When is the earliest the Bears can clinch a playoff spot or a division title?

Thanks to the way the NFL action unfolded this weekend, the Chicago Bears are a lot closer to clinching a playoff spot.

The Bears knocked off the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, while the Green Bay Packers lost to the Denver Broncos and the Detroit Lions lost to the Los Angeles Rams.

As a result, the Bears are within striking distance of their first playoff appearance since 2020 and their first division title since 2018, and here’s how they can do it.

How the Bears can clinch a playoff spot

The earliest the Bears would be able to clinch a playoff spot in the NFC would be Sunday, but they will need two things to happen.

First, the Bears need to avenge their previous loss to the Packers and knock off their bitter rivals at Soldier Field on Saturday night. That would give the Bears a commanding lead in the NFC North with two weeks to go, and would put them in prime position to potentially host a playoff game at Soldier Field.

If the Bears can win that game, then a Detroit Lions loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers would land the Bears their first postseason appearance since the 2020 season.

How the Bears can clinch the NFC North division

Clinching the NFC North is also within reach for the Bears, but they would need a bit more help.

If the Bears win this weekend against the Packers, they would then be able to clinch the division in the following ways:

-With a win over the San Francisco 49ers or the Lions

OR

-With a Packers loss to either the Baltimore Ravens or the Minnesota Vikings

Can the Bears clinch the top spot in the NFC?

Unfortunately for the Bears, they do not control their own destiny when it comes to the top seed in the NFC. That is because the Seahawks and Rams are both 11-3 on the year, one game ahead of the Bears, and they play each other in Week 16, meaning one of them in all likelihood will win their 12^th game of the season.

After that, the Bears would give themselves a chance at the top seed since their final three games are all against NFC opponents, but the Bears would need either the Seahawks or Rams to lose one of their final two games, and then it would come down to tiebreakers in all likelihood.