NFC Playoff Picture: Bears, Rams both win as Eagles drop game in Dallas

The Chicago Bears retained their spot atop the NFC North this week after beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the NFC race remains tight.

The Bears are now 8-3 on the season and can guarantee a winning season with one more triumph, but they still have plenty of work to do if they want to get back to the postseason for the first time in six years.

Here’s How We Got to Here:

The Bears continued their winning streak on Sunday when they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, retaining the top spot in the NFC North division.

The Detroit Lions also kept pace in the playoff hunt by beating the New York Giants in overtime, but they still are on the outside looking into the playoffs as the San Francisco 49ers beat the Carolina Panthers on Monday night.

The Green Bay Packers knocked off the Minnesota Vikings, while the Philadelphia Eagles coughed up a large lead and lost to the Dallas Cowboys.

Finally, the Los Angeles Rams thrashed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football to retain their spot atop the NFC.

Here is the current NFC Playoff Picture:

1 Los Angeles Rams 9-2

2 Philadelphia Eagles 8-3

3 Chicago Bears 8-3

4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6-5

5 Seattle Seahawks 8-3

6 Green Bay Packers 7-3-1

7 San Francisco 49ers 8-4

8 Detroit Lions 7-4

9 Carolina Panthers 6-6

If the Season Ended Today…..

If the season were to end today, the Rams would earn a bye into the divisional round of the playoffs.

The Eagles would host the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field in the wild card round, while the Bears would host the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers would host the Seattle Seahawks in the other wild card round game.

A Note on Tiebreakers:

The Eagles and Bears have identical 8-3 records on the season, with the Eagles currently holding a tiebreaker for the best win percentage in divisional games.

If the Bears were to beat the Eagles on Friday, they would own a tiebreaker over Philadelphia for their head-to-head matchup.

The Road Ahead for the Bears:

The Bears will face a tough test on Friday when they take on the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in Philadelphia, with kickoff set for 2 p.m.

The Bears will then travel to Green Bay to take on the Packers at Lambeau Field for the first time in the Ben Johnson era, with a 3:25 p.m. kickoff on December 7.

Home games against the Browns and Packers will follow, and then the Bears will take on the San Francisco 49ers in the Bay Area on Sunday Night Football on Sunday, December 28.

The Bears will wrap up their regular season in the first weekend in January with a home game against the Lions.

Of the Bears’ final six games, four are against teams that are currently in a playoff spot, and one against a team that’s just a half-game back of the 49ers for a playoff spot.

According to Sharp Football Analysis, the Bears have the second-hardest schedule for the remainder of the NFL season, trailing only the Vikings.