Watch ESPN’s Fozzy Whittaker appearance in ‘The Nutcracker’
Retired NFL running back Foswhitt “Fozzy” Whittaker, now ESPN analyst, took part in Ballet Austin’s annual production of “The Nutcracker.”
The Chicago Bears‘ first season with Ben Johnson went about as well as could be expected. The Bears are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and have already clinched the NFC North for the first time since 2018.
Now, the only question is about who the Bears will play in their first postseason game in five years.
Chicago once had a chance to earn the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC, but that evaporated after their Week 17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Instead, the team will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the conference, pending the league’s Week 18 results.
Here’s a look at the Bears’ playoff scenarios and how their postseason schedule could shape up over the final week of the 2025 regular season.
The Bears clinched the NFC North by virtue of the Green Bay Packers‘ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday. That guaranteed Chicago a top-three seed in the NFC playoff picture, as the NFC South winner will have a worse record than the Bears.
However, the Bears can no longer be the NFC’s No. 1 seed after losing to the 49ers. Instead, they will either be the conference’s No. 2 or No. 3 seed. That will line the Bears up to play one of the following teams in the wild-card round of the playoffs:
Here are the scenarios that would lead to each first-round matchup:
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are the Bears’ most likely opponent. Green Bay has already locked up the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoff race, and Chicago has the inside track to the No. 2 overall seed.
Below is a look at the scenarios that could land the Bears with the NFC’s No. 2 seed:
Bears win in Week 18 vs. Lions ORBears tie in Week 18 vs. Lions and Eagles tie Week 18 vs. Commanders OREagles lose Week 18 vs. Commanders
The only way the Bears can lose the No. 2 seed is if the Eagles overtake them in the standings, as Chicago owns a head-to-head tiebreaker over Philadelphia by virtue of its 24-15 win on Black Friday in Week 13.
Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers or Los Angeles Rams
If the Bears end up as the No. 3 seed in the NFC, they will face one of the three NFC West teams that have made the playoffs.
However, the only way the Bears will finish as the No. 3 seed in the NFC is if the following occurs:
Bears lose in Week 18 vs. Lions AND Eagles win or tie in Week 18 vs. CommandersBears tie in Week 18 vs. Lions AND Eagles win in Week 18 vs. Commanders
If either of the above results unfold, the Bears’ opponent would depend on how the NFC West race shakes out. Below is a look at how Chicago could play each team, excluding scenarios involving ties:
Seattle Seahawks49ers beat Seahawks in Week 18 AND Rams win final two gamesSan Francisco 49ersSeahawks beat 49ers in Week 18 AND Rams beat Cardinals in Week 18Los Angeles RamsSeahawks beat 49ers in Week 18 AND Rams lose Week 18 vs. Cardinals OR49ers beat Seahawks in Week 18 AND Rams lose Week 17 vs. Falcons OR49ers beat Seahawks in Week 18 AND Rams lose Week 18 vs. CardinalsNFL playoff schedule
The NFL playoffs will kick off on Jan. 10 with the league’s first two wild-card matchups before concluding on Feb. 8 with Super Bowl 60 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.
Super Wild Card weekend
All times Eastern
Wild Card weekend
All times Eastern
Saturday, Jan. 10
AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.AFC/NFC wild card game: 8 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 11
AFC/NFC wild card game: 1 p.m.AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 12
AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.Divisional round
Saturday, Jan. 17
AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 18
AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.NFL conference championship round
Sunday, Jan. 25
AFC championship game: 3 p.m.NFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.Super Bowl 60Date: Feb. 8, 2026Location: Levi’s Stadium (Santa Clara, California)Time: 6:30 p.m.TV: NBCAFCDenver Broncos (13-3, AFC West winners)*New England Patriots (13-3, AFC East winners)*Jacksonville Jaguars (12-4, AFC South leaders)*Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7, AFC North leaders)Houston Texans (11-5, wild card No. 1)*Los Angeles Chargers (11-5, wild card No. 2)*Buffalo Bills (11-5, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)
NFCSeattle Seahawks (13-3, NFC West leaders)*Chicago Bears (11-5, NFC North winners)*Philadelphia Eagles (11-5, NFC East winners)*Carolina Panthers (8-8, NFC South leaders)San Francisco 49ers (12-4, wild card No. 1)*Los Angeles Rams (11-4, wild card No. 2)*Green Bay Packers (9-6-1, wild card No. 3)*
In the hunt: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-9)
An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.