Ranking the Chicago Bears' potential Wild Card matchups

**The Seahawks are no longer an eligible matchup for the Bears after the Rams lost to the Falcons on Monday night. They are now only eligible to play the Packers, 49ers, and Rams.

The Packers are one of two other teams locked into their playoff spot. They resumed their normal positioning as the seventh seed (for the third year in a row). If the Bears win next week, the two teams will run it back for a third time. Would that be the most ideal outcome for Chicago?

1. Bears host the Packers

Why yes, it would. The Packers would be the ideal matchup for the Bears, even if it meant they'd concede the second seed to Philadelphia. Green Bay is on a three-game losing streak and are, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst NFC playoff team this side of whoever wins the NFC South. They're not the same team without Micah Parsons, and I'd be surprised if they made a run in the playoffs.

With that said, they tend to play the Bears well. Both games this season came down to the wire, and the most recent went to overtime. Their offense can still put up points on Chicago's defense, and they're not an easy out by any means. The Bears would need to start much quicker if they want to save the fanbase from the longest nine months of their lives. Imagine the pain of Green Bay ending the most promising season since 2018?

Imagine the euphoric feeling of sending them home 'packing', though?

2. Bears host the 49ers

This is where things get confusing. Personally, I would much rather play the Seahawks (due to Sam Darnold's propensity for turning into a pumpkin in big games) than their fellow playoff-bound NFC West foes, but they're locked into the first or fifth seed after the Rams' loss on Monday night.

I'm not exactly eager to play San Francisco again after watching their offense dice up Chicago's secondary. However, I think the feeling is probably mutual from their side. The Bears were a mere two yards away from winning the game outright, after all. Their defense had absolutely no answer for our offense.

I also feel much better about the Bears' odds of slowing down San Francisco's defense at Soldier Field, where they've fed off the fans' electricity and played much better this season.

While Brock Purdy played well on Sunday night, he also should've thrown two backbreaking interceptions (the illegal hands to the face call against CJ Gardner-Johnson was ridiculous). I like their odds of doing the same in Chicago.

3. Bears host the Rams

I personally don't want the Bears to have to play the Rams this postseason. They might've stumbled a bit recently, but I still think they're the best team in the conference on paper. Let someone else take them out.

I also think Matthew Stafford should be the MVP favorite (Drake Maye's been great, but I'm surprised by the lack of love for the old man with eight more total TDs). He's seen it all, and I don't think Chicago's defense would hold up well against their talented offensive weapons.

There is also the fact that the Rams have been there before. They've made the playoffs in four out of the past five years before this season. While the Bears have played in a handful of big games this year, the stakes are always higher in the playoffs. Unlike Green Bay, they've also made some serious noise when they get there.

With that said, if the Bears play the Rams, it wouldn't be safe to count them out. As I mentioned before, their defense plays much better at home, and four of the Rams' five losses have come on the road.