The Chicago Bears have been held out of the postseason for the past four seasons and have only made the playoffs twice since losing to the Green Bay Packers in the 2010 NFC Conference Championship. Now, in head coach Ben Johnson’s first year, the Bears are not only going to the playoffs, but sit atop the NFC North.
After losing against Johnson’s former team, the Detroit Lions, in Week 18, what seed did the Bears clinch, and who will they face off against in the first round of the 2025 NFL Playoffs?
What Seed Will the Chicago Bears Clinch in Week 18?
Despite a 0-2 start in the division to begin the season, Johnson and the Bears didn’t panic. Fueled by seven one-score wins, Chicago rode a top-ten offense, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact Metric, to an 11-6 record, winning the NFC North one year after a fourth-place finish.
While the division has been packed with challenges, most notably the highly competitive rivals in the Lions and Packers, the Bears had a miraculous comeback against the Packers in Week 16, which included a recovered onside kick, to separate themselves at the top of the NFC North.
While a win against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17 would’ve given them the inside track to the first overall seed, they came up short, falling to San Francisco 42-38. However, a loss for the Philadelphia Eagles against the Washington Commanders in Week 18 locked the Bears into the NFC’s No. 2 seed.
Bears’ Playoff Opponents
Although the Bears lost to Johnson’s former franchise, they have put themselves into a third divisional matchup against the Packers in Super Wild Card Weekend. This would be Chicago’s third matchup against the Packers in six weeks.
When the two rivals met at Lambeau Field in Week 14, Green Bay was able to emerge victorious after a fourth-quarter Josh Jacobs rushing touchdown would give them the 28-21 win. The second showdown at Soldier Field in Week 16 was much more dramatic, as the Bears scored 13 points in the fourth quarter to force overtime, where quarterback Caleb Williams hit D.J. Moore for a 46-yard touchdown pass for the 22-16 win.
It seems almost like a forgone conclusion that a third matchup should produce an NFL postseason classic.
Had the Bears ended the season as the third seed in the NFC, they would have hosted the San Francisco 49ers in the Wild Card round. It will be interesting to see how Williams and Johnson perform in their first playoff game.
