NFL Playoff Scenarios 2023-24 Week 13: Projected Matchups After Bears Win vs. Vikings

Mitchell Leff/

The Minnesota Vikings had an opportunity to further solidify their spot in the NFC playoff race with a win against a struggling Chicago Bears team on Monday night.

It turns out that was much easier said than done.

Justin Fields found D.J. Moore for 36 yards for a key third-down conversion to set up the game-winning field goal in Chicago's 12-10 victory in a game that meant much more to the Vikings than the Bears.

Minnesota fell to 6-6 as a result, although it is still hanging on to the final spot in the NFC playoff picture with Week 12 officially in the books:

Philadelphia Eagles (10-1, first-round bye)

San Francisco 49ers (8-3, tiebreaker over Detroit Lions) vs. Minnesota Vikings (6-6)

Detroit Lions (8-3) vs. Seattle Seahawks (6-5)

Atlanta Falcons (5-6, tiebreaker over New Orleans Saints) vs. Dallas Cowboys (8-3)

Baltimore Ravens (9-3, first-round bye)

Kansas City Chiefs (8-3, tiebreaker over Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins) vs. Indianapolis Colts (6-5, tiebreaker over Denver Broncos and Houston Texans)

Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3, tiebreaker over Miami Dolphins) vs. Cleveland Browns (7-4)

Miami Dolphins (8-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4, tiebreaker over Cleveland Browns)

There may not be a better race the rest of the season than the one for the top seed and first-round bye in the AFC.

The Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins all have three losses and some head-to-head matchups approaching. Baltimore still plays Jacksonville and Miami, and the top seed could come down to those results.

Between the additional rest that would come with the bye and the two home games in the playoffs, the winner of that top seed will have an inside track to the Super Bowl. Kansas City used that home-field advantage to defeat the Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals in last season's playoffs before lifting the Lombardi Trophy with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

That isn't the only fascinating race in the AFC, as the Houston Texans and Denver Broncos are tied with the Indianapolis Colts for the final playoff spot. Indianapolis holds the current tiebreaker, but Houston has C.J. Stroud under center and Denver is red hot with five straight wins.

Indianapolis is far from safe, and its final game of the season against the Texans will be appointment viewing.

Presumed contenders in the Buffalo Bills (6-6) and Bengals (5-6) are also looming, although Cincinnati will be without the injured Joe Burrow for the rest of the season.

As for the NFC, the race for the No. 1 seed will be firmly under the spotlight in Week 13 when the Philadelphia Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers. Philadelphia is in the middle of a daunting six-game stretch with two games against the Dallas Cowboys and matchups against the Chiefs, Bills, 49ers and Seattle Seahawks.

It is already off to a 3-0 start in that span following Sunday's dramatic overtime win over Buffalo, but things will not get any easier against a loaded 49ers team that is starting to get healthy and hit its stride.

San Francisco has won three in a row and has the talent to match up with the Eagles in this NFC Championship Game rematch.

Yet it is also facing the most pressure, as a loss would drop it three games behind Philadelphia and virtually out of the race for the top seed.