Alright, let’s talk about this Bears playoff thing. It’s been bouncing around in my head for a few days now, especially after catching bits of the last game. You know how it is, you start thinking, ‘Could they actually make it? What would it take?’ So, I decided to actually sit down and try to map it out for myself, just to see what the real picture looks like.
First thing I did was just pull up the basic info. Needed the current standings, obviously. Where do the Bears actually sit in the NFC North, and more importantly, in the overall NFC picture? Got their win-loss record down. Okay, not exactly leading the pack, but maybe not completely out of it either, depending on how things shake out.
Then, the schedule. That’s the big one. I listed out who they have left to play. Went through it game by game. Looked at those opponents – what are their records? Are they fighting for anything? Are those home games or away games? You start to see the path, or lack thereof. Some tough matchups jumped out immediately, the kind where you think, ‘oof, that’s gonna be a challenge.’ But maybe one or two looked potentially winnable if the Bears play their best ball.
Looking at the Competition
But here’s the kicker, it’s never just about your team, right? Especially when you’re hovering around the wildcard spots. So, the next step was figuring out who else is in the hunt. I had to check the records for a bunch of other NFC teams sitting around that same win total. Teams in the NFC East, West, South – whoever might be competing for those last couple of playoff berths.
Then, I did the same thing for their remaining schedules. Who do they play? Are there games where these competing teams play each other? Because that matters too. If two teams ahead of the Bears play each other, one has to lose (usually!), which could help. This part got complicated fast. You end up with a whole web of possibilities.
- Checked Bears’ record.
- Analyzed their remaining schedule and opponents.
- Identified other NFC wildcard contenders.
- Looked at the schedules for those teams too.
Trying to Make Sense of It
My head started spinning a bit trying to keep track of all the ‘if this, then that’ scenarios. So, I did what most folks probably do – I looked around online for some of those playoff probability calculators. You plug in scenarios, or just see what percentage chance they give the Bears right now. It’s interesting, but also, you gotta take it with a grain of salt. Different sites sometimes have slightly different numbers based on their own fancy math.
Here’s the thing though: those calculators are just numbers. They don’t account for momentum, or injuries, or how a team is actually playing week-to-week. That eye test matters. Are the Bears clicking? Is the defense looking solid? Is the offense finding any rhythm? I thought about their recent games – flashes of good stuff, definitely, but also some frustrating moments that make you cautious.
So, after looking at the schedule, the competition, and the probabilities, what’s my takeaway from this little exercise? Well, it’s not looking easy, that’s for sure. They pretty much need to win most, if not all, of their remaining games. That’s a tall order given the schedule. And even then, they’ll likely need some help – specific teams ahead of them need to lose.
It’s a long shot. Possible? Technically, yes. Football is weird. But is it likely? Probably not. Still, you gotta watch the games, right? See if they can defy the odds. That’s part of the fun, or the pain, depending on the week.
