The 11–5 Chicago Bears enter the final week of the 2025 NFL regular season aiming for the best possible scenario in the Wild Card round. Their Week 18 matchup at home against the 8–8 Detroit Lions is critical. A win would significantly help Chicago in securing a better seed in the NFC, while a loss could complicate its playoff positioning.
If the Bears beat the Lions at home in Week 18, they would automatically clinch the No. 2 seed in the NFC. That outcome would set up a Wild Card matchup against the Green Bay Packers, a favorable scenario for Chicago after splitting the season series 1–1 during the regular season.
If the Bears lose to the Lions, the situation becomes more complicated. Chicago would then need help from the Washington Commanders, who would have to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, expected to rest multiple backup players in the season finale, to allow the Bears to still clinch the No. 2 seed.
NFC standings and another scenario for the Bears
The NFC standings are largely settled, and the Bears no longer have a path to the No. 1 seed, which belongs to the 14–3 Seattle Seahawks after their recent 13–3 road win over the 12–5 San Francisco 49ers.
| Seed | Team | Record |
| 1 | Seattle Seahawks* | 14-3 |
| 2 | Chicago Bears* | 11-5 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Eagles* | 11-5 |
| 4 | Carolina Panthers* | 8-9 |
| 5 | San Francisco 49ers* | 12-5 |
| 6 | Los Angeles Rams* | 11-5 |
| 7 | Green Bay Packers* | 9-7-1 |
| 8 | Minnesota Vikings – eliminated | 9-8 |
| 9 | Detroit Lions – eliminated | 8-8 |
| 10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers – eliminated | 8-9 |
| 11 | Atlanta Falcons – eliminated | 8-9 |
| 12 | Dallas Cowboys – eliminated | 7-9-1 |
| 13 | New Orleans Saints – eliminated | 6-11 |
| 14 | Washington Commanders – eliminated | 4-12 |
| 15 | Arizona Cardinals – eliminated | 3-13 |
| 16 | New York Giants – eliminated | 4-13 |
see also
NFL playoffs: How many teams make the postseason?
A second scenario for Chicago involves losing at home to Detroit while the Eagles defeat the Commanders. That combination would drop the Bears to the No. 3 seed, setting up a potential Wild Card matchup against either the 49ers or the Rams, depending on whether Los Angeles also beats the Cardinals. In that case, Chicago would need two separate results to fall its way after a loss to the Lions.
A third and final scenario would have the Bears matched up exclusively against the Rams, provided the Eagles beat the Commanders and either the Falcons’ Week 17 win over the Rams (which has already happened) or a Cardinals win over Los Angeles holds in the standings.
