Injuries plague the 49ers. Bears fans, your playoff hopes hinge on Saturday's game and a specific outcome to potentially host the NFC Championship.
There is only one other game happening in the NFC this weekend besides the Chicago Bears taking on Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears last played the Rams in 2024, when Chicago won 24-18. Now, they will see Stafford again in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Stafford may not be at full health for the game, however, as he injured his index finger in the 34-31 win over the Carolina Panthers. His record in cold-weather games also comes into the matchup.
The other NFC playoff game is a rematch between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. The two last played in Week 18 for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, with the Seahawks winning 13-3 to secure a first-round bye and home-field advantage.
The Bears haven't seen the Seahawks this season, but Seattle has looked very dominant and is definitely not a team you want to face. Sam Darnold and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are a formidable one-two punch that could torch the Chicago secondary.
Bears fans should be rooting for the 49ers on Saturday due to all the injuries they are carrying into the matchup.
Chicago and San Francisco faced off in Week 17, with the 49ers narrowly pulling away for a 42-38 win.
There were plenty of injuries for the 49ers then, and the final injury report showed many players still out.
George Kittle suffered a torn Achilles tendon and was carted off the field in the 23-19 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round.
Linebacker Fred Warner attempted to come back from his ankle injury, but was ruled out for the game. He was limited on Tuesday and Wednesday, but didn't practice on Thursday.
Edge rusher Nick Bosa and defensive lineman Mykell Williams are both out for the season with torn ACLs. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk has yet to play in a game this season after suffering a torn MCL and ACL in Week 7 of 2024.
Safety Ji'Ayir Brown (hamstring) was the only other player out for San Francisco. Receivers Jacob Cowing (hamstring) and Ricky Pearsall (knee), and linebackers Luke Gifford (quad) and Dee Winters (ankle) are all questionable.
Pearsall led the 49ers win 85 receiving yards in that 42-38 win over the Bears earlier in the year.
It wasn't all bad, however. San Francisco is getting star offensive tackle Trent Williams (hamstring), defensive end Keion White (groin, hamstring), offensive guard Dominick Puni (ankle) and defensive end Yatur Gross-Matos (knee) back from injury.
On top of the 49ers' injuries, if the Bears win on Sunday, Soldier Field will host the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2010 season.
This would be massive for Chicago, considering that the last meeting with San Francisco was at Levi's Stadium. The game was close on the road, and we saw how much of an impact a packed Soldier Field can have in the 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Imagine how insane an environment it would be if Soldier Field hosted the NFC Championship.
The 49ers-Seahawks game kicks off Saturday at 7 p.m. CT on Fox, while the Bears take on the Rams at 5:30 p.m. CT on NBC on Sunday Night Football.