Chicago Bears fans rejoiced on Sunday after the Detroit Lions lost 29-24 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After the Bears took care of business on Saturday night against the Green Bay Packers, all they needed was the Lions to lose, and they would clinch a playoff spot.
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Chicago and Green Bay came down to the wire, with the Bears pulling away for a 22-16 overtime win. After the Lions lost to the Steelers, the Bears officially clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2020.
Even though the Bears are in the playoffs, there is still plenty to play for.
The NFC North is still up for grabs, as well as the No. 1 overall seed in the conference. The Bears hold the division lead and are the No. 2 seed behind the Seattle Seahawks (12-3). Chicago can get a first-round bye in the playoffs if it finishes as the No. 1 seed.
Here are the teams Bears’ fans need to be rooting for in Week 17:
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The Baltimore Ravens have a chance to bring more Christmas cheer to Bears’ fans on Saturday. The Bears are very close to winning the NFC North, but they need two things to happen.
Chicago needs to win its game against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football, and then Green Bay needs to lose to Baltimore.
Even though the Ravens are 7-8, they are still not technically eliminated from playoff contention. Both Baltimore and Green Bay have a lot to play for in this one, but the Bears really need the Ravens to stun the Packers at home.
The Seahawks travel to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
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Seattle just clinched a playoff spot and the lead in the NFC West with the wild 38-37 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football. Carolina reclaimed the top spot in the NFC South after beating Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20.
Both the Bears and Seahawks have playoff spots, but the top seed in the NFC is very much up for grabs. All that needs to happen is for the Seahawks to lose one of their final two games, and the Bears need to win out.
Seattle and Chicago have a 7-3 conference record, but with a Seahawks loss, the Bears would need to keep pace to secure the No. 1 seed.
Sunday’s game with the 49ers won’t be easy by any stretch of the imagination. After a brief two-game stint at home, the Bears are on the road again in Week 17.
Kickoff is at 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC and Peacock.