Bears' Rooting Guide for 2025 NFL Draft Implications of Week 13
The Chicago Bears 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving wasn't the worst thing in the world for the franchise.
It's never fun to lose a game that the whole nation is watching on a Holiday, but it moved the Bears into better position for the NFL draft, sparked the search for a new head coach after Matt Eberflus was fired and gives their fans an opportunity to enjoy an NFL Sunday without the headache of watching their team struggle.
The Bears have now lost six in a row. With interim coach Thomas Brown taking over, their eyes are now on the draft where they could be in position to draft a key piece for the rebuild around Caleb Williams.
Coming into the week, the Bears had a 59.5 percent chance to pick in the top 10 and a 10.2 percent chance to pick in the top five, according to ESPN's projections. While neither of those were the result the Bears were hoping for at the beginning of the season, it might be the best outcome now.
Here are three results the Bears should be rooting for this weekend to increase those odds.
Jets over Seahawks
The New York Jets find themselves at a real crossroads coming out of their bye week. At 3-8, they're all but eliminated from playoff contention. The smart move at this point might be benching Aaron Rodgers and tanking the rest of the way to land a new franchise quarterback.
But the Jets have been there and done that as a franchise. It hasn't yielded great results and they are invested in the Rodgers era working out. Interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich just clarified that Rodgers will be the starter as long as he's healthy.
That's good news for the Bears. The Jets have half of a game on them in terms of the tanking standings, but with Rodgers continuing to play quarterback they will continue to have a chance to win most weeks.
That includes this week's matchup against the Seahawks. Seattle is squarely in the NFC West title race, but they have had issues protecting Geno Smith this season and the Jets pass rush still has bite.
The Seahawks have home losses against the Giants and Rams this season so it isn't as though they are impervious to upsets.
Titans over Commanders
The Titans currently sit ahead of the Bears in the draft order, but they are coming off their most impressive win to date. Will Levis had a second consecutive strong game in a 32-27 win over the Houston Texans.
Levis could be the key for the Titans winning over this final stretch of the season. They aren't in playoff contention, but the former Kentucky quarterback has to continue stacking good performances to prove to the organization they shouldn't be taking a quarterback with their first-round pick.
Picking up another win over the Commanders would help Levis's case and it would also help the Bears surpass the Titans in the draft order.
The Commanders current trajectory makes this result even more promising. Washington's offense has kind of hit a slump after a scorching hot start to the season. As a result, Dan Quinn's team has lost three consecutive games.
Jayden Daniels still has a strong case for Rookie of the Year and Quinn is going to try and keep his team focused on getting into the playoffs. However, there's no denying that things are going in the wrong direction.
With the Titans finding some new lift they could be in good position to pull off the upset and help the Bears out.
Browns over Broncos
The Cleveland Browns are a direct enemy for the Bears in more ways than one when it comes to draft positioning. For one, they are one spot ahead of the Bears if the draft were held today.
They could also be directly competing for the same players. According to NFL Mock Draft Database, LSU's Will Campbell is one of the most popular picks for the Browns and is the top pick for the Bears in mock drafts right now.
Both teams could be looking for a left tackle. The Bears have not been able to protect Caleb Williams and the Browns have struggled to find consistency at left tackle. Jedrick Wills' contract expires at the end of the season and Dawand Jones hasn't shown he can take the job yet.
That leaves the Browns as a major adversary for what the Bears might want to do in the draft.
Ironically, that should make them a fan favorite as they play the Broncos on Monday Night Football. The Browns are coming off a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Thursday so they've actually had some extra rest, but the Broncos have won back-to-back games.