The Chicago Bears are officially in control of their playoff destination thanks to some help from the San Francisco 49ers, who defeated the Arizona Cardinals 20-12 on Saturday.
There have been several playoff scenarios where the Bears were able to lock up that seventh seed in the NFC playoffs, most of which involved the Cardinals in recent weeks.
With the loss of Arizona on Saturday, Chicago has a chance to take that seventh place with a win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
One who was happy to see the Bears’ playoff hopes float was George Kittle of the 49ers, who grew up as a Bears fan in Chicago.
“I’ve become a Bears fan, and the fact that we helped the Bears a little bit just makes me a little bit happier.”
Kittle also added a “Da Bears” before wrapping up the question.
With the Cardinals falling to 8-7, the Bears’ playoff odds increased to 71%, according to FiveThirtyEight. That chance increases to 84% if Chicago beats Jacksonville on Sunday.
But Chicago has had to settle things for the past two weeks, where they compete against the Jaguars and the Green Bay Packers.
There is still a scenario where the Bears can secure a playoff berth with just one win in their last two games. They would need the Cardinals to lose their Week 17 game against division rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, another team fighting for the playoffs.