For once, the Bears benefitted from Mitch Trubisky’s poor play.
Trubisky, now the Steelers’ quarterback, managed just 190 yards passing and threw an interception as his team lost to the Patriots 21-18 on Thursday. The Patriots’ victory was huge for the Bears in their hope of securing the top pick in the upcoming draft.
The Patriots moved to 3-10, matching the Cardinals, creating a two-game cushion between them and the 1-11 Panthers with just five weeks left in the season. The Bears get the Panthers’ first-round pick as part of the trade in March when the Bears sent them the No. 1 overall pick.
ESPN analytics upped the Bears’ chances of getting the top pick via the Panthers to 86% and their likelihood of picking in the top two to 94%. The Bears’ own draft pick currently is slotted at No. 5 heading into their home game Sunday against the Lions.
While the Bears are still trying to make the most they can out of this season — players talked openly about the playoffs this week despite being 4-8 — the Panthers are in freefall and seem highly unlikely to climb out of the basement. They fired coach Frank Reich, replacing him in the interim with former Bears special teams coordinator Chris Tabor, and rookie quarterback Bryce Young, whom they took with the No. 1 pick the Bears traded them, has struggled all season.
Every remaining Panthers opponent, starting Sunday with the Saints, is competing for a playoff spot.
There’s still a wide range of possibilities for the Bears’ own pick. The Commanders are ahead of them in the draft order at 4-9, and the Jets, Giants and Titans all sit 4-8 like the Bears. Four teams are 5-7, so a win this week could slide the Bears as far down in the draft as 12th.
