NFC Playoff Picture: Where Bears stand in conference standings in Week 8

The Chicago Bears stand at 3-4 through the first seven weeks of the season, where there’s still plenty of football left to be played. But, so far, the Bears are exactly where many expected them to be with some winnable games on the horizon.

While it’s still too early to make any playoff predictions, things are beginning to take shape and leaders starting to put some distance between themselves and the rest of their respective divisions.

So where do the Bears stand in the postseason hunt heading into Week 8? Here’s a look:

NFC Playoff Picture after Week 7:

• Arizona Cardinals (7-0)

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1)

• Green Bay Packers (6-1)

• Dallas Cowboys (5-1)

• Los Angeles Rams (6-1)

• New Orleans Saints (4-2)

• Minnesota Vikings (3-3)

In the hunt:

• Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

• Chicago Bears (3-4)

• Carolina Panthers (3-4)

• San Francisco 49ers (2-4)

• Washington Football Team (2-5)

• Philadelphia Eagles (2-5)

• New York Giants (2-5)

NFC playoff matchups if the season ended today:

• No. 2 Buccaneers vs. No. 7 Vikings

• No. 3 Packers vs. No. 6 Saints

• No. 4 Cowboys vs. No. 5 Rams

If the regular season were to end today, the Bears would be the second team on the outside looking in at a playoff spot in the NFC.

While there’s still plenty of season left, the Bears are still in the thick of the postseason race, where the Vikings and Falcons are ahead of Chicago for the final wild-card spot.

With the Bears in the middle of the toughest part of their schedule, which includes upcoming games against the Steelers, Ravens and Cardinals, they’re going to need to win games they should and play strong complementary football if they hope to pull off any upsets.

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Forecasting the Bears' remaining schedule after first 6 games