Bears seize NFC North lead after thrilling win. Unpack the division's tight playoff race and key upcoming matchups impacting seeding.
The Chicago Bears are crushing it so far under first-year head coach Ben Johnson, improving to 8-3 on Sunday with a 31-28 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The Bears' defense made a stand on 4th-and-6 at the Chicago 47-yard line, with Jaquan Brisker batting down a pass from Steelers' quarterback Mason Rudolph to secure the victory.
Chicago holds onto the top spot in the NFC North after the win. The Green Bay Packers are in second at 7-3-1 after beating the Minnesota Vikings 23-6. The Detroit Lions are in third at 7-4 following their 34-27 overtime win over Jameis Winston and the New York Giants.
The Vikings are 4-7 and in dead last after losing to the Packers.
Entering the Week 12 slate, the seeding on the NFC side featured the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2), Los Angeles Rams (8-2), Bears, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4), Seattle Seahawks (7-3), Packers and San Francisco 49ers in that order.
The Lions, Carolina Panthers (6-5) and Dallas Cowboys (4-5-1) are all in the hunt in the NFC. The Buccaneers, Rams, Panthers and 49ers are all playing in the late window, but could still have an effect on the seeding.
Los Angeles and Tampa Bay are facing off on Sunday Night Football, while Carolina and San Francisco battle it out on Monday Night Football.
Before any of Sunday's games, the Bears were predicted to face the Packers in the Wild Card via Fox Sports: NFL on X.
The Eagles (8-3) were stunned by the Cowboys at Sunday, losing on a 42-yard game winning field from Brandon Aubrey. This now means that if the Rams win over the Buccaneers, they will take over the top seed in the NFC.
The Seahawks jumped the Buccaneers after beating the Tennessee Titans 30-24. Seattle (9-2) could get some extra help if Los Angeles beats Tampa Bay on Sunday Night Football.
Unfortunately for the Bears, a Rams' win would mean that Los Angeles would still be above them in the NFC standings.
The next opponent for the Bears will be the NFC-leading Eagles on Black Friday. Unlike last season, Bears' fans can actually enjoy their Thanksgiving feasts without having to worry about Matt Eberflus committing coaching malpractice versus the Lions.
Chicago is 2-0 against the NFC East, after beating the Giants and the Washington Commanders. However, winning against the Eagles will be no easy task. The Eagles are winners of five straight after taking down the Cowboys.
The Bears kick off against Nick Sirianni and the Eagles at 2 p.m. CT on Black Friday, live from Lincoln Financial Field.