The NFC North is an absolute powerhouse and easily the best division in football. 

Each team has six wins and the Chicago Bears currently hold first place with a 7-2 record but are 0-2 against NFC North opponents after losses to the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. 

After the Bears return from their Week 10 bye, they will have four games against NFC North opponents remaining on the schedule, beginning with a Thanksgiving matchup against the Lions at Ford Field. 

The Bears will close out 2026 regular season against the rest of the NFC North. 

Bears head coach Ben Johnson finished last season 2-4 in the division, but still clinched the NFC North with an 11-6 record. Given how close the four teams are right now, the Bears don't have much margin for error and have to prove they can win games against NFC North opponents. 

To illustrate how close the teams are right now, here are some key stats to compare. 

(CLICK THIS LINK TO VIEW THE INTERACTIVE GRAPH.)

After looking at the full chart above, here is one defining stat for every NFC North team:

The Bears lead the NFL with their 22.8% third-down defensive percentage. The Seattle Seahawks are in second, allowing 30.6% conversions on third down. 

Since the Bears acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, the defense has limited opponents to 3 of 23 on third downs in the wins over the Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen isn't being forced to rely as heavily on the blitz, and that is clearly benefitting the entire unit. 

The Detroit Lions have the third-most big runs (10+ yards or more) in the NFL (33). That shouldn't surprise anyone, especially with a player like Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield. 

Gibbs has 847 rushing yards on the season, third-most among running backs. When the Bears play the Lions on Thanksgiving, stopping Gibbs will be high on the priority list. That's, of course, easier said than done.  

All four teams in the NFC North are at the top of the league in sacks, but Green Bay is tied for No. 1 in the NFL with the Denver Broncos for the most quarterback pressures (154). Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is in his first year with the Packers, and has found success creating pressures and doing so without star edge rusher Micah Parsons. 

Green Bay has opened up Parsons' 21-day practice window, so expect those quarterback pressure to improve once he returns to the football field. 

Everyone knows the Vikings have one of the best defenses in the NFL. The way defensive coordinator Brian Flores deploys blitzes typically leaves opposing offenses guessing. Minnesota also excels at keeping opponents out of the end zone. 

The Vikings have allowed a 26.3% red zone touchdown percentage, the best in the league. Even when opposing offenses have made it into Minnesota's red zone, that's only half the battle against Flores' defense.