Bears: 9-7 could get the Wildcard for Chicago, if these things play out

The Chicago Bears beat the Dallas Cowboys 31-24 on Thursday to improve their record to 7-6. After that win, the playoffs are looking more likely for the Bears.

The Chicago Bears are 1.5 games back from the second wildcard spot. The Minnesota Vikings play the Detroit Lions today with a lot on the line. If the Vikings drop to 8-5, the Bears control their own destiny.

Last week, there were more teams left in the hunt to worry about. Know, the Bears only have to worry about the Vikings, and of course, the L.A. Rams. The Rams have the tiebreaker over the Bears. They’d have to lose two more games for the Bears to jump over them.

The Rams are playing the Seattle Seahawks tonight. Losing that game does two things, it clinched the playoffs for the Seahawks and puts them in three must-win games. The Rams have games against the Cowboys and 49ers left. After being dismantled by the Bears, there is a lot to expect from the Cowboys.

They’ve played a lot better at home. There’s a good reason to believe the Cowboys could beat the Rams in Dallas. The next three games for the Rams are very tough. They could finish 8-8 if they take any of them lightly.

The Rams have to go into San Francisco and Dallas to beat both of those teams. They also have to beat the red-hot Seahawks. It doesn’t seem likely for them. The Super Bowl hangover has hit L.A.

We cannot write the Rams off. They do have the tiebreaker over the Bears. The good thing is, if they finish 8-8, the Bears could go 9-7 and still win the wildcard. The reason I say 9-7 is involving the Green Bay Packers. The Bears never seem to beat them when it matters. Going into Green Bay and beating them next week seems unlikely. If Mitchell Trubisky can light up the Packers like he did last season around this time, there is hope.

Here is how 9-7 could work for Chicago. The Rams would have to go 8-8, which is very possible. The Vikings would have to lose three of their next four games. They play the Packers, Lions, and Bears within the next four weeks. They could lose all three of those games.

The Bears now would have to finish 2-1. They’d have to beat either the Kansas City Chiefs or the Packers. The Chiefs travel to Chicago in two weeks, I think the Bears have a better chance of winning that game than they do in Green Bay.

So, the Bears would have to beat both the Chiefs and the Vikings. The Vikings would have to lose two of their next three games before playing the Bears Week 17. It’s very possible. Like mentioned earlier, they play the Lions and the Packers. They also play the L.A. Chargers, a team that dismantled Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

So, if the Bears do lose next week, they still have just as good of a chance, only if the Vikings lose today. Expecting the Vikings to lose three straight is unlikely. I am confident the Packers could beat them in two weeks. That would be to close up things and try to clinch a first-round bye. They still have a chance to get a first-round bye. That’s the only thing that helps the Bears.

If the Bears make the playoffs, they’ll be the sixth seed. They’ll the third seed, who can be either the Packers, Saints, or the NFC West winner. None of those teams will be easy. Winning the Super Bowl is a long shot. The thing to remember is, crazier things have happened in the world of sports.

So today, we have to root of the Lions and the Seahawks. If both of those teams win, the Bears are one game out. Winning out is their best option, but winning the wildcard at 9-7 is more possible than you think.