Are the Bears Nearly Playoff Bound?
The Chicago Bears defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 31-28, in another close game that took until the final minute. Quarterback Caleb Williams delivered, throwing for 239 yards and three touchdowns. The offense continues to be a bright spot for Chicago, with head coach Ben Johnson’s first year becoming a massive success for the organization. Despite the Bears missing six defensive starters entering the matchup and more getting injured during the game, the defense held strong on the Steelers’ final drive. The Bears have now won four straight games and remain on top of the NFC North. The question now is, what do they have left to do to make the playoffs?
After the win over the Steelers, Chicago has six games remaining. They play one of the hardest remaining schedules, with three divisional matchups still on deck. They’ll begin this tough stretch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday afternoon, a team that has taken down every other NFC North opponent this season. While this game against the Eagles could be a potential huge win for the Bears and their playoff hopes, the real test will come against their divisional opponents as they’ll take on the Green Bay Packers twice and the Detroit Lions one more time.
After this week, the Bears will first head to Lambeau to take on the Packers. They will then play them once again, just two weeks later, in Chicago. The Bears are currently 1-2 in the division with their only win coming against the Minnesota Vikings last week. As the race for the playoffs in the NFC is tight, these two games will be crucial for Chicago if, at the end of the season, it comes down to a tiebreaker. Ending the season, they’ll take on the Lions in Week 18, a game that could potentially hold division title implications. Chicago hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2020, and they haven’t won the division since 2018. If Ben Johnson could pull off just three more wins which include a victory over the Lions or Packers, the Bears could very well be back in the playoffs and into a brand new era for the organization.
