For the first time since 2020, the Chicago Bears are officially playoff-bound. The Bears clinched a playoff spot Sunday thanks to the Detroit Lions’ 29-24 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The combination of a Bears Week 16 win — in epic fashion thanks, to DJ Moore’s overtime touchdown — aga inst the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night and a Lions loss on Sunday was enough for the Bears to lock up their spot in the postseason. The franchise’s last playoff appearance came after an 8-8 regular season in 2020. That year, the Bears earned the No. 7 seed in the NFC and lost a wild-card round game to the New Orleans Saints. Improbable win puts Chicago Bears in control of the NFC North: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 16 In year No. 1 under new coach Ben Johnson, the Bears have gone from 5-12 and last place in the NFC North division a year ago to 11-4 and in control of the division. The Bears haven’t clinched the NFC North yet, but the only path for the Packers (9-5-1) to win the division is if they win both of their final two games (against the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings) and the Bears lose both their final two games (against the San Francisco 49ers and Lions). If the Bears win next week in San Francisco, they will lock up their first division title since 2018. Winning the division would guarantee the Bears a home game in the first round of the playoffs. If the Bears do win the division, they’re most likely looking at the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Even if they end up with the same record as Philadelphia (the current No. 3 seed at 10-5), the Bears have the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Eagles thanks to their win on Black Friday. More Bears news Improbable win puts Bears in control of the NFC North: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on Week 16 Inside the Caleb Williams-to-DJ Moore OT touchdown for a Bears win that ‘blew up’ Soldier Field Undrafted Jahdae Walker grabs game-tying TD for the Bears: ‘We put that in our rookie’s hands’ ...read more read less