NFL playoff picture: What the Chicago Bears can gain in Week 17 after clinching the NFC North title

The Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North title on Saturday evening thanks to a loss by their long-time rivals. The Green Bay Packers were hanging on in the division but a 41-24 loss to the Baltimore Ravens clinched the title for Chicago. Green Bay is still headed to the playoffs, but it will be as the No. 7 seed. They’ll face whomever claims the No. 2 seed when the playoff picture finalizes.

The Bears could be that time, depending on how Week 17 and Week 18 wrap up. The Bears travel to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football. The game kicks off at 8:20 p.m. ET and Chicago is a 3.5-point underdog.

Chicago Bears playoff picture scenarios in Week 17

The Bears are assured of no worse than the No. 3 seed. If they win or the Philadelphia Eagles lose to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Chicago is assured of no worse than the No. 2 seed. They beat the Eagles in Week 13, which secured the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The Bears are currently one game back of the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. They did not face each other and have the same conference record. However, if the Bears win out, things could get complicated. If the Seahawks lose one of their two remaining games, Chicago would have the conference record edge. If the Rams won out and were tied with the Bears, Chicago would have the conference record tiebreaker over them as well and thus would claim the No. 1 seed.

NFC standings entering Week 17

1. Seattle Seahawks (12-3) – x
2. Chicago Bears (11-4) – y
3. Philadelphia Eagles (10-5) – y
4. Carolina Panthers (8-7)
5. San Francisco 49ers (11-4) – x
6. Los Angeles Rams (11-4) – x
7. Green Bay Packers (9-5-1) – x
8. Minnesota Vikings (8-8) – e
9. Detroit Lions (8-8) – e
10. Dallas Cowboys (7-8-1) – e
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-8)
12. Atlanta Falcons (6-9) – e
13. New Orleans Saints (5-10) – e
14. Washington Commanders (4-12) – e
15. Arizona Cardinals (3-12) – e
16. New York Giants (2-13) – e

x – Team has clinched a playoff spot
y – Team has clinched their division title
e – Team has been eliminated from playoff contention