It’s a rare sight to see a team with a 4-2 record be in last place in their division, but for the Chicago Bears, this season has been far from ordinary in the NFC North standings.
The Bears are indeed in the last spot in the division, with the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions all off to strong starts to the season.
In fact, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFC North is the first division since the NFL realigned in 2022 to have all four of its teams posting four or more victories in the first six weeks of the regular season.
After Sunday’s action, the unbeaten Minnesota Vikings remain atop the division, having a bye week after their 23-17 victory over the Jets in London on Oct. 6.
Here’s where things stand through Week 6:
Minnesota Vikings – 5-0
Detroit Lions – 4-1
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Green Bay Packers – 4-2
Chicago Bears – 4-2
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If the season were to end now, the Bears would be on the outside looking in for the playoffs. According to NFL tiebreaker rules, the Packers overtake the Bears based on their record against common opponents. The Packers are 3-0 against the Colts, Titans and Rams, with the Bears losing to the Colts among those common opponents.
The Buccaneers win a tiebreaker over the Packers for the sixth seed based on having a superior win percentage in conference games.
The Bears will have a chance to improve their standing after their bye week, facing the NFC East-leading Washington Commanders in Week 8.
For those curious, the best winning percentage of any division since realignment belongs to the 2013 NFC West, which posted a combined winning percentage of .656. Incredibly, that only resulted in two teams making the postseason, with the 10-win Arizona Cardinals on the outside looking in as the 11-5 New Orleans Saints claimed the second wild card spot.
This year’s NFC North has a combined winning percentage of .773 through 22 games, according to StatMuse.
