Despite some trouble this season, the Chicago Bears enter Week 15 within one game of making the NFL playoffs for the 2023 season. However, time is running out for Chicago with just four games left and lots of teams remaining in the mix for the final two Wild Card spots in the NFC.
Chicago Bears Playoff Chances – Week 15 Update
Note that this article was originally published on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 8:55 a.m. ET before Sunday’s games began. The results of this week’s games are below and will continue to be updated throughout the day.
After Monday Night Football in Week 15, the Bears are 13th in the NFC standings.
1 p.m. Games Update
Panthers (2-12) defeated Falcons (6-8)
Buccaneers (7-7) defeated the Packers (6-8)
Saints (7-7) defeated the Giants (5-9)
Browns (9-5) defeated Bears (5-9)
4 p.m. Games Update
Rams (7-7) defeated Commanders (4-10)
49ers (11-3) defeated Cardinals (3-11)
Monday Night Football Update
Seahawks (7-7) defeated Eagles (10-4)
Keep reading below to see the playoff scenarios for the Bears entering Sunday of Week 15. And head over to PFN’s free NFL Playoff Predictor to test various scenarios and see how they change the playoff picture.
What Are the Chicago Bears’ Playoff Chances and Scenarios Entering Week 15?
Despite still technically being in the playoff race, the Bears’ backs are up against the wall entering Week 15. ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) gives the Bears just a 4.9% chance of making the playoffs in 2023. The Bears were eliminated from division contention last week when the Minnesota Vikings defeated the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Bears’ playoff scenarios are pretty direct in terms of what they control at this point. Chicago needs to go 4-0 or, at worst, 3-1 to give themselves any real shot of claiming the division or a Wild Card spot this season.
With five teams at 6-7, the Vikings at 7-7, and two at 5-8, it would be a surprise if eight wins are enough to get the Bears into the playoffs, but it is possible.
In terms of Week 15, the Bears’ best-case scenario is getting to the ninth spot in the NFC standings, jumping a handful of teams. One problem for the Bears is that they have lost to both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints this season. Therefore, if the trio ends up in a two or three-way tie, the Bears lose that tiebreaker against both of those teams.
Therefore, Chicago would probably prefer to see the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers defeat the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, respectively. The Bears will get a chance to even the score with the Packers in Week 18 and would hope to flip their conference record enough to at least get level with the Giants by the end of Week 18.
For Chicago, Week 15 is really about keeping themselves in the picture and improving their NFL playoff tiebreaker situations. A win this week would be a huge boost for the Bears in terms of their strength of victory (currently .327). It will not have a big impact this week, but looking down the line, it could be important if they get past the head-to-head tiebreakers.
MORE: Chicago Bears Depth Chart
From a worst-case scenario, simply losing is the worst case for the Bears. It would make it very hard for them to make the playoffs as a Wild Card. As many as five teams in the NFC could get to 7-7 this week, which would put the Bears two games back with three to play and a lot of tiebreaker situations to overcome.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!