Bears need whole bunch of help to get in playoffs

The Bears' playoff hopes got even slimmer Sunday with the Minnesota's rout of the Arizona Cardinals.

To win NFC North, the 8-6 Bears have to win both of their remaining games, while the 9-5 Vikings lose both of theirs, at home against Atlanta and the New York Giants, because the Vikings have the edge in tiebreakers against the Bears.

Unless Tampa Bay loses to San Diego and Oakland, or the Falcons lose to the Vikings and St. Louis, the Bears won't make the playoffs as a wild-card team, even if they win their final two games.

Overall NFC Team record record Remaining games

Buccaneers 9-5 8-4 vs. Chargers, vs. Raiders

Falcons 9-5 6-4 @Vikings, vs. Rams

Cowboys 9-5 7-4 vs. Ravens, @Eagles

*Eagles 7-5-1 6-4 vs. Browns, @Redskins, vs. Cowboys

BEARS 8-6 6-5 vs. Packers, @Texans

Redskins 7-7 6-4 vs. Eagles, vs. 49ers

Even if the Bears win out, in order to qualify as a wild-card team, they still need three of these four things to happen:

1. The Eagles have to lose any of their three remaining games.

2. The Falcons have to lose both of their remaining games.

3. The Cowboys have to lose both of their remaining games.

4. The Bucs have to lose both of their remaining games.

Tie-breakers (among nondivisional teams)

1. Head-to-head; 2. Conference record; 3.Common games (minimum of four); 4.Strength of victory

Bucs and Falcons both own tiebreaker over the Bears having defeated them head-to-head.

Bears own tiebreaker over Eagles, having beaten them head-to-head.

*Play tonight vs. Browns