Entering Week 12, the 7-3 Chicago Bears sit atop the NFC North Division, a half game up on the Green Bay Packers in second place.
Say that again: the 7-3 Bears have first place in the NFC North.
Really? This isn’t some kind of deep fake? 11 weeks in, the scenario would not be on any sane person’s bingo card.
And yet here we are. The NFC North division is anything but wrapped up. How the Bears hold up remains to be seen, but right now it’s a bona fide three-team race.
Nearing the home stretch, the Packers are about to embark on a gauntlet of divisional play beginning this Sunday against the Vikings. After that it’s off to Detroit, then back home to host Chicago. Originally lumped into the 1 PM ET slate, that game has been promoted to one of the 4:25 slots typically reserved for games expected to hold some kind of meaning.
Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard (20) celebrates making a tackle against the Chicago Bears during their football game Sunday, January 5, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Packers-Bears could be mutually decisive divisional clash
With how competitive the Bears – pardon, Chicago fans, the first-place Bears – have been, that Week 14 matchup on Sunday, December 7 looks like one of unanticipated magnitude for both opponents, the third-place Lions, and the rest of the NFC playoff picture.
🚨 BEARS GAME TIME UPDATE 🚨 pic.twitter.com/A6ZMSf8QZM
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 20, 2025
Chicago’s hot start notwithstanding, ESPN’s FPI projections still make the Packers 68.6% home favorites. Down the road, the Bears still have the lowest chance to claim the division crown, at 22% versus 44% for Green Bay (6-3-1) and 34% for the Lions (6-4).
In fact, according to ESPN’s system, the Bears have only the eight-highest odds to even make the playoffs (58%). The way things stand now, the final spot in the NFC playoff race will likely come down to one of third-place teams in the North and West. One will punch its ticket, the other left out in the cold.
That said, they play the games for a reason. Perhaps it’s attributable in part to luck in one-score games (the Bears are 5-2), but no one would have picked them to start 7-3. Ben Johnson looks like the real deal in his first season as a head coach. Regardless of what happens in the interval, the game at Lambeau in two weeks’ time is guaranteed to be a high stakes affair.
Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney (29) intercepts a pass against the Chicago Bears on Sunday, January 5, 2025, at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. The Bears won the game, 24-22, on a 51-yard field goal as time expired.
Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
As for the Packers, they will have the chance to exorcise last year’s demons (1-5 versus the NFC North) by playing five of their last seven games against NFC North foes. They don’t have to run the table, but winning at least two of the next three would be a necessary step in the right direction.
For More Great Wisconsin Content
Follow me on X at @ezsniper14 and follow us@WiSportsHeroics for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in Wisconsin sports,click here!