In my Chicago Bears "Critical Reassessment" column today, I said:
The Bears have three games left, and two of them (home against the Seahawks and at the Vikings) are positively winnable. But for whom?
This is because after enduring such heartbreaking losses in each of the last two weeks, who's to say the Bears can win another game this year? Just ask Todd Haley how hard it is to win without your starting quarterback and running back. The Bears are learning that the hard way right now.
With their devastating loss to Denver, the Bears fell out of playoff position in the NFC for the first time since a mid-season five-game winning streak keyed by the now injured Jay Cutler and Matt Forte had Bears fans thinking another long postseason run was in store. Atlanta and Detroit now hold the two wildcard spots in the NFC, a game ahead of the Bears.
Perhaps most encouraging for Chicago is that they own key tie-breakers over Atlanta (thanks to a Week 1 victory) and the 7-6 Cowboys (thanks to a higher winning percentage in conference games).
For more on the Chicago Bears' playoff push, keep it locked to SB Nation Chicago and our team blog Windy City Gridiron.