Tank Town: Bears Draft Fate Now Clear

The path for first pick or second pick of the draft has become entirely obvious now for the Bears heading into the game against Minnesota.

It all became so clear for the Bears on Sunday in their quest for the top pick, or at least the second pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

They control their own destiny when it comes to the second pick. Lose at home to Minnesota and the Bears take no worse than the second slot for the draft. 

They could take the top spot if they lose and Lovie Smith's Houston Texans pull off an upset of Indianapolis. Those two teams tied in a Week 1 game. 

There are other possibilities but not good ones for the Bears in terms of draft order.

They could still pick as late as fourth in the draft if they knock off Minnesota. After the way Kirk Cousins and Co. played Sunday, don't discount the Bears from upsetting their fan base with the upset.

Even then they could keep the second spot but in that case would need wins by Denver over the Chargers and Arizona over San Francisco.  

The Broncos traded away their pick to Seattle, but the determining factor for Seattle's pick is Denver's record.

The Bears (3-13) lose a tiebreaker to both the Broncos (4-12) and the Cardinals (4-12) based on strength of schedule by a good margin, so they need to finish with a worse record to keep that second pick if both of those teams also lose.

The Bears last had the top spot in the draft in 1947, when they took halfback Bob Fenimore of Oklahoma A&M. 

They have had only one first-round pick in the last four drafts, and that was Justin Fields in 2021.

The last time they picked second was 2017, when they traded the third pick to move up one place and draft Mitchell Trubisky.

Disclaimer: Tank Town is a weekly look at the NFL Upside Down, a dark dimension reflecting the exact opposite of how most people see things.

Contenders for Top Draft Spots

Remaining Schedules

BEARS (3-13)

Jan. 8 Minnesota (12-4), TBA*

Houston (2-13-1)

Jan. 8 At Indianapolis (4-11-1), TBA*

Denver (4-12)

(Seattle owns pick)

Jan. 8 L.A. Chargers (10-6), TBA*

Arizona (4-12)

Jan. 8 San Francisco (12-4), TBA*

*NFL will announce times for all of Sunday's games during or after Monday night's Cincinnati and Buffalo game.

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