NFC North: All four teams above .500 as Bears lead NFL's most victorious division

No team in the NFL rode a bigger high out of last weekend than the Green Bay Packers, who trounced the defending AFC champion New England Patriots 45-27 in their best performance of the season to improve to 6-3. Coach Matt LaFleur quickly punctured the mood, saying: "The reality is this: We're in last place in our division right now."

That is life in the NFC North, where the Chicago Bears sit on top at 7-3, followed by the Detroit Lions at 6-2, the Minnesota Vikings at 6-2 and the Packers at 6-3. According to ESPN Research, it is the seventh division since 2002 to have all four teams above .500 through Week 9, and its combined 25-9 record, a 73.5 winning percentage, is the best by any division in the first nine weeks of a season under the current format, which began 24 years ago.

History offers mixed lessons. The 2023 AFC North was the last division with four winning records at this point, and all four of its teams finished above .500, with three making the playoffs and the Baltimore Ravens reaching the AFC Championship Game. The 2022 AFC East also had every team winning through Week 9, yet only two reached the postseason and neither advanced past the divisional round. ESPN's FPI currently gives the Bears the best chance to win the division at 35.1%, ahead of the Vikings at 29.7%, the Lions at 24.7% and the Packers at 10.5%.

ESPN reporters Courtney Cronin, Rob Demovsky, Kevin Seifert and Eric Woodyard weighed in on the division's biggest questions, and all four agreed that acquiring Kirk Cousins does not immediately put Minnesota in the driver's seat. The Vikings visit Green Bay at Lambeau Field in Week 10 before facing NFC-leading San Francisco in Mexico City, and their offense entered the week ranked second worst in the league in efficiency at 23.77 and No. 31 in EPA. Cousins, 38, knows the system and should stabilize the unit, but playcalling, run-game efficiency and pass protection have all contributed to the struggles.

Opinion split over whether Caleb Williams' four interceptions against Tampa Bay on Sunday were a blip on his path to MVP. Williams had the fourth-lowest interception rate in the league at 0.6 entering Week 9, and only the first pick, a goal-line throw he admitted was "greedy," was clearly on him, with another bouncing off receiver Luther Burden III's hands and two coming under heavy pressure. Still, the three games he missed with a hamstring injury leave his MVP case trailing the likes of Joe Burrow, Josh Allen and Brock Purdy, and Woodyard noted Williams might not even be the MVP of his own division given how Packers quarterback Jordan Love has played without missing a game.

Three of the four reporters said Micah Parsons' eventual return will be the biggest addition for any NFC North team. Parsons has not played since Dec. 14, 2025, while recovering from a torn ACL, and his comeback is likely on Thanksgiving eve at the Rams. Cronin dissented, pointing to how quickly All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons lifted Chicago's defense after arriving in Week 8, playing 87% of snaps in his debut and 97% in Week 9 as the Bears blitzed far less than their previous 42% rate. New Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon admitted he thinks about what he can do with Parsons "every day."

The panel also largely agreed that Detroit's defensive improvement is the division's most overlooked storyline. Kelvin Sheppard's unit has held opponents under 20 points in three straight games, allowing just 13.7 points per game over that span, and the Lions are one of 11 teams to hold opponents under 100 rushing yards in every game this season. Sheppard came under heavy fire after a 32-26 Week 4 loss at Carolina left Detroit allowing 30 or more points in three of its first four games for the first time since the infamous 0-16 season in 2008, but coach Dan Campbell stood by him. Skeptics countered that the recent surge came against the Vikings and Dolphins, the league's No. 31 and No. 21 scoring offenses, and that Green Bay left points on the field when kicker Trey Smack missed two field goals and an extra point.

As for DraftKings installing the Bears as favorites to repeat as division champions, three reporters called it justified. Chicago has the most complete team in the division and averages 30.7 points per game with Williams under center, while coach Ben Johnson is 7-0 in November since arriving in Chicago. The caution flag is an 0-2 start in NFC North play, with four division games remaining, including a closing stretch of the Packers at home, the Lions at home and the Vikings on the road. Woodyard noted the Lions beat Chicago twice last season, and Campbell may know better than anyone how to counter Johnson, his former offensive coordinator.