The NFC North was the most competitive division in the NFL in 2025, with each of the four teams finishing with a winning record. Expectations were fairly similar in 2026, and sure enough, all four teams are .500 or better one month into the regular season.
All four teams are at least semi-competitive, but some have played much better than others. With that in mind, let's grade each team in what's supposed to be the league's best division.
Chicago Bears
- Record: 3-1
The Chicago Bears scored 59 points in Week 1 and have combined to score 53 points in their next three contests. This should be taken with a major asterisk, though, as Caleb Williams' only full game of the season came in that Week 1 onslaught, and despite a diminished offense since, the Bears finished the first month of the season with a 3-1 record.
The Bears are 3-1 despite having three different quarterbacks play a major role in at least one game. That speaks to how good a coach Ben Johnson is, and it also speaks to how good their running game has been. It's also worth noting just how surprisingly great this Bears' defense has been since allowing 37 points in Week 1. Chicago has combined to allow just 28 points since Week 2, meaning they've surrendered less than 10 points per game in their last three contests. Is that good?
Once Williams returns, it feels like this team is destined to do something special, as long as they can avoid more major injuries (they've already been very banged up in their secondary). Taking a 9-3 loss in Week 2 dings their grade a bit, but the Bears being 3-1 despite what they've had to navigate is pretty impressive.
Grade: A-
Detroit Lions
- Record: 2-2
It's been a fascinating start to the season for the Detroit Lions. On one hand, their offense is really clicking. They're fifth in points per game (29.8), and they've scored 26 or more points in every game they've played so far. Their offense has been efficient and consistent, yet they're only 2-2. That has to do with their defense melting down.
The Lions have allowed 31.8 points per game, the second-most in the NFL thus far. As good as their offense has been, they've actually allowed more points than they've scored overall, surrendering 30 or more points in three of their four games and allowing 41 points to the Bills in Week 2. They've faced some good offenses, but it's pretty clear that this isn't close to a Super Bowl-caliber defense, even Aidan Hutchinson off to a strong start.
The Lions are clearly in the mix and have an offense clicking on all cylinders, but their defense being this bad makes it hard to give them a grade any higher than a C+. Acquiring a reinforcement or two to aid their defense would change things in the Motor City.
Grade: C+
Green Bay Packers
- Record: 2-2
The Green Bay Packers are 2-2, but it feels like they're incredibly lucky to have a .500 record. It took overtime for them to beat the Jets in Week 2, and they beat a winless Buccaneers team without Baker Mayfield by only a field goal in Week 4. Wins are wins, but those are as bad of wins as you can get, and in their other two games, they were blown out by a Carson Wentz-led Vikings team and by a Falcons team that, at the time, looked atrocious.
There isn't much of anything to like about this team. Jordan Love has not played well; the Packers' skill-position talent is as poor as any team in the NFL, particularly with Josh Jacobs out for who knows how long; their offensive line is a mess; their defense has sorely missed Micah Parsons; and even Matt LaFleur hasn't done a great job coaching them. Their -32 point differential through the first month of the season (fourth-worst in the NFL) says it all.
The Packers being 2-2 despite all that's gone wrong, even with those wins feeling flukey, is good enough for them to avoid an F grade, but it's hard to like much else that's going on in Green Bay.
Grade: D+
Minnesota Vikings
- Record: 4-0
The Minnesota Vikings scored 39 points with Carson Wentz taking most of the snaps in Week 1, and they've combined to score just 47 points in the next three games combined. Their offense has been pretty underwhelming for the most part (although injuries to Justin Jefferson and Jordan Mason have a lot to do with that), but that hasn't mattered at all, thanks to Brian Flores' defense.
The Vikings are blitzing at will and seeing immense success, having allowed an average of 12.8 points per game thus far, the fewest in the NFL. They've allowed 10 or fewer points in two of their four games and have allowed more than 16 points just once. With how well their defense has played, it should come as no surprise that they're 4-0.
Sure, their schedule hasn't been all that difficult, with Minnesota facing the Packers, the Bears in brutal conditions, and winless teams in the Buccaneers and Dolphins, but you can only beat who you play, and the Vikings have been beyond impressive. At the end of the day, 4-0 is 4-0, and the Vikings look like a team that can make some noise in the NFC, especially once their offense gets healthier and clicking.
Grade: A+
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