SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The NFC’s playoff drama will play out all at the same time Sunday.
The Bears’ season finale at the Vikings was moved from noon to 3:25 p.m., the league announced Sunday night.
The game will be concurrent with the conference’s other games that have playoff implications, which will all air on Fox. The Rams-49ers and the Eagles-
Redskins will play at the same time. The Bears and Rams are fighting for the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Bears need to beat the Vikings and hope for a 49ers upset to earn the playoff bye.
The 8-6-1 Vikings can clinch a playoff berth with a win against the Bears. If they lose, the 8-7 Eagles would be in with a win.
That’s a lot of hypothethicals. But it’s clear the Bears have something to play for in Week 17.
“You understand that, when you’re in the position that we’re in right now, anything can happen to these other teams,” coach Matt Nagy said. “So you can’t just say, ‘This team’s going to win,’ or, ‘This team’s going to lose. . . .
“So we need to go about this thing next week just like we have every other game. If you don’t do that, it changes how you approach your week, mentally. How you approach it pregame. So that’s not what we’re going to do.”
Gould makes three
With his three field goals on as many tries, 49ers kicker Robbie Gould has now provided all his teams points — 24 total — in their last two games against the Bears.
The former Bears kicker went 5-for-5 in last year’s victory. All three of his makes Sunday came in the first half.
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Cody Parkey wasn’t as efficient. He missed his only try, a 37-yarder, wide right in the first quarter.
Drought over
Rookie receiver Anthony Miller, who entered the game having made one catch in the month of December, had three for 24 yards against the 49ers. None was more important than his four-yard fade-stop touchdown at the left pylon in the second quarter. Miller said it “worked to perfection.”
“It felt good being more involved in the offense,” said Miller, who was ejected for fighting in the fourth quarter. “But if I’m not involved, or if I am involved, as long as we get the win that’s all that matters.”
This and that
Defensive end Akiem Hicks batted a whopping three passes at the line of scrimmage. Entering the game, he had one this season — and five in his career.
“I was waiting for [Khalil] Mack to get to the quarterback, but he wouldn’t get there,” Hicks joked.
• The Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey had 12 receptions Sunday, breaking Matt Forte’s single-season record for catches by a running back. Forte had 102 in 2014; McCaffrey has 106 with one game remaining.
• Nagy gave the team Monday off, a “little bit of a reward” after the victory. The Bears will return to practice Wednesday.