Not only did the Bears' 37-13 mauling of the Lions signal to the rest of the NFC that the Bears are one of the best teams in the conference, but it also brought them into a virtual deadlock with the Detroit Lions for second place in the NFC North. If the season ended today, both teams would secure Wild Card spots, though obviously the season is far from over. At the moment the Lions are nominally in second place by virtue of having a better record vs. divisional opponents (2-1) than the Bears (2-2), but the Lions have yet to face the undefeated Packers this season.
Because the Bears and Lions have split the season series together, it is record vs. divisional opponents that will decide the race if both finish the season with the same record. Or, maybe it wouldn't. If both the Bears and Lions lose twice to Green Bay (possible, though obviously far from guaranteed) and both beat the Vikings twice (far more likely, though also far from guaranteed), then conference record would be the next tiebreaker. But, that's far down the road, and for now, both teams have two important things to remember: win every game possible, especially those vs. divisional opponents.
Here are the NFC North standings, heading into Monday night's match up between Green Bay and Minnesota:
- Green Bay Packers: 8-0
- Detroit Lions: 6-3
- Chicago Bears: 6-3
- Minnesota Vikings: 2-6