Leader of the Pack: Chicago Bears Seize Control of the NFC with Dominant Surge

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The Chicago Bears are no longer a surprise; they are a force. Following their statement victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Black Friday and other key results around the league, the Bears have not only seized control of the NFC North but have rocketed to the No. 1 seed in the entire NFC playoff picture.

At 9-3, the Bears now own the top spot by virtue of a superior conference record tiebreaker over the Los Angeles Rams, marking a stunning turnaround for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs in four years. Under rookie Head Coach Ben Johnson, the team has achieved its first winning season since 2018 and is currently riding a five-game winning streak—their longest in seven years.

The Formula: Old-School Power

Chicago’s surge is built on a simple, yet devastating formula: a relentless rushing attack and a stingy, opportunistic defense. Against the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles, the Bears rushed for a massive 281 yards, wearing down the defense with a two-headed monster in the backfield. D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai each eclipsed 100 rushing yards, marking the first time two Bears running backs achieved that feat in a game since Walter Payton and Matt Suhey in 1985. This commitment to the run has allowed quarterback Caleb Williams to play efficiently, managing games and avoiding turnovers.

Since an 0-2 start, the Bears have lost only one of their last ten games. Williams has been the league’s king of the fourth-quarter comeback, leading five game-winning drives this season—the most by any quarterback in the NFL in 2025. This proves that the Bears are not just winning, they are finishing games.

NFC North Landscape

The Bears’ recent success, coupled with the Green Bay Packers’ dramatic Thanksgiving win over the Detroit Lions (which gave the Packers the season sweep over Detroit), has created a fractured landscape in the North:

Rank	Team	Record	Difference
1.	Chicago Bears	9-3	—
2.	Green Bay Packers	8-3-1	0.5 Game
3.	Detroit Lions	7-5	2.0 Games
4.	Minnesota Vikings	4-8	Out of Contention

The NFC North race is now a two-horse sprint between Chicago and Green Bay. The teams will meet for their two critical head-to-head matchups in the next three weeks (Week 14 and Week 16)—games that will almost certainly decide the division title and whether the road to the Super Bowl runs through Soldier Field.