Chicago Bears Will Host Eagles, Vikings Or Seahawks In Wild-Card Playoff Game If Team Can't Get Bye

There is still a lot to be decided when it comes to the Chicago Bears and their potential route to the Super Bowl. The NFC North champions are seeking a bye in the first round of the playoffs. In the likely event that the team gets the No.3 seed and has to play on Wild-Card Weekend, Chicago has a few potential opponents.

With the Bears visiting the Minnesota Vikings and the Los Angeles Rams hosting the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17, the odds are against Chicago catching L.A. for the NFC’s No.2 seed. The Bears are road underdogs against a team that’s fighting to make the playoffs, and the Rams are double-digit favorites against a team that’s winless on the road, per OddsShark.

The Dallas Cowboys are locked in as the No.4 seed and can’t pass Chicago in the standings.

Three potential first-round opponents await the Bears. If Chicago lands the No.3 seed, it’ll be the Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles or Seattle Seahawks that visit Soldier Field for a wild-card game as the No.6 seed.

Seattle enters Week 17 as the No.5 seed with a half-game lead over No.6 Minnesota. The Eagles are a half-game behind the Vikings, and Philadelphia can’t get the No.5 seed because Seattle owns the tiebreaker.

All three potential wild-card teams are favored Sunday. If none of them are upset, Minnesota will face Chicago on Wild-Card Weekend in a rematch from Week 17. That would also be the case if only the Eagles lose.

There’s one scenario in which the Eagles will face the Bears in the first round. If Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia are all victorious, the defending Super Bowl champs will play at Soldier Field.

The Bears will only host the Seahawks in a wild-card game if Chicago loses to Minnesota and Seattle loses at home to the Arizona Cardinals. The Seahawks are 13.5-point favorites at home against their division rivals, who have the inside track for the No.1 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Seattle might be motivated to win in Week 17 and avoid another matchup with Chicago. The Bears beat the Seahawks 24-17 on “Monday Night Football” in Week 2 when Russell Wilson was sacked six times.

Chicago and Philadelphia haven’t played this season.

A wild-card matchup between the Bears and Vikings would mean the NFC North rivals will face each other three times over the course of eight weeks. Chicago beat Minnesota at home 25-20 in Week 11 in a contest that was more one-sided than the final score indicates.

Since losing to the New England Patriots in Week 7, the Bears have gone 8-1. Chicago is 9-2 when both Mitchell Trubisky and Khalil Mack play.