pin down who might be their opponent in their first game.
The simplest outcome is the No. 2 seed. If the Bears finish as the 2-seed, they will host the Packers — who are already locked into place as the 7-seed — in the wild-card round. If they finish as the 3-seed instead, they will face the worst of three NFC West squads that have qualified for the playoffs: Seattle (12-3), San Francisco or Los Angeles (11-4).
Things are more difficult to predict if the Bears finish as the top-seeded team, though.
With the 1-seed, the Bears would play the lowest-seeded NFC team left standing after the wild-card round at home in the divisional round. That could be any one of the four aforementioned teams or either the Panthers or Buccaneers, whichever wins the South.
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