What delusional Chicago Bears fans should be rooting for in Week 12

It took a last-second field goal for the Chicago Bears to beat the worst team in football on Thanksgiving, but a win is a win, nonetheless.

After the Bears’ victory over the Detroit Lions, fans at least had something positive to think about as they gorged themselves with turkey, mashed potatoes, among other things.

During a week filled with rumors and reports around head coach Matt Nagy and his future with the team, it was a positive for the players to come out of Detroit with a win. No matter what ends up happening with Nagy — spoiler alert: he’ll get fired by mid-January at the latest — it’s nice, for the time being, to celebrate a win regardless of how it happened.

Now that the Bears are back in the win column, there will be many fans out there who look at the standings and how many weeks are remaining, while thinking to themselves, “Mathematically, the Bears aren’t out of it just yet.”

There’s no denying that fact. The Bears very well could end up 10-7 at season’s end. Yes, mathematically that’s possible. Chicago will likely get destroyed by the Arizona Cardinals next week, and then run into the Green Bay Packers the week after. But, let’s be delusional for a second. Don’t mention the difficult games coming up. Allow the delusional fans to relish in the moment.

If Chicago Bears fans want to root for the mathematically possible, there are some games to watch closely in Week 12.

Believe it or not, the Bears’ seven losses aren’t a death sentence. In fact, all of the teams just ahead of them in the playoff picture and right outside the final 7-seed have six losses.

Therefore, at the end of the day, we could be looking at every single bubble team having seven losses, except for the New Orleans Saints who are 5-6 after losing Thursday night.

Let’s take a quick look at the bubble teams ahead of the Bears and what needs to happen in Week 12 for Chicago to inch a little closer.

Atlanta Falcons (4-6)

The Atlanta Falcons take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, which might be the ugliest game of the week. If Jacksonville comes out on top, the Falcons drop to an equal 4-7.

Washington Football Team (4-6)

The Washington Football Team will host the 3-7 Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football this week. If a desperate Seattle team pulls off the win, then both teams end the week with the same record as the Bears.

Carolina Panthers (4-6)

The Miami Dolphins will host the Carolina Panthers in another game where Bears fans have to root for the unlikely. The Dolphins have actually won three in a row and are 4-7, so it might not be as crazy as it sounds to hope for them to beat Carolina.

Philadelphia Eagles (5-6)

Last, a divisional game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants could see Philly drop to seven losses. Again, it’s an unlikely scenario. But, delusional and desperate fans don’t quite.

Overall, for all of these teams to lose in Week 12 would be one of the crazier weeks in football this season. But, again, we’re talking about Bears fans who simply won’t let go. Let those fans enjoy their own little world and root for the near-impossible.