Bears can go from first to out of
the playoffs with a tough schedule and inconsistent QB play
[December 10, 2025]
By ROB MAADD
The Chicago Bears went from first in the NFC to seventh with one
loss.
Could the Bears miss the playoffs entirely?
That’s a possibility given their tough schedule down the stretch and
the inconsistency of quarterback Caleb Williams.
At 9-4, the Bears are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and are one
game ahead of the Detroit Lions (8-5). They’re just behind Green Bay
(9-3-1) in the NFC North following a 28-21 loss to the Packers on
Sunday.
Williams, who has led Chicago to five fourth-quarter comebacks this
season, had an opportunity for more heroics after driving the
offense to the Packers 14 in the final minute. But he underthrew a
wide-open Cole Kmet and was intercepted in the end zone by Keisean
Nixon with 22 seconds remaining.
Williams has the lowest completion percentage (57.8) among
quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes.
“There’s certainly some that you can talk about each week where guys
are open and we can certainly give him the ball on time and give him
a chance to run after catch and all that,” coach Ben Johnson said.
“Then, there’s that mix of, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s one of the most
incredible plays I’ve ever seen in my life’ type deal with him. ...
That’s something we’re striving to do, is combine both of those
worlds to where we think we’re going to have a really good
quarterback in this league, a really dangerous quarterback in this
league, really dangerous offense, really good team for a long time
when we’re really able to combine both of those thought processes.
So, we’re not quite there yet. We’re working diligently every day.”
The Bears host the struggling Cleveland Browns (3-10) this week
before finishing with a three-game stretch that will determine
whether they win the division, earn a wild-cad spot or miss the
playoffs.
A rematch with the Packers at Soldier Field on Dec. 20 could be a
chance to reclaim the division lead. The Bears then visit the 49ers
in Week 17 and close at home against the Lions on Jan. 4. If they
lose to Green Bay or San Francisco or even split, there’s a
possibility the matchup against Detroit could be for the final
playoff spot. The Lions won the first meeting so they currently have
a tiebreaker advantage.
Tough Texans
In a wide-open AFC, the Houston Texans have a stingy defense that’s
dominant enough to lead them to the Super Bowl.
The Texans (8-5) have overcome an 0-3 start to climb into the
playoff race. The two-time defending AFC South champions trail the
Jaguars (9-4) by one game.
They host the Cardinals (3-10) and Raiders (2-11) the next two weeks
and finish with difficult games at the Chargers and home vs. the
Colts.
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Led by Will Anderson Jr., Danielle Hunter, Derek
Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre, the Texans have allowed the fewest
yards (266.3) and points (16.0) per game in the NFL. They held
Patrick Mahomes to 14 of 33 for 160 yards and three interceptions in
a 20-10 victory that damaged Kansas City’s playoff hopes.
“The main thing for me is I’m laser-focused on what’s in front and
that’s how I want to keep our guys,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said.
“The main thing is having your eyes in front. Looking back on how we
started, it’s easy to look back and see like, ‘Oh, such a bad
start.’ Your eyes are in front. Your eyes are focusing on the next
opponent, the next target, as I said, and it’s all about continuing
to execute and finish. If you continue to focus on those things
which you can control, not really worried about what others are
saying, what’s the expectation for this game and that game. All that
stuff, it doesn’t matter. For us, it’s eyes in front, focus on your
target and execute.”
Despite so-so stats, C.J. Stroud did plenty of positive things to
lead the offense against Steve Spagnuolo’s stout defense. Stroud
delivered several big throws on third-and-long, extending plays with
his legs before delivering passes.
“There were some critical third downs there, I think, with C.J.
being able to step up in the pocket and make some plays on some of
those third downs,” Ryans said.
Jalen's picks
Jalen Hurts had thrown just three interceptions in 692 pass attempts
over his previous 28 games before getting picked four times by the
Los Angeles Chargers in Philadelphia's 22-19 overtime loss on Monday
night.
Hurts also fumbled after recovering a fumble on a return of one of
his interceptions.
The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-5) have lost three in a
row and, while they still lead the NFC East over Dallas (6-6-1),
Philadelphia is reeling. A poor passing offense is a big reason why
the team is struggling.
The Eagles were ranked 29th in passing last season but were led by
Saquon Barkley and the league's No. 1 rushing offense. Barkley isn't
finding the same running lanes this season — though he broke loose
for a 52-yard TD run against the Chargers — and Hurts and the rest
of the offense haven't picked up the slack.
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