Ranking Bears potential playoff opponents in wild-card round

The Chicago Bears are set to make their first playoff appearance since 2020, after a double-digit win season for first-year head coach Ben Johnson.

With the Bears winning their first NFC North title in seven years, they're guaranteed to host their first home playoff game since 2018. There's still some things to be worked out in Week 18 (including whether Chicago will be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed), but they'll face one of three opponents in the first round, which includes two potential rematches. The Bears will host the Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers, which should make for some fireworks regardless of the matchup.

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With the wild-card playoffs next week, we're ranking the Bears' potential opponents from easiest to hardest entering Week 18.

1. Green Bay Packers

Scenario: Bears beat Lions OR Eagles lose to Commanders

Believe it or not, the Bears best option in the wild-card round would be the division rival Packers, who they split their season series with. Both games came down to the wire, with Chicago falling just short in the first meeting at Lambeau Field and then mounting an improbable comeback at Soldier Field two weeks later. Facing Green Bay is never an easy task, but they're injury riddled across the board, even with quarterback Jordan Love expected to be back for the playoffs. But the Packers still lack the high-powered offenses that the other two options in the NFC West possess.

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2. Los Angeles Rams

Scenario: Bears lose to Lions OR Eagles beat Commanders AND 49ers beat Seahawks

The Rams might just be the most complete team in the NFC, but timing is everything in the NFL. Right now, Los Angeles hasn't looked their best dropping their last two games, including most recently a surprising loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The idea of a Ben Johnson vs. Sean McVay showdown is quite thrilling and could be a replica of last Sunday night's shootout against the 49ers. While Matthew Stafford is an MVP candidate, the prospect of welcoming Stafford to Soldier Field for what should be a chilly January matchup is certainly an intriguing one.

3. San Francisco 49ers

Scenario: Bears lose to Lions OR Eagles beat Commanders AND Seahawks beat 49ers AND Rams beat Cardinals

Chicago is coming off a thrilling shootout loss to San Francisco, where Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson were able to keep up with Brock Purdy and the 49ers' explosive offense on the road in prime time. The Bears defense had no answer for Purdy, who threw for five touchdowns and San Francisco racked up nearly 500 yards of offense. Yes, the 49ers defense is banged up, and Williams took advantage, would Chicago's defense have an answer for the 49ers? The one thing going for the Bears in this instance is welcoming a west coast team to a chilly Soldier Field in January. For what it's worth, this wouldn't be the first time this season that Chicago fell short only to get the last laugh in the second meeting two weeks later.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears playoffs: Ranking Chicago's potential wild-card opponents