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The Chicago Bears dropped their fourth game in a row after disappointing second-half performance against Seattle on Sunday, but while they may be reeling in the absence of Jay Cutler and Matt Forte, the Bears are not completely out of the playoff picture just yet. The Sun-Times' Sean Jensen explains what is required for Chicago to reach the playoffs:
Faint playoff hopes for
#Bears requires this:#Bears win out, Seahawks lose one, and Lions lose both.
The Lions close out the regular season with San Diego and Green Bay, while the Seahawks finish with San Francisco and Arizona. The Bears have to contend with road games in Minnesota and Green Bay.
As the NFC playoff picture stands heading into the Monday night game between San Francisco and Pittsburgh, three teams have clinched playoff berths: the aforementioned 49ers, the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
1.) Green Bay (13-1)
2.) New Orleans (11-3)
3.) San Francisco (10-3)
4.) Dallas (8-6)
5.) Atlanta (9-5)
6.) Detroit (9-5)
Over in the AFC, New England, Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Houston have clinched playoff spots. The Patriots and Texans have won their respective divisions, while the other two remain up for grabs. Denver is still in first place of the West by a game despite losing on Sunday, and Pittsburgh holds a half game lead in the North following Baltimore's loss on Sunday night. The New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals, both 8-6, are fighting for the final Wildcard slot, with San Diego (7-7), Oakland (7-7) and Tennessee (7-7) a game back.
For updated projections, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of the Chicago Bears, head over to Windy City Gridiron. And for more from around the NFL, visit SB Nation's NFL news hub.