The Chicago Bears keep on rolling. The Bears just notched their eighth win of the year. First-year HC Ben Johnson has turned the trajectory of the franchise around with the emergence of Caleb Williams in his second season. Unfortunately for the Bears, the NFC North is a bloodbath. The Packers and Lions won’t be going anywhere.
Chicago Bears’ NFC North Chances
The Bears control their own destiny in the division. If they win out, they will be the champions of the NFC North. The problem is that their remaining schedule is no easy task. They have to face the Packers twice, the Eagles, the 49ers, and the Lions. It’s hard to imagine they will come out of this stretch completely unscathed and with plenty of divisional opponents, they can’t afford to drop those games.
The Bears aren’t safely in the postseason just yet. Their schedule is cause for concern, but they should be squarely in the playoffs with two more wins. The Browns should be one, and they need to win one of those games in that gauntlet to get to the 10-win mark to likely get them in.
The Bears escaped a shorthanded Pittsburgh team in Week 12. The Steelers were without Aaron Rodgers in this one, and Mason Rudolph was serviceable, but not enough to get his team past Chicago.
The Bears started off strong in 2024, but lost nine straight at the end of the season. They won’t be able to replicate that, but they need to avoid another late-season collapse to give themselves a shot at winning the division.
The Bears’ offense ranks as the 12th-best unit in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric, and has an impact score of 77.6. The Bears must build on their hot start and capitalize on the momentum that Williams has generated in his sophomore season.
According to PFSN’s NFL Playoff Predictor, the Bears currently have a 79.8% chance to make the playoffs, and 39.5% chance to win the NFC North.
The defense has shown up big time as well, with Nahshon Wright and Kevin Byard III leading the NFL with five interceptions each. Tremaine Edmunds is right behind them with four interceptions. They are turning over opponents at high rates, but are still allowing a lot of points.
The Lions are just one game behind the Bears, while the Packers sit 0.5 games behind them due to their tie with the Cowboys. The divisional matchups will decide this division, and the next six weeks will be pure entertainment as the question remains whether Chicago can survive the gauntlet that lies ahead.
