Bears Can Win NFC North With Win Over Eagles
By Adam Hoge-
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Bears got the help they needed Sunday afternoon and are now in position to win the NFC North with a win over the Eagles tonight.
By virtue of the Detroit Lions losing 23-20 in overtime to the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers falling 38-31 to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Bears are now in position to win the NFC North with just one win in their final two games.
The Bears host the Packers next week at Soldier Field, but that game will be meaningless if the Bears beat the Eagles. If the Bears lose Sunday night, it will come down a winner-take-all against the Packers in Week 17.
The Bears would also clinch the 3-seed in the NFC with a win Sunday night.
The Lions, meanwhile, are now eliminated from playoff contention.
In an interesting twist, Sunday night's game doesn't have much meaning for the Eagles. Because the Cowboys won earlier in the day, they'll host the Eagles for the NFC East title next week no matter what happens in Sunday night's game. Seeding will still be impacted by tonight's game, but that won't mean much to the Eagles if they don't beat the Cowboys next week.
For the Bears, linebacker Lance Briggs is officially active and will play Sunday night. There's a good chance he'll be limited as he plays his first game since Oct. 20.
Here are the inactives for both teams:
Chicago Bears
QB Jordan Palmer
WR Marquess Wilson
DT Christian Tupou
OT Joe Long
OL James Brown
OT Jonathan Scott
DE Cornelius Washington
Philadelphia Eagles
QB Matt Barkley
S Colt Anderson
CB Curtis Marsh
RB Matthew Tucker
S Kurt Coleman
OT Matt Tobin
OT Dennis Kelly
Adam Hoge covers the Bears for CBSChicago.com and is a frequent contributor to 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter at @AdamHoge.
