Bears' Rooting Guide for 2024 NFL Draft Implications of Week 12

Chicago Bears fans may be rooting harder for the Carolina Panthers' opponents than their own team for the rest of the 2023 NFL season.

Carolina's 2023 first-round NFL draft pick belongs to the Bears, and entering Sunday, that selection sits on top of the selection order.

The Bears' own first-round selection sits fourth in the projected draft order. The Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots stand in between No. 1 and No. 4.

Sunday's top rooting interests are very clear for the Bears. They need the Panthers to lose and for the Cardinals and Patriots to win.

Wins are usually difficult for the Cardinals and Patriots to achieve, but Week 12 presents a good opportunity for both sides to pick up their third wins of the campaign.

Titans over Panthers

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - NOVEMBER 19: Derrick Henry #22 of the Tennessee Titans runs out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

Every week is a good week for the Bears as long as the Panthers lose.

Carolina is the only team with one win in the NFL and it has not come close to capturing a victory since its Week 8 triumph against the Houston Texans.

The Panthers have not scored more than 15 points during their 1-3 stretch out of the bye and that poor scoring stretch could extend into the next few weeks.

Frank Reich's team starts a three-game road swing against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. It faces the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints in the next two weeks.

Tennessee is not having the best season by any stretch of the imagination, but it is still expected to beat Carolina at home.

The Titans earned all three of their victories inside Nissan Stadium and a fourth would keep the Panthers at the bottom of the NFL for at least one more week.

Cardinals over Rams

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HOUSTON, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 19: Kyler Murray #1 of the Arizona Cardinals warms up prior to a game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium on November 19, 2023 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)

There has to be hope within the Bears fan base that the Cardinals eventually get on a run behind a healthy Kyler Murray.

Arizona displayed some positive sings in the last two weeks with a win over the Atlanta Falcons and a close defeat at the hands of the Texans.

The Cardinals could parlay their recent good form into a second win with Murray at the helm on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams emerged from their bye last week with a close win over the Seattle Seahawks, but before that, they lost three games in a row.

Sean McVay's team may come back down to reality from the bye-week bump in what should be viewed as a level matchup with the Cardinals.

Arizona is more than capable of winning at home, and if that happens, it would move level with the Bears on three wins if Chicago falls on Monday night to the Minnesota Vikings.

Patriots over Giants

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FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY - NOVEMBER 12: Mac Jones of New England Patriots controls the ball during the NFL match between Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots at Deutsche Bank Park on November 12, 2023 in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. (Photo by Mario Hommes/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

The Bears need the Patriots to benefit from their bye week preparations to beat the New York Giants.

Sunday presents one of the few times this season in which the Patriots are on level pegging with an opponent.

Bill Belichick's side would benefit from another loss so that it can figure out its quarterback situation, but after all, these are still competitors and they will go after the win at MetLife Stadium.

A Patriots win would move them level on wins with the Bears going into Monday night, and if it is combined with a Cardinals victory, it could spring a wide-open competition for the No. 2 overall pick.

The Giants would be a part of that mix as well, but right now, the bigger concern for the Bears' draft positioning is for the Patriots to pick up another win.