What are Bears' odds for making 2021 NFL playoffs? originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
NFL teams have their schedules for the 2021 season, the first one in league history that will include 17-game slates. The coming season will also be the second with the league’s new playoff format.
Seven teams from each conference made the playoffs last season, with the No. 1 seed getting a bye week and Nos. 2 through 7 squaring off on wild card weekend. The revamped playoff setup gave everyone an increased shot at reaching the playoffs, but it’s still tougher to make it out of the regular season in the NFL than some other professional sports leagues. While both the NBA and NHL playoffs feature more than half the league (16 of 30 teams in the NBA and 16 of 31 in the NHL), only 14 out of 32 teams have a chance to battle it out for the Lombardi Trophy.
The Bears face an uphill battle to return to the playoffs in 2021. After making it as the No. 7 seed with an 8-8 record, Chicago has +165 odds to be a top-seven NFC team this coming season, according to our partner, PointsBet.
Those odds rank third in the NFC North, trailing the Vikings and the division champion Packers. They have the 10th-best odds in the conference, so they will have to jump some teams to earn a surprise playoff berth.
The quarterback position, whether it is Andy Dalton or Justin Fields under center, will go a long way in determining the Bears’ 2021 playoff fate.
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The defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers have -800 odds to get back to the playoffs while the Super Bowl runner-up Chiefs have the best odds in the league at -1000.
Which 14 squads make it through the 18-week season and compete in the postseason? Here are PointsBet’s full odds for teams to make the playoffs:
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Arizona Cardinals: +190
Atlanta Falcons: +225
Baltimore Ravens: -334
Buffalo Bills: -400
Carolina Panthers: +260
Chicago Bears: +165
Cincinnati Bengals: +400
Cleveland Browns: -200
Dallas Cowboys: -150
Denver Broncos: +150
Detroit Lions: +575
Houston Texans: +670
Indianapolis Colts: -200
Jacksonville Jaguars: +285
Kansas City Chiefs: -1000
Las Vegas Raiders: +305
Los Angeles Chargers: +145
Los Angeles Rams: -200
Miami Dolphins: +130
Minnesota Vikings: +115
New England Patriots: +130
New Orleans Saints: +115
New York Giants: +225
New York Jets: +440
Philadelphia Eagles: +260
Pittsburgh Steelers: +150
San Francisco 49ers: -175
Seattle Seahawks: -110
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: -800
Tennessee Titans: -136
Washington Football Team: +150
Editor's note: All odds are provided by our partner, PointsBet. PointsBet is our Official Sports Betting Partner and we may receive compensation if you place a bet on PointsBet for the first time after clicking our links.
