While the fan bases of eight teams were busy awaiting their fate over the weekend, one particular Divisional Round matchup became extremely relevant for the Chicago Bears.
Saturday night, the Detroit Lions surprisingly fell to the hands of the Washington Commanders. It was the NFC's no. 1 seed being knocked out of the postseason in somewhat shocking fashion. But for Bears fans, this could mean even bigger news will soon be on the way.
After the Lions' loss, their two coordinators now become eligible to take head coaching jobs. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson are very likely to land a gig during this cycle. And now that the Lions are eliminated, that news could come soon.
The morning after Detroit's season ended, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter confirmed everyone's suspicions.
"That was one of the byproducts of that upset last night in Detroit, because the NFL coaching hiring cycle now has been ramped up dramatically," Schefter said on Sunday morning's episode of Sportscenter.
Adam Schefter believes the Bears will make a coaching hire this week
"And we can see most if not all of these openings filled by the end of this week," he concluded.
The question still remains, though: who are the Bears going to hire?
This coaching cycle has provided a lot of laughs for Bears fans. It started out like any coaching search, with the Bears requesting to interview some notable names. But, very quickly this search turned into a comedy routine.
Chicago is looking at just about every current football coach with a pulse, whether that be college or NFL. We even learned the latest interview was done with former Tennessee Titans running back and current Tennessee State head coach Eddie George.
Whether we're talking the top candidates like Johnson or Glenn, or some other veteran coaches with experience like Mike McCarthy or Pete Carroll, or even some of the other random names like Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman, the Bears are indeed casting the "wide net" which general manager Ryan Poles often alluded to.
Some might say the Bears are leaving no stone unturned in this process. Others might wonder what the heck this front office is doing going through so many candidates.
If Poles ultimately hires the right guy, then all of the comical arguments will be put to rest. However, if Poles does not make the right decision, then this offseason is going to go down as a massive failure which could have been avoided from the jump.