By: Andrew Hubschman

Bears fans – including George Kittle – are pretty happy with the way Week 16 turned out for them. As the #8 seed in the NFC, the Bears received news of the #7 seeded Cardinals losing to the 49ers, giving Chicago a chance to steal the latter seed with a win. The Bears dismantled the woeful Jaguars, moving themselves up to the driver’s seat heading into Week 17. As promising as this is for Bears fans, now is not the time to get too excited.

Week 16 was a great week to be a Bears fan; however, the fight is not finished. Chicago will finish off their regular season against their arch-nemesis Green Bay Packers – who clinched the NFC North – and will need to win to assure their playoff security. If they were to lose, they would need a Cardinals loss against the Rams, or else their season is history.

Week 17 Vs. Green Bay

Win and you’re in! Bears fans: before you start thinking about playoffs, pray that Green Bay decides to sit Aaron Rodgers on Sunday. With the Pack locking up the #1, what good would playing him do for either side? Instead, hope that the Bears will be the first NFL opponents of Packers’ first-round pick: Jordan Love – who is projected to be their next Aaron Rodgers. Love struggled in his final year at Utah State – mainly due to having a new offensive coordinator and an entirely new offense that proved to be ineffective. If Green Bay decides that Love is not ready to seek NFL action, pray that corners Jaylon Johnson (shoulder) and Buster Skrine (concussion) return from injury and Trubisky is at his best because Sunday looks to be a make-or-break deal for Chi-Town.

Arizona Cardinals

As for the Cardinals game, they will be facing a Rams offense that is coming off an inept 9-point performance against the Seahawks. The only difference is they will not be facing Jared Goff. The Rams will turn to backup John Wolford – who will be making his NFL debut in hopes of clinching a playoff spot for LA. It would be shocking if the Cardinals found a way to lose against a Rams offense that has dipped since their 24-3 victory over the Patriots.

Sunday will be a nail-biting week for Bears and Cardinals fans. In the end, we’ll see who deserves the #7 seed more but coming into Sunday, it looks like the Bears-Packers game will determine the final playoff spot.