The Athletic has live coverage of 49ers vs. Colts on NFL “Monday Night Football.”

By Jayna Bardahl, Kevin Fishbain and Vic Tafur

The Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers are going to the playoffs.

The Bears and 49ers clinched their spots after the Detroit Lions lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers 29-24 on Sunday. In the current standings, the Bears are positioned as the NFC’s No. 2 seed, while the 49ers are the No. 6 seed.

That positioning could change next week, though, when the Bears visit the 49ers for “Sunday Night Football” in a game that could put the winner in position for the NFC’s top seed. The Seattle Seahawks (12-3) occupy the No. 1 seed for now with road games against the Panthers and 49ers left.

The Bears (11-4) took control of the NFC North with a thrilling 22-16 overtime win against the Green Bay Packers on Saturday night. New head coach Ben Johnson has ignited excitement around this Chicago team, which will be making its first playoff appearance since 2020. Chicago has not won a playoff game in 15 years.

The 49ers (10-4) play the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Monday night. San Francisco has overcome an injury-heavy season to make its fifth playoff appearance in the last seven years. With its final two games coming against the teams holding the NFC’s top two seeds, San Francisco controls its own path toward an NFC West title and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs and first-round bye.

The Lions’ (8-7) playoff odds dropped to roughly 6 percent after the loss, according to The Athletic’s NFL playoff simulator. They need to win their remaining games against the Minnesota Vikings and Bears to stay in the mix for a wild-card spot, plus get some help from the Packers. The only real path for the Lions is to win out, while the Packers lose games against the Baltimore Ravens and Vikings.

Ben Johnson’s magical debut season

When the Bears hired Johnson, it was easy to find similarities to the 2018 season, when first-year, offensive-minded head coach Matt Nagy took over a team with a second-year, first-round quarterback (Mitch Trubisky) and then took the NFL by storm with a 12-4 record. That was the ceiling, and Johnson reached it with the Bears’ best record since ’18 and first playoff appearance since an oft-forgotten 2020 postseason.

When the Bears lost 52-21 to the Lions in Week 2, this seemed unimaginable, but so have many of their wins. It’s been a magical season, where the team has bought into Johnson’s attention to detail and intense focus, and that has created a belief that has been rare for this franchise. The Bears have won games by blocking a field goal, kicking game-winners, completing a 58-yard touchdown in the final seconds in Cincinnati, and most improbably, rallying from 10 down in the final two minutes to stun the Packers with an overtime, walk-off, 46-yard touchdown.

A defense that leads the league in takeaways, a rebuilt offensive line that leads a relentless run game and a quarterback who thrives when the game is on the line have propelled the Bears back to the playoffs. — Kevin Fishbain, Bears beat writer

49ers still have division title, No. 1 seed in view

The 49ers are in the playoffs, but they have bigger plans in mind with three games remaining, as a division title and top seed in the playoffs remain attainable.

While the defense can get a little healthier with the return of linebacker Tatum Bethune and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos, there seems to be a low ceiling after season-ending injuries to pass rusher Nick Bosa and field general Fred Warner. The offense will have to continue to carry them, and while the 49ers have averaged 31 points during their four-game winning streak, tight end George Kittle admitted it wasn’t against very good defenses.

The bar will be higher against the Colts, Bears and Seahawks. The offensive line seems to be getting stronger after a slow start though, which bodes well. — Vic Tafur, 49ers beat writer