Someway, somehow, the Chicago Bears are leading the pack in the NFC North, sitting at 7–3 and holding first place.

But nothing about this season has felt secure.

Every win feels like pulling teeth. Nothing comes easy. The games are sloppy, the offense sputters, the defense bends more than anyone would like — and yet the Bears keep finding new ways to win. They’re not playing anywhere close to their best football, but they’re surviving. And that's all that really matters.

Still, they’ll need to sharpen up fast. The schedule from here on out is a gauntlet. Matchups with the Lions, Packers (twice), 49ers, and Eagles will force Chicago to earn every inch of its playoff push. Which is exactly why next weekend’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers cannot be overstated in terms of importance.

Bears fans have seen this movie before: a promising season derailed by Aaron Rodgers. Even as 2.5-point favorites on the opening line, hosting Pittsburgh at Soldier Field is no easy task with Rodgers standing on the opposing sideline.

But Chicago might have caught another break — because Rodgers may end up staying right there… on the sideline.

The 41-year-old quarterback left Sunday’s win over the Bengals with a left-wrist injury. Mason Rudolph stepped in and played well — completing 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown — but the initial news on Rodgers isn’t encouraging for Pittsburgh.

According to a report from Adam Schefter, “the initial concern is that Aaron Rodgers has, in the words of one source, ‘a slight break’ in his left wrist.”

Rodgers will undergo more testing on Monday, but if it’s truly a fracture — even a minor one — it's unlikely he’s ready to play in Chicago this week, despite what he's having leaked publicly.

NFL Network (@nflnetwork) on X "He is pushing to play in this game." Aaron Rodgers is trying to play next week despite his left wrist injury, per @RapSheet.

That would leave Rudolph and rookie Will Howard as the Steelers’ active quarterbacks on Sunday.

And for the Bears, stealing one more game before the December gauntlet could be the difference between making the playoffs or watching from home when the music stops.

Beat Pittsburgh, take care of business against Cleveland (a game Chicago will likely be favored in), and grab one more division win — and suddenly the Bears are staring at 10 victories for the first time since 2018. It’s going to take at least 10, and maybe 11, to secure a wild card in the NFC this season.

An 8–3 start would guarantee Chicago remains firmly in the mix down to the wire.

And thankfully for the Bears, their pursuit of that eighth win may not involve facing Aaron Rodgers — a self-described “owner” of the franchise, and a player Bears fans don’t need any reminders about. They know all too well how many times he’s broken their hearts.