NFL Playoff Picture If Season Ended Today

The Chicago Bears are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their historic 1985 Super Bowl championship team. The ‘85 Bears went 15-1, dominated the NFC playoffs and then destroyed the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX.

The Patriots, of course, have been back to the Super Bowl many times since then — winning six times thanks to Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and company. The Bears have reached the Super Bowl just once since then, losing to the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI.

Chicago was supposed to be at least a year or two away, with rookie head coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. But some very strange things are happening. If the season ended today, the Chicago Bears would now be the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

Chicago is 9-3. The Bears’ Black Friday win against the Eagles in Philadelphia, coupled with the Los Angeles Rams’ loss in Carolina, vaulted them to the top spot in the playoff picture. What’s even crazier: Had the Denver Broncos lost in Washington Sunday night, the Patriots would be sitting atop the AFC, meaning it’s not out of the question to see a rematch of Super Bowl XX. Denver is the AFC’s No. 1 seed for now, but the Broncos and Patriots are tied as the only 10-win teams in the NFL.

Of course, a lot can happen over the last five weeks of the season.

Here’s a look at the playoff picture if the season ended today:

AFC Playoff Seeding

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. Indianapolis Colts
7. Buffalo Bills

AFC Wild Card Round (Broncos get bye):
Bills at Patriots
Colts at Jaguars
Chargers at Ravens

NFC Playoff Seeding

1. Chicago Bears
2. Los Angeles Rams
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5. Seattle Seahawks
6. Green Bay Packers
7. San Francisco 49ers

NFC Wild Card Round (Bears get bye):
49ers at Rams
Packers at Eagles
Seahawks at Buccaneers

Here’s a breakdown of the NFL’s tiebreaking procedure