Chicago Bears’ Path to Maintain First Place in NFC North Through Week 10 Bye

Chicago’s lead is fragile

The Bears are 7-2, while the Lions and Vikings are each 6-2. Green Bay is 6-3, leaving all four NFC North teams with winning records. Chicago currently holds first place, but the Lions and Vikings could move ahead with a win during the Bears’ bye. The Packers cannot pass Chicago this week because they have one more loss.

The article’s standings line lists Chicago as “7-22,” conflicting with its repeated 7-2 record. It also says the Bears could fall as far as third if the Lions and/or Vikings win.

Two rivals must lose

To stay first entering Week 11, Chicago needs both Minnesota and Detroit to lose. A victory by either team would put that team ahead of the Bears, according to the article.

Minnesota has a temporary head-to-head tiebreaker after beating Chicago in Week 2. Detroit holds a divisional-record advantage, with a 2-0 mark in NFC North games; Chicago has lost both of its division games.

Detroit is scheduled to play New England in Munich, Germany, at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sunday. Minnesota is set for a road game against Green Bay at Lambeau.

A historically strong division

All four NFC North teams are described as playoff contenders entering Week 10. If all four reach the playoffs in 2026, it would be the first time every team in a division has made the postseason, the article says.

The division record for wins in a single season is 45, set by the 2024 NFC North. Through nine weeks, Chicago has seven wins, while Green Bay, Detroit and Minnesota have six each, for 25 combined wins. That total puts this season’s division more than halfway to the stated record.