Bears' Rooting Guide for NFL Playoff Bracket Implications of Week 9 | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher Report

The Chicago Bears have only made the playoffs twice since losing the NFC Championship Game in 2011. The hope is that the arrival of Caleb Williams is going to finally bring playoff success to the Windy City.

The fact that the Bears have a winning record through seven games and 26 percent chance to make the postseason by The Athletic's projections in Week 9 is a good start.

To increase those odds, the Bears are going to have to win some toss-up games and spring an upset or two. This week's game against the Cardinals is a great example as The Athletic gives them a 49 percent chance of winning.

It would also help if the Bears got some help along the way. With that in mind, here are three results that could help the Bears playoff positioning and increase the odds that they are able to snap the streak of missing the playoffs.

Bears fans are going to have a hard time "rooting" for any of their NFC North rivals, but the reality is that someone is likely going to win the Week 9 matchup between the Green Bay Packers and the Detroit Lions.

It's probably in the Bears best interest that the Lions are able to actually extend their lead in the NFC North.

The Lions are not only winning the division, but establishing themselves as the favorite in the NFC. At 6-1, the Lions would have the No. 1 seed in the conference if the season were to end today. They are two games ahead of the Bears, and while that's not an insurmountable lead, it is a big ask to expect the Bears to win the division.

If the Packers beat the Lions, it puts Green Bay just one game behind the Lions and shows that they are capable of being in the upper echelon of the conference.

That's not good for the Bears. A loss to the Lions would put the Packers squarely in the wildcard race and Chicago still gets two cracks at Jordan Love's team.

The Colts controversial decision to bench Anthony Richardson should actually be seen as good news for the Bears. The Colts could really help them out by pulling off an upset against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.

The fact that the Colts are willing to bench their top-five pick to give them the best chance of winning is a sign that they aren't willing to give up on this season.

Instead, Indianapolis will roll with 39-year-old Joe Flacco. The former Ravens star has gone 5-2 over his last seven starts going back to his time with the Browns last season.

Meanwhile, the Vikings have given the Bears hope that they can gain some ground in the wildcard race. They have lost back-to-back games since starting 5-0, including a 30-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams last week.

The Colts might have issues at quarterback, but they have been a tough out this season. They are 4-4 through the first eight games, but all four of their losses have come by six points or less.

Under the bright lights of primetime with an offense that could run smoother with the veteran quarterback, it would help the Bears cause for the Colts to pull off an upset.

The NFC South stealing a second playoff bid would be bad news for the Bears. The Falcons and Buccaneers are currently leading the two-team race to win the division. Playing the Panthers and Saints twice is a considerable advantage at this point.

That schedule advantage is even scarier if the Buccaneers are able to pull off an upset this week. They'll get the Monday Night Football spot against the only remaining undefeated team in the league in the Kansas City Chiefs.

A Chiefs victory obviously doesn't do anything to hurt the Bears playoff odds. They are well on their way to the top seed in the AFC.

However, a win for the Buccaneers would help them catch the Falcons in the NFC South and push Atlanta into the wildcard race.

That's a crowded race that the Bears would like to see thin out.

The good news is that this is a result the Bears are likely to get. The Bucs have lost their two other primetime games this year. They lost to Atlanta on Thursday night in Week 5 and suffered a Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football.

The Chiefs have been banged up at the receiver position but DeAndre Hopkins has joined the fold so that should help them continue their dominance.