2026 Bears Playoff Prediction: Was Last Year a Fluke

Last year I wrote, "I'm not sure I have it in me to do another one of these," and given that I buried this in my drafts folder, I think the same this year, especially since two games have already been decided.  So I'm already 1-1.  Nevertheless, I will stick with my predictions.

Looking at their schedule and based on how the teams they play did last year, I'm predicting they will again go 12 and 5, though I worry it might be more like 10 and 7.

A lot of winning in the NFL depends on when you play a team as much as how you play them. Catch a team before they find their identity and it looks like an easy win. Catch them during a winning streak and they blow you out. Or if they haven't won in 5 or more games, you are the trap game.

Winning the Division:

As always, the Chicago Bears have two ways to make the playoffs: Win the Division or via the WildCard.  Last Season was an unexpected, exciting and pleasant surprise.  While some fans were optimistic the Bears would do better than in recent seasons, none expected them to go 12-5 and win a playoff game.

That said, I don't strongly believe they will repeat.  I didn't get to watch the first two games (because of broadcast rules) but they gave up 37 points to Carolina -- even though they scored 59 of their own -- and strugged to score against the Vikings at home.  So best case, me thinks, is WildCard.

WildCard:

To earn a Wildcard seed, the Bears need to be in a position to win any tie-breakers.  I have been a fan long enough to see them miss the playoffs with a winning record because of losing tie-breakers.  And the NFC North is good enough that if all four teams have winning records, the Bears would likely be watching the playoffs at home.  

Note from The Future:  I didn't get around to finishing this until two games into the season but apparently Google has fixed the bug where your schedule post will postdate if configured as such.