Sports

NFL playoff race: Bears and 49ers clash with playoff bye week at stake

December 26, 2025

Leonard Floyd of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears during the the teams’ 2024 meeting. hearon W Henderson/Getty ImagesLeonard Floyd of the San Francisco 49ers sacks Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears during the the teams’ 2024 meeting. hearon W Henderson/Getty ImagesNFL playoff race: Bears and 49ers clash with playoff bye week at stakeWeek 17 delivers a decisive at Soldier Field as Chicago and San Francisco battle for positioning in a crowded NFC race for the No 1 seed and a precious first-round byeGame of the weekChicago Bears (11-4) v San Francisco 49ers (11-4)A throwdown for the NFC’s No 1 seed is the decorative iced penguin on a colossal Week 17 Christmas cake that started with Detroit flaming out on the big day, snowballs from there with a playoff preview between the Texans and Chargers on Saturday, and finishes with Bears v 49ers (discounting Monday’s morsel of Rams v Falcons). The race for the holy bye week has Chicago and San Francisco one game back from 12-3 Seattle, meaning the loser will have their hopes dashed at the final whistle.

NFL playoff race: Bears and 49ers clash with playoff bye week at stake

Credit: Theguardian

Key Highlights

If the 49ers prevail, they can still clinch the No 1 seed with a win over the Seahawks in Week 18 owing to already holding the tie-breaker.
If the Bears are victorious, they must beat the Lions next week and hope the Seahawks lose at least once to close the season.
It is going down to the wire. What the Bears need to do to winThe Bears’ defense is having an extraordinary year turning the ball over.
The ball-hawk brothers Kevin Byard and Nahshon Wright are showing a preternatural ability to read a quarterback’s mind and, as such, Chicago lead the league in interceptions (21) and total turnovers (31). They need to keep the giveaways flowing to cut the legs from a San Francisco offense quietly becoming a juggernaut.
The 49ers’ success has been largely built on Brock Purdy’s return at quarterback, which has laid on a five-game winning streak in which they average a chunky 34.2 points per game.

Sport nfl US sports Chicago Bears San Francisco 49ers

Sources

NFL playoff race: Bears and 49ers clash with playoff bye week at stake

This quick summary is automatically generated using AI based on reports from multiple news sources. The content has not been reviewed or verified by humans. For complete details, accuracy, and context, please refer to the original published articles.

NFL playoff race: Bears and 49ers clash with playoff bye week at stake

Key Highlights

Sources

Related Stories

USC quarterback Husan Longstreet announces he's entering transfer portal

Mic’d-Up Mike Vrabel Trolls Stefon Diggs, Tells Patriots Star To ‘Shut The (Bleep) Up’

Spartans transfer LB receiving interest, offer from top rival