The 11-4 Chicago Bears will play the 11-4 San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium in a Week 17 matchup. Here’s what you need to know before kickoff (7:20 p.m., NBC-5).

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5 things to watch — plus our predictions

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore celebrates his game-winning touchdown catch in overtime to defeat the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

The road to Santa Clara, Calif., starts in … well, Santa Clara.

If the Bears can dare to dream of making it as far as Super Bowl LX, their most viable path begins with their first trip to host venue Levi’s Stadium, where they will face the 49ers on “Sunday Night Football.”

It’s two playoff-bound teams jockeying for position within not only the NFC, but also their own divisions. Read more here.

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Playoff picture

Bears coach Ben Johnson celebrates with wide receiver DJ Moore after his game-winning catch in overtime to defeat the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

At long last, the Bears have taken the North.

With the Packers’ 41-24 loss Saturday night against the Ravens, the Bears clinched the NFC North. Their first division title since 2018 guarantees they will begin the playoffs with a home game. A week ago, the Bears clinched their first playoff appearance since 2020 with a dramatic win against the Packers and a Lions loss the next day.

Now they’re officially kings of the NFC North. For the first time since general manager Ryan Poles took over the franchise’s football operations in January 2022 — and declared the team’s goal was to “take the North and never give it back” — the Bears finally can say they’ve accomplished it. Read more here.

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Bears complete a worst-to-first turnaround. Can they capitalize on it?

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson (1) and middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds (49) celebrate after Edmunds recovered a fumble against the Packers on Dec. 20, 2025, at Soldier Field. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

There’s a gravitational force in the NFL that tends to pull the 32 teams toward the middle of the pack.

The bulk of the league regularly cycles through an ebb and flow, the kind of thing that can make a worst-to-first season not all that uncommon. The Bears have gone from last place in 2024 to first place, clinching the NFC North on Saturday night when the Packers lost to the Ravens in Green Bay.

Since 2002, when the NFL moved to eight four-team divisions, 25 teams had gone from the outhouse to the penthouse entering this season. While there wasn’t a single example last year, the Bears (11-4) joined the group Saturday, and the 49ers (11-4) — the Bears’ opponent Sunday night at Levi’s Stadium — have a chance to do so this year, as do the Patriots (12-3). Read more here.

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Ozzy Trapilo follows his father’s football legacy

Bears offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo works to protect quarterback Caleb Williams in the second quarter against the Steelers at Soldier Field on Nov. 23, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

The thought was there when Ozzy Trapilo first stepped onto an NFL field for the Bears season opener. “It’s always kind of in the back of my mind,” he said.

Growing up with his two older sisters in the Boston area, there was memorabilia all over his childhood home. Trapilo was nearing his third birthday when his father, Steve, died of a heart attack at age 39 in 2004. But there were memories all around him from his father’s time playing football at Boston College and in the NFL for the Saints.

“So you kind of know,” Trapilo said. “As long as I can remember really. That was like a fundamental part of him.” Read more here.

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About 2025

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams celebrates the win over the Eagles on Nov. 28, 2025, at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

A year ago, the Bears were spiraling, losing 10 consecutive games and firing coach Matt Eberflus. Now, under first-year coach Ben Johnson, they have won 11 games for the first time in seven years, have clinched their first playoff berth in five years and are one of the best stories of the 2025 NFL season.

A lot has happened between then and now. Read more here.

About last week

Caleb Williams lofted a 46-yard touchdown pass to receiver DJ Moore for a walk-off touchdown in overtime, giving the Chicago Bears a 22-16 win over the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night at Soldier Field.

In stunning fashion, the Bears erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with a furious comeback. Read more here.

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https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/28/chicago-bears-san-francisco-49ers-week-17/