Chicago Bears Playoff Chances: What needs to happen in Week 15

Tampa Bay Buccaneers lose to Atlanta Falcons

Let’s get this out of the way, first of all. If the Bears and Bucs both wound up at 8-8 or 9-7 at the end of the year, Chicago would get in over Tampa Bay by way of the head-to-head tiebreaker. That prime time victory over Tom Brady earlier this year could come into play in a huge way in three weeks.

Prior to beating the Vikings last week, the Bucs were actually on a 2-game losing streak. Now, both of those were 3-point defeats to two very good teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams.

But, both losses had a common denominator: Brady tossed a pair of picks in each contest. The odd part about those turnovers is the fact that Brady was sacked just once in both games as well. Brady still had a hard time avoiding turnovers, though, which is uncharacteristic of him.

Last week against the Vikings, Brady was kept clean and didn’t throw a pick all game. their offense was not necessarily outer-worldly, but they did enough to beat Minnesota.

This is more of a miracle the Bears are wishing for. The Falcons very well could be without Julio Jones on Sunday, which totally changes the face of their offense. Because the Bucs are trying to keep pace in the sixth seed, Brady and company will probably be at their best.

But, if the Bucs do indeed lose, they drop to 8-6, just one game ahead of the Bears if they beat the Vikings. Then, it’s on to Week 16.