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2025 NFL draft: Who Bears need to win, lose in Week 18

alyssa barbieri, bears wire
·3 min read

The Chicago Bears' 2024 season is nearly over after a 4-2 start turned into a 10-game losing streak and their head coach and offensive coordinator both being fired.

The Bears were already eliminated from playoff contention before this week, and all that's left is a final division game against the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 and arguably one of the most important offseasons in franchise history. So the attention now shifts to the offseason and the 2025 NFL draft.

When looking at the top 10, there is just one win separating the team with the No. 1 pick and the No. 9 pick, but the strength of schedule tiebreaker will be key in determining the final order. For Chicago, their tough strength of schedule hurts them among that tiebreaker, and it'll only get worse once they play the Packers.

The Bears are currently sitting at No. 9 in the draft order, where there's an opportunity to get as high as No. 5 but no worse than No. 10.

2025 NFL Draft order (top 10)

  1. New England Patriots (3-13)

  2. Tennessee Titans (3-13)

  3. Cleveland Browns (3-13)

  4. New York Giants (3-13)

  5. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)

  6. Carolina Panthers (4-12)

  7. New York Jets (4-12)

  8. Las Vegas Raiders (4-12)

  9. Chicago Bears (4-12)

  10. New Orleans Saints (5-11)

Which teams should Bears fans be rooting for in Week 18?

Root for: Panthers over Falcons

Sure, a Carolina loss would help that second-round selection the Bears possess (currently No. 37). But Chicago's own first-round selection is more important, and a Panthers loss (coupled with a Bears loss) would help them climb the top 10. Both Chicago and Carolina are sitting at 4-12, but the Panthers have the strength of schedule tiebreaker.

Root for: Giants over Eagles

New York essentially gave away the No. 1 pick with a win last week, and there's another chance for a surprising win against a Philadelphia team resting key starters ahead of the postseason. While the Bears have one more win than the Giants, a New York loss coupled with a Chicago loss -- and the strength of schedule tiebreaker -- would put the Bears in a prime position.

Root for: Saints over Bucs

The Bears have a win over New Orleans, currently sitting at 5-11. But a Saints win over the Buccaneers would certainly help Chicago if they were to do the impossible and upset the Packers to advance to 5-12.

Root for: Raiders over Chargers

Las Vegas is sitting just one spot ahead of the Bears at No. 8, where they hold the strength of schedule tiebreaker. A Raiders win over the playoff-bound Chargers (coupled with a Chicago loss) would help the Bears leap Las Vegas and increase their draft positioning as they look to land a top prospect.

Root for: Jets over Dolphins

The Jets are another 4-12 team that holds the strength of schedule tiebreaker over the Bears, so New York needs to beat Miami for Chicago to better its draft position. The good news is the Dolphins will be without starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, so there's a chance the Jets could emerge victorious in this one and help the Bears move up inside the top 10.

Root for: Packers over Bears

So, no Bears fan in their right mind would ever "root" for them to lose to the Packers, especially as their last win over Green Bay came in Dec. 2018. But for the sake of our rooting guide, it's in the best interest of Chicago to lose to the Packers to help secure (at best) the No. 5 pick or (at worst) the No. 9 spot.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 2025 NFL draft: Who Bears need to win, lose in Week 18