Bears lead NFC North knowing Lions or Packers will lose this week

The Chicago Bears and Caleb Williams sit atop the NFC North for yet another week. The Bears have a matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles which is a pivot point in their season. The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions play a Thanksgiving game that will prove which team still has its window open and should be viewed as a Super Bowl contender.

Here are my takeaways from Week 12 in the NFC North for each team:

(8-3) Chicago Bears

The Bears have done exactly what you are supposed to do with a favorable schedule. To make things even crazier, this team has yet to have a fully healthy squad. Missing their two top corners and one of the leaders of their defense in linebacker T.J. Edwards, they still have led the NFL in takeaways. The Bears now have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and one of the most explosive offenses in the league. Caleb Williams is growing as a quarterback, but is still leading this team to 8 wins in 11 games. The Bears may not have a signature win versus a contender, like the other teams in the North, but with how things stand, you could make an argument for the Bears being the team you can trust the most in the North right now. The Bears also have the most momentum on their side out of any of these teams. This week's game will reveal exactly what this team is made of.

(7-3-1) Green Bay Packers

The Packers dominated the Minnesota Vikings. Without Josh Jacobs, backup running back Emmanuel Wilson filled in perfectly, running for 107 yards on 28 carries. Other than that, Jordan Love was modest and did not have to do anything spectacular for the Packers to secure a win. Moving forward, that will not be the case as the Packers have to face the Lions on Thursday, the Bears the week after, Denver following that, and the Bears again. After that gauntlet stretch of 4 games, it's topped off with a match versus the Baltimore Ravens. It will be evident what type of team the Packers are in the coming weeks. Are they an actual contender, or are they a team that will be watching the playoffs from home? Both are just as realistic outcomes for Green Bay.

(7-4) Detroit Lions

Detroit had quite the match versus the Jameis Winston-led New York Giants on Sunday. The Lions have been a team this season that a lot of teams have had success against. Jameis Winston had 366 yards passing, two passing touchdowns, and a 33-yard receiving touchdown. The Lions have had their fair share of injuries, but this is not the same dominating Lions as in previous years. Losing Ben Johnson has panned out to be a huge loss, as Dan Campbell has taken over play-calling duties from the Lions' offensive coordinator. With losing Sam Laporta now too for the rest of the season, the Lions have been vulnerable as they have been in the last couple of years.

(4-7) Minnesota Vikings

If you thought it was bad already, now it is reaching dangerous levels of bad for the Minnesota Vikings. J.J. McCarthy had another disappointing game versus the Packers, and the Vikings lost 23-6. McCarthy finished the game 12-19, throwing for 87 yards and 2 interceptions. To make matters worse, McCarthy has now entered the protocol, and backup quarterback Max Brosmer will potentially get his first start of his career verus Seattle, one of the best defenses in the NFL. This season looks like a lost year, and the most important thing for this team this year was McCarthy showing potential. So far, it has been a true story of growing pains and literal pain with McCarthy missing time now for two different injuries.

Overview

If you thought this division was entertaining, the next couple of weeks will produce a great amount of intensity as the fight for the NFC North crown continues. All three teams have tough paths to the top, and each of them has many matchups against the others along the way. Green Bay and Chicago have schedules that will take them out of the playoffs completely or turn them into a team no NFC team wants to see come playoff time. Detroit is looking to tap back into its dominance to take back control of the North. The Vikings, on the other hand, are sitting back, watching, and waiting for the 2026 NFL season already.

This article originally appeared on Trojans Wire: Bears are putting pressure on Lions and Packers to keep pace