Sep 15, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears outside linebacker Lance Briggs (55) reacts during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
This Sunday night, the Chicago Bears (8-6) take on the Philadelphia Eagles (8-6) in a matchup chock-full of NFC playoff implications. The Eagles appear poised to lock up an NFC East division championship should they defeat the Bears under Sunday’s bright lights. The Bears would obviously do well to win this week, but all is not lost should they lose. The guys at Playoff Status have done a great job breaking down the statistical likelihood of each playoff scenario, I encourage all fans to take a look here. While the play on the field will play the largest role in the Bears’ run to the playoffs, I cannot help but wonder how first year head coach Marc Trestman handles the final two weeks of some seriously stressful decision making. Many fans have salivated over the thought of Week 17’s win or go home showdown vs the Green Bay Packers, but the Eagles pose numerous mismatches offensively, some of which might be too difficult for the Bears defense to overcome. Let’s go inside the numbers, courtesy of the advanced analytics from Pro Football Focus.