Bears within two games of final playoff spot

[Staley Da Bear]

With the Vikings losing to the Seahawks 37-30 Monday night, the Bears (6-6) climbed to within two games of Minnesota (8-4) with four remaining in the race for the second and final wild card in the NFC.


Over the next three weeks, the Bears host the Cowboys, visit the Packers and host the Chiefs. The Vikings host the Lions, visit the Chargers and host the Packers. The Bears will then visit the Vikings in the regular-season finale. A win over Minnesota would give the Bears a sweep of the season series and the tiebreaker over the Vikings.


The Bears also trail the Rams (7-5) in the race for the second and final wild card. Los Angeles owns the tiebreaker based on a Week 11 win over the Bears. The Rams close the season by hosting the Seahawks, visiting the Cowboys and 49ers and hosting the Cardinals.


If the season ended today, the first five seeds in the NFC playoffs would be division winners 1) New Orleans (10-2); 2) Seattle (10-2); 3) Green Bay (9-3); and 4) Dallas (6-6); and top wild card 5) San Francisco (10-2).