The Chicago Bears have been on the outside looking in for the past 15 years when it comes to trying to win the NFC North. They've won just one division title since 2011. Their only title came in 2018, and that was the last time they even had a winning record.

Things have been bad for a while in the Windy City, but when Bears ownership hired Ben Johnson as head coach last winter, they were hoping for a change. A quick fix would be nice, but they were also willing to be patient.

Quick fix, however, has won out.

The Bears beat the Minnesota Vikings 19-17 on Sunday in Minneapolis, winning at the buzzer on a 48-yard field goal by Cairo Santos. The Bears are now 7-3 after starting the season 0-2, which is pretty amazing.

Even more amazing? They are now alone in first place in the NFC North, a half-game ahead of the Green Bay Packers and a full game ahead of the Detroit Lions. The Vikings, now 4-6, trail the Bears by three games.

Here's the game story from Bears Roundtable writer Grant Bricker

Cardiac Bears: Another Nail Biter in Minnesota Pushes Chicago to First Place in NFC North A last-second field goal seals a crucial division win. Chicago battles back for victory, but the NFC North race is far from over.

The Bears had a 16-3 lead entering the fourth quarter, and their defense had been dominant all day. But then the Vikings suddenly scored two touchdowns to take the lead, the last one coming on a 15-yard TD pass from J.J. McCarthy to Jordan Addison with just 50 seconds left.

But the Bears got a 56-yard kickoff return from Devin Duvernay and three players later, Santos kicked the game winner. This is the type of game they would have lost last year. And the year before. And the year before that, too.

But this is a different Bears team now. And it shows.

“It’s special to see how we’re winning games,” Santos said. “Last couple of seasons, we saw the opposite of that. … I think we’ve grown so much to learn to win these games. And it’s amazing to see, kind of week in, week out. You’re in these games, and you just kind of know guys are going to step in. And when it’s your turn, you got to do it for each other.”