Bears winning an 8-way tie is one of 3 unlikely NFL playoff scenarios still possible

Four teams in the NFL have been eliminated from the postseason, and one has clinched, but hopes are technically still up in the air for 27 other teams. Of course, it’d take a miracle for franchises like the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders or Seattle Seahawks to not get a spot in the playoffs — or for the Chicago Bears to find a way in.

But they are all still mathematically possible scenarios.

With four weeks left to play, instead of thinking about what is likely to happen, let’s take a look at the wacky scenarios that are still possible — even if they’re extremely unlikely:

The 3-9 New York Jets are done, but the Bears aren’t quite eliminated with that same mark in the NFC. Catching up to the 8-4 Detroit Lions is already impossible with four weeks left, but because all three of Chicago’s wins came against NFC opponents, they’re still alive in the wild card race.

Well ... not really alive. But if the Bears win four consecutive games and get to 7-9, they could win a giant tiebreaker between 7-9 teams.

Via ESPN’s NFL Playoff Machine:

With a 3-5 record in the NFC, winning out against four straight NFC opponents would give the Bears a 7-5 conference record. That’s not stellar, but the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions are the only ones with six NFC wins after Week 13.

If the wild card contenders all struggle down the stretch, none will have a better record than Chicago’s 7-5, which will be the tiebreaker that gets them in.

But ... uh ... don’t buy playoff tickets, Bears fans.

After the Kansas City Chiefs earned a 21-13 win over the Oakland Raiders, they hopped into the lead in the AFC West. Staying there would grant them one of the coveted first-round bye slots alongside the New England Patriots. In the NFC, it’s the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks at the top of the conference.

But only the Cowboys have locked up a spot in the playoffs. That means there’s still time for giant shake-ups that toss the top seeds from the mix:

Likely? Far from it. Rex Ryan conceded in October that the Patriots would win the AFC East, and a four-game losing streak for New England just isn’t going to happen.

A month ago, the Tampa Buccaneers dropped to 3-5 with a 43-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that wasn’t even as close as the 15-point margin would seem to indicate. It was 40-14 with less than seven minutes remaining, and Tampa Bay’s 2016 season looked thoroughly cooked — especially with some bad losses already in the books, including a 40-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Since then, the Buccaneers have won four straight, including victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs. Not only are the Buccaneers tied for the NFC South lead — they aren’t even out of the hunt for a first-round bye.

It’s even possible for the Buccaneers to grab the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

The Cowboys have a four-game lead with four weeks left, so the scenario is pretty simple: The Buccaneers would have to win out, and the Cowboys would have to lose out.

That would mean Tampa Bay earning a Week 15 victory in Dallas to snag the tiebreaker, and the Seattle Seahawks and Detroit Lions each dropping a couple of games to clear the way for the Buccaneers.

Dallas looks damn near unstoppable, so it’s hard to imagine an 11-5 finish. But the Buccaneers are in good shape to make noise, regardless.