The Chicago Bears can reach the postseason for the second time in the Jay Cutler era with a Minnesota Vikings loss on Sunday afternoon. The Vikings are facing the Green Bay Packers at home with the opportunity to clinch that final NFC postseason opening with a win.

After beating the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon, the Bears' record sits at 10-6 this season, a mark that's admittedly underwhelming after the team began the season 7-1. That kind of record is typically strong enough to get a team into the playoffs in most years, but the NFC features some especially strong squads this season.

The Vikings can't top Chicago's record even with a win over the Packers, but tiebreaker rules will push them ahead of the Bears in the event that both teams finish with the same record. At 9-6 this season, Minnesota's superior record against NFC North opponents would give it the wild card if it can improve to 10-6 with a Week 17 win.