Bears' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 15
The Chicago Bears are a few losses away from confirming their spot in the top 10 of the 2025 NFL draft.
The Bears have not won since Week 6 and they are not likely to capture a victory on Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
A drop to 4-10 would put the Bears in serious consideration for a top-five pick.
A few results have to go Chicago's way to get into the top five, but there are some opportunities across Week 15 that the Bears can benefit from.
The most important game to the Bears' draft stock pits the New York Jets against the Jacksonville Jaguars. At least one of those teams will move to 4-10 on Sunday.
Jets over Jaguars
The New York Jets are the better team to root for in their matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars from the Bears' perspective.
On paper, the Jets are much better than the Jags, but that is not on display with the record of both teams.
New York needs a win more than anyone because a Week 15 triumph might be the last time it can celebrate a win this season. The Jets finish with the Los Angeles Rams, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.
Jacksonville has two winnable games left on its schedule against the Las Vegas Raiders and Tennessee Titans.
The Jags already beat Tennessee and Vegas isn't showing any signs of winning a game anytime soon.
A Jets win on Sunday and then a Jags win versus Las Vegas or Tennessee would at least bring both teams level on record with the Bears.
Titans over Bengals
Asking for help from the other three-win teams is much trickier.
The Bears certainly aren't getting help from the Cleveland Browns against the Kansas City Chiefs, so they have to turn their rooting energy to the Tennessee Titans.
Tennessee hasn't played great football in the last two weeks, but it could be a frisky underdog against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Cincinnati's playoff hopes are hanging by a thread. One slip-up will eliminate the Bengals from playoff contention.
Tennessee can take advantage of the pressure facing the Bengals and pick up its fourth win.
If that is the case, the Bears would be level with at least two teams at 4-10 assuming they lose on Monday.
Panthers over Cowboys
The Carolina Panthers are the friskiest underdog of the bunch right now.
Carolina was a few plays away from springing an upset in Philadelphia in Week 14.
That was the latest in a string of solid performances against playoff teams for Dave Canales' team. The Panthers lost by three to Kansas City and took the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to overtime.
The Dallas Cowboys are closer to the Panthers' level than their last three opponents. That could open up an opportunity for Carolina to gain its fourth win.
Dallas, to its credit, played better recently with Cooper Rush at the helm and it is still involved in the NFC wild-card hunt as well.
It will be a tough matchup for Carolina, but if it wins, it generates more momentum toward 2025 and puts multiple teams at 4-10 if the Bears can't end their losing streak.