Bears can go from first to out of the playoffs with a tough schedule and inconsistent QB play

The Chicago Bears went from first in the NFC to seventh with one loss.

Could the Bears miss the playoffs entirely?

That's a possibility given their tough schedule down the stretch and the inconsistency of quarterback Caleb Williams.

At 9-4, the Bears are tied with the San Francisco 49ers and are one game ahead of the Detroit Lions (8-5). They're just behind Green Bay (9-3-1) in the NFC North following a 28-21 loss to the Packers on Sunday.

Williams, who has led Chicago to five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, had an opportunity for more heroics after driving the offense to the Packers 14 in the final minute. But he underthrew a wide-open Cole Kmet and was intercepted in the end zone by Keisean Nixon with 22 seconds remaining.

Williams has the lowest completion percentage (57.8) among quarterbacks who have thrown at least 200 passes.

''There's certainly some that you can talk about each week where guys are open and we can certainly give him the ball on time and give him a chance to run after catch and all that,'' coach Ben Johnson said. ''Then, there's that mix of, ‘Oh my gosh, that's one of the most incredible plays I've ever seen in my life' type deal with him. ... That's something we're striving to do, is combine both of those worlds to where we think we're going to have a really good quarterback in this league, a really dangerous quarterback in this league, really dangerous offense, really good team for a long time when we're really able to combine both of those thought processes. So, we're not quite there yet. We're working diligently every day.''

A rematch with the Packers at Soldier Field on Dec. 20 could be a chance to reclaim the division lead. The Bears then visit the 49ers in Week 17 and close at home against the Lions on Jan. 4. If they lose to Green Bay or San Francisco or even split, there's a possibility the matchup against Detroit could be for the final playoff spot. The Lions won the first meeting so they currently have a tiebreaker advantage.

Tough Texans

In a wide-open AFC, the Houston Texans have a stingy defense that's dominant enough to lead them to the Super Bowl.

The Texans (8-5) have overcome an 0-3 start to climb into the playoff race. The two-time defending AFC South champions trail the Jaguars (9-4) by one game.

They host the Cardinals (3-10) and Raiders (2-11) the next two weeks and finish with difficult games at the Chargers and home vs. the Colts.

''The main thing for me is I'm laser-focused on what's in front and that's how I want to keep our guys,'' Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. ''The main thing is having your eyes in front. Looking back on how we started, it's easy to look back and see like, ‘Oh, such a bad start.' Your eyes are in front. Your eyes are focusing on the next opponent, the next target, as I said, and it's all about continuing to execute and finish. If you continue to focus on those things which you can control, not really worried about what others are saying, what's the expectation for this game and that game. All that stuff, it doesn't matter. For us, it's eyes in front, focus on your target and execute.''

Despite so-so stats, C.J. Stroud did plenty of positive things to lead the offense against Steve Spagnuolo's stout defense. Stroud delivered several big throws on third-and-long, extending plays with his legs before delivering passes.

''There were some critical third downs there, I think, with C.J. being able to step up in the pocket and make some plays on some of those third downs,'' Ryans said.

Jalen's picks

Jalen Hurts had thrown just three interceptions in 692 pass attempts over his previous 28 games before getting picked four times by the Los Angeles Chargers in Philadelphia's 22-19 overtime loss on Monday night.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles (8-5) have lost three in a row and, while they still lead the NFC East over Dallas (6-6-1), Philadelphia is reeling. A poor passing offense is a big reason why the team is struggling.

The Eagles were ranked 29th in passing last season but were led by Saquon Barkley and the league's No. 1 rushing offense. Barkley isn't finding the same running lanes this season — though he broke loose for a 52-yard TD run against the Chargers — and Hurts and the rest of the offense haven't picked up the slack.

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