Greg Bloggs Jr: Let’s talk about the Bears’ clinching scenarios, path forward

If the Chicago Bears win their next two games, they’ll clinch the NFC North.

Pretty cool, huh? The same thing applies if they can beat the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions.

The Bears can clinch a playoff spot this Sunday with a Bears win over Green Bay and a Lions loss to the Steelers. That’s also pretty cool.

In terms of rooting interests around the league, I think there are some interesting things worth considering:

• The Minnesota Vikings suddenly are heating up. They have two home games remaining: one against the Lions on Christmas Day and another against the Packers in Week 18. They might’ve been eliminated from playoff contention already, but they do seem interested in playing spoiler. It certainly didn’t look like they were worried about draft status on Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys.

• The Ravens also looked good yesterday. They dominated the Bengals in a decisive 24-0 win in Cincinnati on Sunday. They play the Packers at Lambeau Field in two weeks. Plus, the Steelers and Ravens are still fighting it out for the AFC North division.

• The Steelers beat the Ravens last week, and it was the best Aaron Rodgers has looked in a while. They did, however, lose T.J. Watt, and I don’t know if he’ll be available next Sunday against the Lions. That being said, a “less-than” Lions team against Aaron Rodgers playing for a division of his own and an opportunity to stick it to Detroit in Detroit? Interesting.

Week 16

I love how the schedule lays out from a viewing standpoint, the next two weeks:

• It all starts with an NFC West heavyweight bout this Thursday. Los Angeles Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks. If you’re still looking at that No. 1 seed, you’re rooting for the Seahawks based on the remaining schedules for both teams. The Seahawks finish with two road games against current playoff teams. But the Bears would need to win out to take that No. 1 seed in that scenario.

• Bears vs. Packers on Saturday Primetime. Division on the line. Day off the next day. You can go all out for this one. Does it get any better than that? It quite literally does not. If the Bears can win on Saturday, the viewing gets very entertaining before the Bears play a game again. Also, you will not want to miss the tailgate this Saturday at the corner of Wabash and Cermak. I anticipate the most hyped Tailgating atmosphere I’ve ever been to. And I’ve been to many.

• The noon slate. It features the battle for the NFC South with the Carolina Panthers vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

• The afternoon slate. The Lions play the Steelers at 3:25 p.m. in Detroit, as mentioned before.

• Then our attention turns to MNF. The Indianapolis Colts vs. the San Francisco 49ers. That matchup had no juice as of a couple of weeks ago when Daniel Jones went down. Now? Philip Rivers nearly shook up the whole NFC with a win against the Seahawks that fell just short. He certainly was shaking off the rust, but I like that he got a game under his belt before a huge home game in Indianapolis. It’s a must-win for the Colts. A loss for the Niners could open the door for other wild-card scenarios.

Week 17

• Then the Lions play again on a short week in Minnesota on Christmas Day. The Vikings feel like the kind of team you don’t want to play right now. They’re playing with nothing to lose and everything to gain in terms of building confidence for J.J. McCarthy going into next season. Could the Bears clinch a playoff spot on Christmas Day? That’d be quite the present.

• Then the Packers play the Ravens on Saturday Night Football. I just find it enjoyable that after the Bears play the Packers this Saturday, and if they hopefully beat them, we get to sit back for a week and watch games with huge implications all neatly separated and spread out without distractions. The 3:25 p.m. slate yesterday was as crazy a viewing moment I can remember as a Bears fan watching the Lions and Packers playing simultaneous shootouts with everything on the line.

• We still have the Seahawks at the Panthers at noon. A nice little warmup before the Bears play a game that night.

• Finally, Bears vs. 49ers on SNF in San Francisco. Where the Super Bowl will be played this year. Will the Bears be playing to clinch a playoff spot? To win the division? To jump into the No. 1 seed? All are possibilities at this point. I love the idea of what the message will be in the locker room before the game from Ben Johnson in these scenarios.

The Lions and Packers aren’t dead yet

I don’t care that they both lost on Sunday. Yes, the Packers sustained some brutal injuries, including losing Micah Parsons for the year. The Lions are hanging on for dear life but are still very much alive. I’m not underestimating either at all. It still might take 12 wins to get in. Maybe not. All I know is I’ve waited years for this feeling.

One interesting note in regards to the game on Sunday and going forward for Green Bay:

Teams have not fared well this season after facing the Chicago Bears & Denver Broncos.

Teams’ records after playing the Bears: 2-10-1

Teams’ records after playing the Broncos: 3-10

The Packers have played both in back-to-back weeks and now play the Bears in Chicago on a short week.

Ultimately, all that matters is the Bears taking care of business against the Packers on Saturday. Then we can watch the chips fall where they may.