NFC North Chaos Will Continue in Week 17

From an entertainment perspective, no division in football has provided more than the NFC North has down the stretch.

Since 2011, the Green Bay Packers have won the division in eight of fourteen years; that comes out to just about 57% of the time. The Minnesota Vikings come in as the second most frequent winner with three division titles, followed by the Detroit Lions with two.

You don’t need any numbers or statistics to guess that the Chicago Bears come in last in the recent divisional dominance category; they’ve only won the North once since 2011.

However, after weeks of flip-flopping positions with the Packers, Caleb Williams and “Da Bears” have taken hold of the NFC North standings.

The only question now is who will finish up there by the end of the regular season?

Can Chicago’s Lead Hold? Hard Schedule Casts Some Doubt

Right now, the Bears are 11-4 and winners of two straight. Green Bay, their competition in the division, is 9-5-1 and has dropped its last two games.

With just two weeks to play, that is a strong lead, but the job isn’t done yet.

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If Chicago wins one of their final two games, they will officially clinch the division, but both matchups are difficult. First, they’ll go on the road to face the red-hot San Francisco 49ers before heading home to take on the Detroit Lions.

They are underdogs against the Niners, and everybody knows a divisional game against a hungry and frustrated Lions team won’t be a cakewalk.

Up in Wisconsin, the road to two wins, at least on the schedule, appears easier.

Will Injuries Halt a Green Bay Comeback? Top Stars May Miss Week 17

Green Bay faces two non-playoff teams in the final weeks of this regular season.

In Week 17, they will host the Baltimore Ravens, who could be without Lamar Jackson due to a back injury. They are the favorites to win that game. After that, they’ll travel to play “Nine” and the Minnesota Vikings, who are already eliminated from playoff contention.

However, they need both of these wins, and two Chicago losses to win the North, and their slew of injuries may halt that comeback.

Jordan Love, backup quarterback Malik Willis, Josh Jacobs, Zach Tom, Evan Williams, Christian Watson, and more are all facing either legitimate injuries or significant wear-and-tear heading into Week 17.

We’ve seen this team slumping down the stretch, and if they can’t get healthy quickly, the division could be over within a few days.