An Old Friend May Have Just Handed The Chicago Bears The #1 Pick

Last year, the Chicago Bears' odds of getting the #1 pick felt long. They needed the Houston Texans to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the season finale. That felt unlikely since the Colts were bad, and the Texans had little to play for. Then Lovie Smith helped engineer one of the wildest comebacks in recent memory, stunning Indianapolis 32-31 for a win, handing Chicago the top pick. Suddenly, the Bears are right back in the same spot. Thanks to the trade with Carolina in March, they hold their 1st round pick. The Panthers have the worst record in the NFL, meaning Chicago controls the #1 pick again.

However, there were some strong contenders to challenge Carolina for that spot. Arizona and New England were the two biggest. The Cardinals changed that with a win over Pittsburgh last Sunday, claiming their third win of the season. That meant a two-game gap now existed between them and the Panthers. Only the Patriots remained close with their 2-10 record. Nobody expected them to win another game. Almost as if on cue, New England shocked the Steelers in Pittsburgh 21-18 for their third victory. That means no team is within one game of Carolina for the league's worst record. They can win another game and still control the #1 pick.

Much of this can be credited to former Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who started for the Steelers and played poorly.

The Chicago Bears' insane luck continues.

Keep in mind Pittsburgh was 7-4 going into last weekend. They were considered a lock for the playoffs. In the space of five days, they lost two games at home to two of the worst teams in the NFL. Now Carolina would have to win three of their remaining five games to fall out of the #1 spot. Given the way they've played all year, that feels highly unlikely. Here is their remaining schedule.

• At Saints
• Vs. Falcons
• Vs. Packers
• At Jaguars
• Vs. Buccaneers

There is no way they're beating Green Bay. If Trevor Lawrence recovers from his ankle injury in a few weeks, they won't beat Jacksonville either. That means Carolina would have to beat the Saints, Falcons, and Buccaneers to ruin the Chicago Bears' hopes. All three of those teams already beat the Panthers this season. Anything is possible in the NFL but it's hard to imagine Carolina summoning enough juice to pull off something like that. They don't have the horses or the coaching.