The Chicago Bears are going to spend their entire bye week in first place, and there's nothing the rest of the NFC North can do about it. Chicago sits at 7-2, winners of four straight, with the best point differential in the division at plus-57. While the Bears enjoy their week of rest, the rest of the division will be fighting it out, but all they can do is pull even with Chicago.
The chasers can only pull even
Detroit and Minnesota are both 6-2, only a half game behind Chicago. A win for either of them pulls them even with the Bears at 7-2, but that's the ceiling. Green Bay cannot even do that. The Packers are currently 6-3, and a win will place them at 7-3, still a half game behind Chicago.
To make matters even sweeter for Chicago, the Vikings and the Packers face off this weekend, meaning one of the teams chasing the Bears is guaranteed to lose ground. The absolute worst case scenario for the Bears is tied for first place. Second place isn't available.
The caveat is one that Bears fans are keen to ignore: Ben Johnson is only 2-6 in the division since taking the head coaching job in Chicago. This season alone, the Bears are 0-2 withing the division, with their ugly losses to the Vikings and the Packers in the rear-view mirror.
Owning just a share of first place in November is fine, but ties at the top favor the team with the better division record, and tie breaks always fall that way. The current lead is real, and it is also borrowed against two important games on the upcoming calendar. There's Thanksgiving in Detroit, and Week 18 in Minnesota.
None of that diminishes what the standings say today. A team that started 0-2 in its own division, lost its quarterback for three weeks, and survived a four interception game at home has no business looking down at the NFC North in November, yet there the Bears are.
First place isn't a trophy, but a bye week spent defending nothing, while everyone else is fighting to catch up, is a new feeling in Chicago. And for once, it's entirely earned.
Add us as a preferred source on Google