The Chicago Bears have a magic number of 1 entering Week 15, which means a Bears’ win or Vikings’ loss would clinch the Bears’ first NFC North title since 2010.
Or to put it more clearly: The Chicago Bears can win the division by beating the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. Full stop. They don’t need help from anyone else. A win on Sunday against their arch-nemesis at home would seal a playoff berth and division championship in one fell swoop.
And what do you know, the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas has the Bears as 5.5-point favorites to do just that. The over/under is 45.5 points, which is tied for the sixth highest projected points total of Week 15. And while I love the wagering aspect of football, winning this game outright is all that matters to Bears fans.
Ninety-three days after suffering a dramatic, gut-wrenching loss to their long-standing rivals, the Bears get a second chance to write a new chapter in this rivalry’s storied history. And that this chapter could end with a celebration on the Soldier Field turf and having a Club Dub party for the ages is certainly the type of Hollywood ending that script-writers would drool over.
Remember how the sky was falling at the end of Week 1?
Aaron Rodgers just led the Green Bay Packers to a come-from-behind victory against the Chicago Bears, erasing a double-digit deficit in the second half while essentially playing on one leg. It was the most soul-crushing defeat of a team I root for that I’ve ever seen in person and there was a prevailing belief from many that a new coach, offensive system, and an influx of fresh-faced talent wasn’t going to save the same ol’ Bears.
Little did we know then that the skies would open up in the weeks that followed and what’s in front of the Bears is as clear as day.
Just win, baby. And the division is yours. It’s that simple.