Worst-to-first: Chicago Bears clinch NFC North division title Saturday night with Packers' loss
Bears vs. 49ers preview | Bears Blitz
Coming off one of the biggest regular season wins in the history of the franchise, the Bears head to the west coast for a showdown with the 49ers. The Blitz crew gets you ready for the primetime matchup. How has Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams' relationship flourished so quickly, is the #1 seed a realistic possibility for the Bears and can the defense limit a potent 49ers offensive attack, including All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey?
With the NFL turning to the Packers vs. Ravens on Saturday night, all eyes in Chicago have been fully fixed on the outcome of this game.
The Chicago Bears have officially completed a worst-to-first turnaround.
With the Packers' loss to the Ravens, they've won the NFC North.
What we know:
The Bears came into this game with a magic number turning to just one.
They were a full game ahead of the Packers. The Bears could win the NFC North division title with a win or a Packers' loss on Saturday night. The latter happened.
In a Saturday night battle between backup quarterbacks, the Bears could only watch as Malik Willis and Tyler Huntley went after each other with two teams that handed the Bears losses earlier this season.
Huntley, with a studded cast of Derrick Henry, Roquan Smith and more, kept the Ravens' season alive. In the process, the Ravens clinched the NFC North crown for the Bears.
The Bears got to this point by winning 11 games in Ben Johnson's first season in Chicago. It's been everything Chicagoans have hoped and dreamed for since the Bears' last real march to the playoffs in 2018.
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Dig deeper:
This is the first time the Bears have won the division since the 2018 season.
In that time frame, the Packers have won it three times, the Vikings have won it once and the Lions have won it the last two years in a row. The Bears have finished above third place just once since 2018, which was the 2020 season when they backed into the playoffs as the No. 7 seed. In the last three seasons, the Bears finished last in the NFC North.
Since 2000, the Bears have won the division just five times. Once in 2001, back when it was the NFC Central, twice in a row between the 2005 and 2006 seasons, and in 2018. The franchise can add a sixth division title now.
Ironically, three of the last five times the Bears have won the NFC North came on the heels of a worst-to-first turnaround. The 2001, 2005 and 2018 division titles came after the Bears finished last in the division the year before. This is the first worst-to-first turnaround since 2023, when the Texans won the AFC South after finishing 3-13-1 the year before.
Add another worst-to-first turnaround to the books.
What's next:
The Bears are the 2025 NFC North division champs.
Next up, a home playoff game.
Winning the division secures a top-four playoff seed. The Bears have a chance to earn the No. 1 overall seed still, but, at the very least, the Bears have earned a chance to play at Soldier Field one more time.
The Bears play Sunday night against San Francisco and close the regular season at home against the Detroit Lions.
Then, the playoffs await.