Chicago Bears Playoff Picture: What to watch for in Week 14

After beating the Dallas Cowboys to open up Week 14, the Chicago Bears could use a little help this weekend to assist their playoff chances.

It’s time to take yourself back to grade school, folks. Remember all you learned about probability, simple math, fractions and word problems. Try to refresh that memory a little bit and get ready for this Chicago Bears playoff push.

Now, take all of that knowledge regarding grade school math and probability and do this: Throw it all away.

There are countless algorithms, projections and predictions out there by several outlets. But, when it comes to the Bears making the playoffs, all you need to do is take it week by week — and that’s what we’re here for.

Let’s break down Week 14 in a quick, easy manner. The Bears are 7-6; keep that in mind.

Whether or not you’ll be watching other matchups, these are the ones you want to watch closely if the Bears are to inch closer to the postseason:

Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings (Noon CST)

The Vikings are the team to watch the closest from now until the end of the year. At the moment, they are 8-4 and Kirk Cousins is playing some of the best football at his position this year. Minnesota currently owns the sixth and final playoff spot while the Green Bay Packers are leading the division.

The Lions, on the other hand, are 3-8-1 and without quarterbacks Matthew Stafford and Jeff Driskel.

It will be up to third string quarterback David Blough to help the Bears out and give his Lions a shot at beating the Vikings this weekend. If the Vikings fall to 8-5, the Bears are just one game behind them — and they currently own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Seattle Seahawks at Los Angeles Rams (Sunday Night Football)

You could argue this game is just as important for the Bears as the Vikings/Lions matchup. As a Bears fan, you have to love what Seattle has riding on this one. The Seahawks are tied with the San Francisco 49ers, record-wise, at 10-2. If they want to continue pushing for the division title, they’ll have to beat the Rams and go 11-2.

Looking at the other side, the Rams have to win this game to keep hope alive in their playoff hunt. Los Angeles is 7-5 and currently the first team out, looking up at the Vikings in the NFC’s final playoff spot. With a loss, they’ll be tied with the Bears at 7-6. However, the Rams own the head-to-head tiebreaker with the Bears after beating them this season.

Indianapolis Colts at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

You might laugh at first, but the Bucs are 5-7 and currently one spot behind the Bears at the no. 9 seed in the NFC. If they lose here and go 5-8, their season is essentially done and Chicago has one less team to worry about. The Colts (6-6), however, have to win this game to stay in the hunt in the AFC.

New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles

Similar to the Bucs, the Eagles are 5-7 and right behind Tampa Bay at the 10th seed. With a loss, it obviously gives hope to the Cowboys at winning the division, but also removes them as a team for the Bears to compete with, should Chicago continue to win games.

A perfect scenario

In a perfect world, at the end of Week 14:

• Vikings drop to 8-5
• Rams drop to 7-6
• Bucs drop to 5-8
• Eagles drop to 5-8

All the while, the Bears are 7-6 and look forward to Week 15 — where we will have yet another breakdown of what needs to happen for Chicago to keep hope alive.