Chicago Bears climb to No. 2 in the NFC and take over first in the North after Week 9
Minnesota's Monday night loss to Buffalo puts the 7-2 Bears alone atop the NFC North and second in the conference, behind only San Francisco.
The Chicago Bears go into their bye week holding first place in the NFC North and the No. 2 spot in the conference. Minnesota's Monday night loss to Buffalo settled it. Lester A. Wiltfong Jr. of Windy City Gridiron, in a post syndicated through SB Nation, has Chicago at 7-2. Only San Francisco, at 7-1, sits above them.
The Bears did their part Sunday with a 27-24 home win over Tampa Bay. As Sports Illustrated noted beforehand, the Vikings losing to the Bills was the one thing that would move Chicago to the top of the division. It happened. Yahoo Sports reported that Carson Wentz, starting in place of Kyler Murray, had a rough night in the loss, and Minnesota fell from first to third.
The division is about as tight as it gets. Detroit and Minnesota are both 6-2, and the Lions hold second because they beat the Vikings in Week 8. Green Bay is 6-3. In the conference projection, Detroit is the No. 5 seed, Minnesota No. 6 and Green Bay No. 7, which puts all four NFC North teams in the playoff field right now. The New York Giants (5-2-1) hold the No. 3 seed. Carolina is No. 4 at 3-5 as the current NFC South leader.
Chicago's lead is half a game and depends entirely on winning percentage. The Bears have played one more game than the Lions or Vikings, and they won't play in Week 10. Detroit faces New England in Munich, and Minnesota visits Green Bay at Lambeau Field. Win or lose, at least one of those NFC North rivals will gain on Chicago while the Bears sit out. That's why the No. 2 seed is a snapshot more than a cushion.
What it means for the Saints game
The Bears come out of the bye at home against New Orleans on Sunday, November 22, on Fox. They've won four straight: 31-23 at Atlanta, 30-24 over New England, 34-17 at Seattle and Sunday's three-point win over Tampa Bay. They've averaged 30.5 points over that run. They've also given up 22 a game, and the last two home wins were decided by six points or fewer.
Across nine games, Chicago has scored 241 points and allowed 184, a margin of plus-57. Two lopsided results feed that number, a 59-37 win at Carolina and a 31-7 loss at Green Bay. The Bears are 4-1 at Soldier Field. The only home loss was a 9-3 game against Minnesota, and the Vikings have a tiebreaker edge from it if the two teams finish level.
New Orleans is 3-5 and 11th in the NFC, outside the playoff field but only percentage points behind Carolina in the NFC South. A December push depends on how the Saints come out of November, so this game matters to them too. For Chicago, beating a team below .500 at home is how it keeps the spot it reached Monday. A loss would likely hand the North lead back to a Lions or Vikings team that will have played the same number of games.
The Bears team page has the full schedule and results.