It is hard to believe that when the Chicago Bears lost six consecutive games, it would be in the discussion involving the playoffs. The Bears are now firmly in control of their own destiny in the final two games.
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-12 to bring the Cardinals down 8-7. Which means the Bears can secure the seventh seed with two wins to close the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers.
Arizona’s loss increased Bears’ playoff chances to 71%, according to FiveThirtyEight. Those chances increase to 84% if Chicago beat Jacksonville on Sunday.
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Arizona Cardinals, and the Chicago Bears now controls their own playoff fate. Win and they enter.
– Alyssa Barbieri (@AlyssaBarbieri) December 27, 2020
Believe it or not, there is still a scenario in which Bears can win the seventh seed by winning just one of their two final games. If Arizona loses to the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, Chicago will only need to win one more game to reach the postseason, as Bears holds the tiebreaker over the Cardinals.
While the 49ers gave the Bears a late Christmas present – despite former Bears kicker Robbie Gould missing two field goals and an extra point – Chicago still needs to find a way.
This starts on Sunday against Jaguars, where Bears will try to win their third straight game after losing six consecutive games after starting 5-1. The Chicago attack will attempt to score 30 points for the fourth consecutive game, probably against a Jaguars team that lost 13 consecutive games.
Fasten your seat belts, Bears fans. Things got interesting.
