The Chicago Bears have been eliminated from the playoffs and they don’t have anything to play for in Week 18. But they do have an opportunity to play spoiler to the hated Green Bay Packers.
The Packers defeated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 17 to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now, they have a win-and-in scenario heading into the final week of the regular season.
Chicago has followed an eerily similar path to the Detroit Lions from last season: Start off 1-5, go on a hot streak and miss the playoffs. The last step? Beat Green Bay and keep them out of the postseason. And we see how well that’s working out for Detroit.
The last time the Bears kept the Packers out of the playoffs came some 40 years ago, according to Mark Potash. Chicago defeated Green Bay, 23-21, under head coach Mike Ditka in 1983.
The Bears have turned a corner in the back half of the season, including going 4-1 in their last five games. But they’ll need to be on their A-game against a Packers team with everything to play for this week.
The Bears and Packers kick things off at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday on CBS.
