Top Draft Spot Looms for Bears

Two challengers for No. 2 remain close to the Bears but suddenly the most coveted draft prize of all is in reach.

For most of Christmas night the Bears seemed destined to receive a late gift from someone dressed in red and white.

It wasn't Santa but was the Arizona Cardinals. 

Instead, the Grinch, in this case Tom Brady, stole away the Cardinals' gift of one less contender to worry about in the race for position in next year's NFL Draft.

Tampa Bay's late rally and 19-16 overtime win against Arizona meant the Cardinals fell to 4-11 and still are within one Bears win of taking away the second spot in the draft.

However, not all the news for the Bears on the holiday weekend carried negative draft consequences. 

For one, the Rams' rout of Denver meant the Bears no longer need worry about Sean McVay's team as a serious contender for No. 2 in the draft at five wins. On the other hand, it let the tag team of Denver/Seattle stay right behind the Bears but the only way to have avoided negative consequences in this matchup would have been a tie.

More importantly—and it's OK to take a deep breath before reading this—the Bears not only sit in the second spot but actually have moved into real contention for the draft's holy grail, the No. 1 position. 

They can thank late-season improvement from Lovie Smith's Houston Texans. The Texans shocked the Tennessee Titans 19-14 after they, first, nearly beat Dallas, and then gave Kansas City a scare. 

Like virtually every other team, Houston owns the tiebreaker edge on the Bears. The Texans lost to the Bears in Week 3 to get it. 

However, the tie the Texans had in Week 1 helps them maintain an edge for now.  Strangely, the tie works the other way if they win one more game and the Bears maintain their current losing pace.

The advantage the Bears have here is Houston plays Jacksonville on New Year's Day and Indianapolis to close the season. Houston's tie in the opener came against the Colts and one of Houston's two wins came against Jacksonville. 

So there is a real possibility Houston could finish 3-13-1 or even 4-12-1.

The Bears really could capture the No. 1 spot in the draft. 

The Bears have drafted first only twice since the NFL began the draft in 1936.  In 1947, the Bears drafted Oklahoma State halfback Bob Fenimore and in 1941 they drafted Michigan halfback Tom Harmon. 

Meanwhile, there are the remaining nuisance games the Bears must play to conclude this season. If the Bears slip up and win either against divisional opponents, it could prove catastropic.

Working in favor of a Bears loss in both of those games is the motivational factor for the Lions and Vikings. 

Detroit now is tied with Green Bay and Seattle in the NFC wild-card chase, half a game behind the Washington Commanders for the last playoff spot. So the game against the Bears on New Year's Day can shape up as an elimination battle for the Lions. Detroit promises to be highly engaged.

When the Vikings come to Soldier Field in the season finale, they could have everything clinched that they can clinch. This would be a severe problem for the Bears. 

However, it's still possible the Vikings could overtake Philadelphia for top seed or lose the second seed to San Francisco. If the Vikings want the advantage of playing in their dome in the second round against the 49ers, they could need that last win over the Bears. Playing substitutes against the Beras would not be a Vikings option in that case.

If the Eagles continue stumbling, the Vikings might even need the last win at Solider Field for the top seed.

Much can change still in one week as teams tank ... uh ... battle for draft position.

Tank Town is a weekly Bizzaro World look at the Bears' remaining schedule, meaning, "losing am great and winning am terrible."

Contenders for the Draft Prize

Remaining Schedules

HOUSTON (2-12-1)

Jan. 1 Jacksonville (7-8), noon

Jan. 8 At Indianapolis (4-9-1), noon

BEARS (3-12)

Jan. 1 At Detroit (7-8), noon

Jan. 8 Minnesota (12-3), noon

DENVER (4-11)

(Seattle owns pick)

Jan. 1 At Kansas City (12-3), noon

Jan. 8 L.A. Chargers (8-6), noon

ARIZONA (4-11)

Jan. 1 At Atlanta (5-10), noon

Jan. 8 San Francisco (11-4), noon

INDIANAPOLIS (4-9-1)

Dec. 26 L.A. Chargers (8-6), 7:15 p.m.

Jan. 1 At N.Y. Giants (8-6-1), noon

Jan. 8 Houston (2-12-1), noon

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