You can throw out the record books when long-time rivals get together on a chilly December afternoon to play football. And in the case of the 2020 Bears and Lions, they might actually prefer that you do just that. After all, we’re talking about a pair of .500 teams seemingly on a path to nowhere fast.
HOWEVER, you can’t tell me today’s Chicago-Detroit matchup is meaningless in the grand scheme of things:
You can’t tell me Bears-Lions means nothing in the standings… pic.twitter.com/I5wivmjiKd
— Bleacher Nation Bears (@BN_Bears) December 4, 2020
The Bears are just one game behind some premier draft positioning. Chicago enters this week with a 5-6 record, which puts the team one game behind a glob of teams with 4-7 record who are slated to pick between 8th and 12th. Washington, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami (via Houston), and Denver are teams worth keeping an eye on over the final five weeks of the season. Moreover, you should be actively cheering for those teams in their respective games should you be inclined to root for an upgraded draft position.
Here are the matchups you have tabs on (in addition to Bears-Lions):
• Atlanta at home against New Orleans
• Houston in its home building against the Colts
• Washington on the road against Pittsburgh
• Denver away from its home digs in Kansas City
Admittedly, asking for all of these teams to pick up wins doesn’t seem feasible. Each of those teams are underdogs ahead of kickoff. And in the case of Denver and Washington, significant underdogs by betting standards. The Broncos are 13.5-point underdogs on Sunday Night Football against the Chiefs. Meanwhile, the Steelers are a 7-point favorite against Washington’s football team. If things break perfectly for the pro-tank crowd, the Bears could go to bed well-positioned to land a top-10 pick. Heck, they could move as high as eighth if everything breaks right. However, that seems so far off right now.
In other words, this feels like a losing battle. But it’s one I know a segment of Bears fans are ready to wage. So root as your heart desires. I know I’ll be doing that much.