34-27. That’s the combined record of the Bears final eight opponents in the 2011-12 NFL season.
During those final eight games, the Bears only play three teams with a winning record. They play one team with a .500 record, and two teams with a 2-6 record.
Sounds like a pretty easy schedule to me, doesn’t it?
If you take the 8-0 Packers out of the math, the combined record for seven games would be 26-27. Either way it sounds like the schedule favors the Bears for a postseason run.
Week 10’s match-up against the Detroit Lions will be the biggest game of the season for the Bears. It will undoubtedly be the biggest Bears-Lions game in the past decade or two.
This game has so many playoff implications on it, that it’s a must win for the Bears. Currently the Bears sit in sixth place in the NFC Playoff race. Good for the final Wild Card spot, based on the tiebreaker over the Falcons.
The Bears currently own the tiebreaker over three teams in the playoff race based on head to head match-ups. They beat Atlanta in week one, Tampa Bay in week seven, and Philadelphia in week nine.
Say the Bears lose this game Sunday. They drop to 5-4 on the season, and virtually three games behind the Lions because of the tiebreaker. They put themselves in a tough position, but the Bears schedule is easy enough that they can afford two losses on the season.
After this Sundays game against the Lions, the Bears play four straight against a relatively weak AFC West.
They have a struggling San Diego team with a quarterback who seemed to have dropped off the map coming into Soldier Field. A week twelve match-up in Oakland against a very beatable Raiders team. They follow that up with a home game against a Kansas City team that’s so hot and cold, they should be named the “Kansas City Katy Perrys”. Finally, the four game AFC West circus schedule comes to a close with a trip to Denver to take on a Tim Tebow led Broncos team.
There’s no reason the Bears shouldn’t be 4-0 after those games. So a loss to the Lions really isn’t the end of the season. It would just be a dent into their hopes.
The key game in the Bears schedule is when the Seahawks come into Chicago in week 15. That’s a game your supposed to win. If the Bears take care of business that week, and things fall into place, they won’t have to worry about a MUST win against the Packers in week 16.
That brings me to my next point. Say the Bears go 3-3 in the next six games. Something they won’t want to do, especially with a date against the dominating Green Bay Packers looming in week 16. The Bears should avoid having that game be a must win at all costs.
Take care of business and you will be fine. After all, they play their week 17 game against the 2-6 Minnesota Vikings. A perfect setup game in case it comes down to that for the Bears.
It seems like Chicago has got on a bit of a roll here since their trip to London. After beating the Bucs, the Bears headed into the bye week with confidence. They come out of the bye week with a big win in Philadelphia, where it seems like Mike Martz has found his perfect formula for the offense again.
With their offense in a zone and the defense trying to show the NFL that they are still dominant, one key thing remains for Chicago. I see six games the Bears should win, so win those games your supposed to win, and you’ll be fine.
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2 Comments
Excellent article and great analysis bud.
I feel like going 3-3 in the next 6 games will in fact cause the Bears to miss the post-season, but I don’t expect them to drop any more than 2 of the next 6. And that’s good stuff.
Really solid article, great analysis and input… I think it’s a must-win for the Bears vs Detroit. That’s their only wildcard opponent they face the rest of the way… I wouldn’t say their next 4 games after Detroit is a “weak.”
Definitely a struggling San Diego team that’s coming into town in 2 weeks, but a desperate one more than anything. Have to remember they get to watch Detroit’s game at home taking notes as they have 3 more days to prepare for the game as well. They gave Green Bay a shootout, the defense better be ready.
Oakland is the most complete team in the AFC West. Scary RB duo and a QB that’s starting to snap into a nice rhythm and establishing his weapons. Winnable game, but can’t book a W on it.
Kansas City – Easy win.
Denver – Never bet against Tim Tebow 🙂 haha. Should win that game though and looking at the game, don’t see how they could lose this game. Cutler seeking revenge, a lot more weapons on offense and defense.