Chicago’s big Black Friday win reshapes NFC North playoff picture
Chicago’s Black Friday win reshaped the NFC North, tightening the race with Green Bay and leaving Detroit scrambling to stay alive.
The NFC North didn’t settle anything in Week 13, but it certainly clarified the picture. While the Chicago Bears entered the weekend with a slim lead, they left Black Friday looking more like a team in control of its own fate. Their upset win over the Philadelphia Eagles on the road, combined with Green Bay’s comeback victory earlier in the week, has narrowed the division into what now looks like a two-team duel heading into December.
Bears tighten grip on NFC North
With their 9–3 record, Chicago remains the divisional leader. Quarterback Caleb Williams is hitting his midseason stride, the defense has found its rhythm again, and the coaching staff finally seems comfortable letting games run through its young stars. Friday’s win showed the Bears’ resilience and served as proof that this team belongs in the NFC’s top tier.
Green Bay is now the only team still within striking distance. The Packers’ win bumped them to 8-3-1, keeping them half a game back and preventing Chicago from gaining real separation. And while that half-game feels small, the path ahead is anything but simple. The Bears and Packers still play each other twice down the stretch, including a Week 14 showdown that suddenly feels like one of the most consequential games of the NFL season. One mistake, one turnover, one fourth-quarter slip could flip the division.
The Lions, meanwhile, saw their hopes dim. The Lions entered Week 13 with a chance to jump right back into the division lead if the weekend went their way. Instead, the opposite happened. Now two full games behind Chicago and trailing Green Bay via tiebreaker, the Lions need serious help. Their offense continues to sputter at the wrong time, and a brutal closing schedule makes a December surge harder to imagine. They aren’t out, but they no longer hold the steering wheel.
The Vikings sit even further back at 4–7, and while they’re not eliminated, their season has become more about evaluation than expectation. Minnesota can still shape the standings as a spoiler though, especially with late-season matchups against Detroit and Green Bay, but barring a dramatic turnaround, the NFC North crown isn’t headed their way this year.
What’s next: Closing schedules that could decide everything
Bears remaining schedule: @ Packers, vs Browns, vs Packers, @ 49ers, vs Lions
Chicago still owns its destiny, but the road isn’t easy. Two games against the Packers and a finale against Detroit make for a pressure-packed five weeks.
Packers remaining schedule: vs Bears, @ Broncos, @ Bears, vs Ravens, @ Vikings
Green Bay draws division leaders from both conferences (Ravens and Bears) and finishes at Minnesota, where the Vikings may be fighting for their postseason lives.
Lions remaining schedule: vs Cowboys, @ Rams, vs Steelers, @ Vikings, @ Bears
Detroit faces a gauntlet. A Week 18 trip to Chicago could be meaningful… if the Lions can stay afloat that long.
Vikings remaining schedule: vs Commanders, @ Cowboys, @ Giants, vs Lions, vs Packers
Minnesota still has opportunities to spoil the party, especially in that Week 17 holiday matchup with Detroit.
Where the NFC North stands now
- Bears: 9–3
- Packers: 8–3-1
- Lions: 7–5
- Vikings: 4–7
With five weeks left, the Bears and Packers appear to be fighting for first place, and possibly a top NFC playoff seed, while the Lions hang on by a thread and the Vikings try to find stability.
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