Who do Bears play next? Potential NFL playoff opponents, matchups

[ASFN Admin]

The Chicago Bears didn't need to sweat out a playoff berth or division title in Week 18. They did still need to figure out what their seed was and who they'd host in the wild-card round to begin the postseason.

The late afternoon slate on Jan. 4 locked in the answers to both remaining questions. Chicago will hold the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff bracket after their loss against the Detroit Lions in Week 18. The Bears will host the No. 7-seeded Packers in the first round of the postseason.

When Chicago hosts its wild-card game at Soldier Field, it will be the first playoff game the Bears have hosted since Jan. 6, 2019: the infamous "Double Doink" game they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles.

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Who will the Bears play next?​

The Bears are set to play the Packers in the wild-card round. The Bears earned the No. 2 seed despite losing to the Detroit Lions in Week 18, as the Philadelphia Eagles also lost to the Washington Commanders. Therefore, they will host the No. 7-seeded Packers.

Chicago was locked into either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed to begin Week 18 with its 11-5 record tied with the NFC East champion Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears had no shot at the No. 1 seed with that spot coming down to the winner of Seahawks-49ers on Jan. 3.

There was still some uncertainty in how the wild-card teams' seeding would shake out entering Week 18. The Bears had three possible opponents for their wild-card round game they'll host at Soldier Field, pending the results of the late afternoon games on Jan. 4.

• Green Bay Packers
• Los Angeles Rams
• San Francisco 49ers

NFC playoff bracket 2025​

Below is a look at the NFC playoff bracket for 2025:

• No. 1 Seattle Seahawks (BYE)
• No. 2 Chicago Bears vs. No. 7 Green Bay Packers
• No. 3 Philadelphia Eagles vs. No. 6 San Francisco 49ers
• No. 4 Carolina Panthers vs. No. 5 Los Angeles Rams

All seven of the seeds are now locked in after the late-afternoon Sunday slate.

NFL playoff schedule​

The NFL playoffs will kick off on Jan. 10 with the league's first two wild-card matchups before concluding on Feb. 8 with Super Bowl 60 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.

Wild-card round​

All times Eastern

Saturday, Jan. 10

• AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
• AFC/NFC wild card game: 8 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 11

• AFC/NFC wild card game: 1 p.m.
• AFC/NFC wild card game: 4:30 p.m.
• AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 12

• AFC/NFC wild card game: 8:15 p.m.

Divisional round​

Saturday, Jan. 17

• AFC/NFC divisional game: 4:30 p.m.
• AFC/NFC division game: 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 18

• AFC/NFC divisional game: 3 p.m.
• AFC/NFC divisional game: 6:30 p.m.

NFL conference championship round​

Sunday, Jan. 25

• AFC championship game: 3 p.m.
• NFC championship game: 6:30 p.m.

Super Bowl 60​

• Date: Feb. 8, 2026
• Location: Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara, California)
• Time: 6:30 p.m.
• TV: NBC

NFL playoff picture Wek 18​

AFC​

1. Denver Broncos (14-3, AFC West winners)*
2. New England Patriots (14-3, AFC East winners)*
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4, AFC South winners)*
4. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-7, AFC North leaders)
5. Houston Texans (12-5, wild card No. 1)*
6. Buffalo Bills (12-5, wild card No. 2)*
7. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, wild card No. 3)*

In the hunt: Baltimore Ravens (8-8)

NFC​

1. Seattle Seahawks (14-3, NFC West winners)*
2. Chicago Bears (11-6, NFC North winners)*
3. Philadelphia Eagles (11-6, NFC East winners)*
4. Carolina Panthers (8-9, NFC South winners)*
5. Los Angeles Rams (12-5, wild card No. 1)*
6. San Francisco 49ers (12-5, wild card No. 2)*
7. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1, wild card No. 3)*

An asterisk (*) denotes teams that have clinched a playoff spot. Teams that have clinched division titles are noted accordingly.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who do Bears play next? Breaking down potential playoff opponents

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