The Bears found a way to win on Sunday night, overcoming five turnovers to defeat the Buccaneers 27-24, but they certainly aren't alone in the NFC North.
The Packers and Lions both continued their winning ways on Sunday, and, until Monday at least, none of those three teams can say they only one loss like the Vikings do.
All four NFC North teams will enter Week 10 in the playoff picture. While head-to-head matchups might hurt the division's chances of getting every team into the playoffs, it's becoming clear these four teams are in a class of their own as a group.
Here's a look at how the NFC North could be headed for uncharted territory.
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NFC North combined record
The NFC North is now 25-8 (.757) through nearly nine weeks, with five of those eight losses simply coming against one another. NFC North teams are 20-3 in non-divisional games.
Here are the standings after Sunday night, with the Vikings still to play on Monday:
| Team | Record | Pct. |
| Vikings | 6-1 | .857 |
| Bears | 7-2 | .778 |
| Lions | 6-2 | .750 |
| Packers | 6-3 | .667 |
Every team in the division is at least three games over .500, meaning the Packers are in last place at 6-3. In the NFC North, for comparison, the 3-5 Panthers lead the division.
The Bears have had a hard time gaining ground during the four-game win streak because of all of the success around them, but a Vikings loss to the Bills on Monday night would rocket Chicago into first place.
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Best division in NFL history
When it comes to divisions, there are two distinct periods in the NFL: pre-2002, when divisions were larger than four teams, and 2002-present, when all divisions have been comprised of four teams.
The overall records within divisions were more even before 2002 because more teams were in each. Since 2002, the best record for a division belongs to the 2024 NFC North, which saw teams go a combined 45-23 (.662) as the Lions went 15-2, Vikings went 14-3, Packers went 11-6 and Bears went 7-10. Two years earlier, in the NFC East went a combined 43-23-2, sending three teams to the playoffs.
So far, the NFC North is on track to break its own record in 2026. At 25-8 (.757), every team is at least three games above .500 and their combined record would have to be 20-15 the rest of the way to match the 2024 mark.
There are still seven divisional games on the docket in the NFC North, so the division will have at least 15 losses. If these four teams can keep it to only eight additional losses, the division will tie its own record from 2002.
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