The 49ers (11-4) and the Chicago Bears (11-4) collide in Sunday’s prime-time showcase rich with playoff ramifications.

One year ago, the Chicago Bears were fighting for draft positioning. Now they've clinched a playoff spot in the first year of a new coaching regime.

The Bears and 49ers still have a shot at the top seed in the NFC and here's what the pole position has been worth in the 14-team playoff era.

Who will the Chicago Bears play in the playoffs? Can they win the NFC North? Can they get the top seed? Your questions answered here.

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson, right, talks to quarterback Caleb Williams, left, during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

The Chicago Bears defeated the Green Bay Packers 22-16 in a come-from-behind overtime thriller in Week 16. Williams completed 19 of 34 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns, helping Chicago improve to 11-4. The Bears' eleven wins are Chicago's most in a season since 2018.

The team's focus for a new home has fluctuated between a tract of land it owns in Arlington Heights to the Chicago lakefront, and then back to the suburb.

The last we saw of the Bears — literally, their most recent play — it was the high point of the year in Chicago sports. Go on, rack your brain if you must for a better moment than Caleb Williams’ 46-yard pass to DJ Moore to beat the Packers in overtime at Soldier Field. We’ll wait.

The Bears have what it takes to beat the 49ers, but it will take Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson being at their best