While the Chicago Bears won their latest game against the San Diego Chargers, many considered it a loss when just a few hours after the game's conclusion, it was announced that QB Jay Cutler would be out for the remainder of the regular season with a broken thumb on his throwing hand. 

Even with Cutler going down for the rest of the season, the Playoff hopes for the Bears are far from finished. Here's why (this is in no particular order);

1. Caleb Hanie - ​If Hanie showed us anything during his relief of Cutler in the NFC Championship game against the Packers, it was that he is capable of being a solid NFL QB. In the Bears offense, Hanie isn't going to be solely relied upon for offense, which is a big plus. All Hanie needs to do is throw smart, manageable passes. Use screens to Forte and expect to see Earl Bennett and possibly Dane Sanzenbacher see a lot of action. He doesn't need to try to take control of the game by himself, and the Chicago coaches all know this. 
2. Matt Forte - No question about it, Matt Forte has been unstoppable this year. Forte accounts for almost 50% of the Bears offense, so look for Hanie to hand the ball off to Forte early and often in games. Another big part of the Bears offense and Forte's game is screen passes. Forte has already racked up nearly 1400 yards from scrimmage (926 rushing, 465 receiving) and will not only see more carries, but he will probably be looked to more often in the passing game as well. 
3. Improved Offensive Line - The Bears offensive line play was abysmal to start off the season, but the tides have been changing as of late. Cutler was no longer scrambling for his life, and the run blocking was very solid. Expect the solid offensive line play to continue as lineman love to run block and the Bears will be doing plenty of running in the coming weeks. Also, Hanie is going to play much more smoothly without being constantly under pressure from opposing defenses. 
4. Defense and Special Teams - The Bears defense is really starting to come around even since Major Wright and Chris Conte were installed at safety. The Bears have been playing much more man to man and have been using Conte often in single-high safety formations. The Bears have also hauled in 7 interceptions over their last 3 games, a major plus. It also doesn't hurt that Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher are playing at the top of their game right now. As for special teams, everyone knows how dangerous Devin Hester is. The best kick returner in the league without a shadow of a doubt. And their kicking game is also very good. Robbie Gould is money from inside 40-yards. He's one of the most consistent kickers in the league. 
5. Schedule - The Bears end the season with a remarkably easy schedule. The toughest games are against the currently undefeated Packers and next week's game against the Oakland Raiders. The Bears-Raiders game should be a close one, but it's certainly a winnable game. Carson Palmer has thrown 7 interceptions in only 4 games played for Oakland. As for the rest of the schedule, it should be a cakewalk for the Bears. They should be able to shut down Tim Tebow and the Broncos, and the remaining games are against the Kansas City Chiefs who are stuck with Tyler Palko as their starting QB, a 4-6 Seattle Seahawks team, and they end the season with a game against the 2-8 Minnesota Vikings. 

They're 7-3 right now and have 3 victories pretty much locked up against Kansas City, Seattle, and Minnesota. Even if they lose the other 3 games, 10-6 should be enough to sneak them into the Playoffs, especially owning the tie-breaker over the Atlanta Falcons who are currently sitting in one of the two NFL Wild Card slots. At best, I see the Bears going 5-1 over these next 6 games. Even without Jay Cutler, they should be able to make it into the Playoffs.