For the first time in seven years, the Chicago Bears are the NFC North champions.
The Bears clinched first place in the division after the Packers’ 41-24 loss to the Ravens on Saturday night. Heading into their Week 17 matchup against the 49ers, Chicago has a 2.5-game lead for first place in the NFC North. The deficit is now mathematically impossible for Green Bay to make up, granting the Bears their first divisional crown since 2018.
It’s been an impressive campaign for Ben Johnson’s team in his first
season as the Bears’ head coach. Having gone 5-12 only a year ago, they sit with an 11-4 record as of this writing. Their defense leads the NFL in takeaways created, and their offense ranks in the top ten in such categories as total yardage per game, points per game, rushing yards per carry, and rushing yards per game.
The Bears secured a playoff spot with the Lions’ loss to the Steelers last week, and they’ve now ensured they’ll receive home-field advantage in at least the Wild Card round as a divisional champion. They still have more to play for, though. They’re one game behind for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and they hold a tiebreaker over the first-place Seahawks if the two teams end the year with the same record.
If the playoffs ended today, the Bears would have the No. 2 seed in the conference, facing the No. 7-seeded Packers at Soldier Field in the Wild Card round. It would be the first time the two teams have squared off in the postseason since the NFC Championship for the 2010 season, which Green Bay ended up winning. It would also be the third game the teams have played against each other this season, as the series currently has a 1-1 split between the squads.
