Take your pick: Who do you want the Bears to play?

The Bears enter the final week of the regular season with their eyes on the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye. The scenario for earning that is straightforward: They need to beat the Vikings, and the Rams need to lose to the 49ers.

Most likely, though, the Bears will be the No. 3 seed. The Rams are 10-point favorites at home against a depleted 49ers team that’s limping into the offseason. So our focus here is on the scenarios that will determine the Bears’ opponent in the wild-card round — the Seahawks, Vikings or Eagles.

Each team presents a unique set of challenges. The Seahawks have protected the ball better than any team in the NFL. The Vikings have a great defense and are fairly well-balanced. The Eagles are hot and have the experience of winning last season’s Super Bowl. No matter which team comes to Soldier Field on the first weekend in January, the Bears will have their work cut out for them.

So which team will it be? This flow chart should help you follow the action as it unfolds beginning at 3:25 p.m. Sunday. It looks complicated, but don’t be intimidated. It’s not that bad.

Potential first-round foes

Assuming the Rams take care of business and lock up the No. 2 seed

The Bears would play the Seahawks if: The Seahawks lose to the Cardinals and the Vikings beat the Bears. In this scenario, the Vikings would be the No. 5 seed at 9-6-1, and the Seahawks would be sixth at 9-7. If the Seahawks and Eagles tie at 9-7, the Seahawks would win the tiebreaker because they have a superior NFC record.

The Bears would play the Vikings if: The Seahawks beat or tie the Cardinals and the Vikings claim the sixth playoff berth. The Vikings could do that in one of two ways: If they beat or tie the Bears, or if the Eagles lose to or tie the Redskins. One other unlikely scenario would pit the Vikings against the Bears in the wild-card round: If the Vikings tie the Bears to finish 8-6-2 and the Seahawks lose to the Cardinals to finish 9-7, the Vikings and Seahawks technically would be tied in the standings, with the Seahawks winning the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head victory. What you really need to know: Bears-Vikings in the wild-card round is the most likely scenario.

The Bears would play the Eagles if: The Seahawks beat or tie the Cardinals, the Vikings lose to the Bears and the Eagles beat the Redskins. If all that happened, the Eagles would roll into Soldier Field as one of the hottest teams in the league.

Standings

Top two seeds get first-round byes; division winners are top four seeds; seeds 5 and 6 are the wild-card teams

■ 1. Saints (13-2) vs. Panthers Noon

■ 2. Rams (12-3) vs. 49ers 3:25 p.m.

■ 3. Bears (11-4) at Vikings 3:25 p.m.

■ 4. Cowboys (9-6) at Giants Noon

■ 5. Seahawks (9-6) vs. Cardinals 3:25 p.m.

■ 6. Vikings (8-6-1) vs. Bears 3:25 p.m.

■ 7. Eagles (8-7) at Redskins 3:25 p.m.

Scenarios

Saints

Already clinched the NFC South title, home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and a first-round bye.

Rams

Already clinched the NFC West title. Would clinch a first-round bye (No. 2 seed) with:

■ 1. Win or tie, OR

■ 2. Bears loss or tie

Bears

Already clinched the NFC North title. Would clinch a first-round bye

(No. 2 seed) with a win PLUS a Rams loss.

Cowboys

Already clinched the NFC East title. Set as the No. 4 seed.

Seahawks

Already clinched a wild-card berth. Will play on the road in the wild-card round as either the No. 5 or 6 seed.

Vikings

Would clinch a wild-card berth with:

■ 1. Win or tie, OR

■ 2. Eagles loss or tie

Eagles

Would clinch a wild-card berth with:

■ 1. Win PLUS Vikings loss