Are the Bears Contenders for the NFC North Crown?
On Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Bears defeated the New Orleans Saints, 26-14, at Soldier Field. Running back D’Andre Swift rushed his team to victory, scoring 124 yards and a touchdown. He would be closely followed by his counterpart, Kyle Monangai, who rushed for 81 yards and a touchdown to help the Bears to victory. It was a tougher night for the quarterback, however, as Caleb Williams threw for 172 yards, zero touchdowns, and an interception. Although Williams and the passing attack were quiet today, the Bears’ defense was the star of the show.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen put on a show against his former team, in which his defense earned four takeaways, three of which were interceptions against quarterback Spencer Rattler. The defense now leads the NFL with 16 takeaways and has become a large part of the Bears’ four-game winning streak. This is Chicago’s first four-game win streak since 2018. They will now turn their attention to the Baltimore Ravens next Sunday, who will more than likely see quarterback Lamar Jackson return after dealing with an injury. As things currently stand, however, for the Bears, do they have a shot at taking the NFC North?
The Minnesota Vikings would lose on Sunday, while the Green Bay Packers would escape with a win in Arizona. The Detroit Lions will play tomorrow night on Monday Night Football against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bears sit in third place in their division right now, although they share the same number of wins as the Packers and Lions. Before the season began, Chicago wasn’t even a consideration to take the NFC North. Now that they are continuing their winning ways, the rest of the season has become very interesting. After they take on the Ravens, they will face the Cincinnati Bengals, the New York Giants, and the Vikings. From an eye test, it’s clear the Bears have a large opportunity on their hands to gather some wins before they head into the final stretch of the regular season. They will be a dark horse to pay attention to, as the race for the NFC North crown is once again on.
