What happens if the Bears and Panthers tie?
The absolute best-case scenario for the Bears' draft hopes on Thursday night would be for the game to end in a tie. Yes, that means the nation would be forced to watch an extra period of live football action between two of the worst teams in the league, with neither team scoring a point in that final segment.
Because draft positioning is based on winning percentage, both the Bears' and Panthers' winning percentage would drop. Instead of having won one of eight games (winning percentage of 0.125), Carolina will have won one of nine games (winning percentage of 0.11). Likewise, the Bears will have won two of nine games (winning percentage of 0.22) instead of two of eight.
This is, truthfully, one of the only scenarios where a tie could benefit a team, outside of a funky playoff seeding situation. But, if Bears fans want to know which scenario to cheer for that would end up benefiting Chicago's 2024 draft picks, it is, hilariously, a tie.
One could argue that Carolina winning is also a best-case scenario, but at the end of the year, that extra victory could disallow the Bears a chance at another no. 1 pick, whereas not seeing a tally in either win column would raise neither team's winning percentage.