Could we witness a potential playoff preview in week 8 of the NFL regular season when the Chicago Bears square off against the Washington Commanders? Both teams have been playing well enough this season to warrant that conversation. Washington is in a weaker division with the sputtering Cowboys and Giants, so the Commanders have a better chance of winning the NFC East than the Chicago Bears do the NFC North.
Toughest Division In Football
In 2024, the NFC North has been one of the most successful divisions in the NFL, with every team possessing a winning record. There has been some chatter around the league that this could be the first time in NFL history that every team from a division makes the playoffs. While the likelihood of that happening will grow increasingly worse as the season wears on, currently it is within the realm of possibility as all NFC North teams are atop the NFC.
With only one loss, the Detroit Lions look like the team to beat in the NFC North, but the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Chicago Bears have just two losses in the young season. When every team in a division is competent and competitive in every game, it puts more emphasis on each team to win every game they can. This is the mindset the Chicago Bears have coming out of their Week 7 bye to play an injured Washington Commanders squad in Landover, MD.
Chicago Bears Wildcard Berth
If the Washington Commanders do not win their division, they could compete for a wildcard slot in the NFC with the Chicago Bears. Each team still has a chance to win their division, but this game could prove pivotal for each franchise if they have the same record at the end of the year. At that point, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head matchups, which would go to the victor of this Week 8 matchup. The Washington Commanders’ path to winning their division will go through last year’s NFC East division champions, the Philadelphia Eagles who currently have two losses, the same as Washington.
If the Detroit Lions keep up their stellar play for the rest of the season, they are the favorites to win the NFC North. If the Bears are to make the playoffs, they likely have to do so via a wildcard berth over teams like the Packers, Vikings, and Commanders. There could be other teams in contention for the three wildcard slots in the NFC playoff picture when the final whistle of the 2024 regular season blows, but these teams are the three likely candidates now. If the Bears can beat the Commanders in D.C., that would go a long way for their playoff resume, as the Bears don’t play another team with a winning record until Week 11.
Final Thoughts
It can be an inauspicious conversation about the NFL Playoffs to have in Week 8, but the season will be almost halfway over as we head into Week 9. Through eight weeks, we finally have a large enough sample size to start making educated predictions about some of these teams. The Chicago Bears could easily be a playoff team if Caleb Williams and the offense continue to improve and the defense can get better at defending against the run and guarding tight ends. Any major injuries can hugely impact a team and a season, so the Chicago Bears will continue to take the season one play at a time.
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