The Chicago Bears earned the first division win of the season in Week 11 against the Minnesota Vikings with another nail-baiter to improve to 7-3.

The 7-3 start to the season is the team’s best 10-game start to a season since the 2018 playoff year and it’s only right we continue taking a look at the current playoff picture, even if head coach Ben Johnson wants to keep the main thing the main thing.

“We’re midseason right now, so we’re not even looking at that,” Johnson told reporters after the Week 11 win. “We’ve earned seven wins so far and we’re really looking for the opportunity to go 1-0 next week.”

Pulling off the first NFC North win of the season was a big moment for the Bears and had massive implications on the current NFC and divisional standings but if the Bears want to be treated as legitimate playoff contenders, the team still has one thing to prove.

Killer instinct is the only thing holding the Bears back from being a playoff contender

Sunday’s game was the Bears’ fifth win of the season in which the team was trailing in the final two minutes of the season. While winning is winning, the Bears are keeping games closer than anyone would like and are still trying to find the killer instinct needed to put games away.

“That’s something that I was preaching on the sideline and I’m going to keep preaching that because we have so much talent, we have so much belief, we have a great coaching staff and all these different things,” quarterback Caleb Williams explained. “There is not a time for me that I want to maximize the most than when I am out here with these guys and so having the killer instinct in those moments is really important to me and for us as a team cause we got the coaching staff, we got the players, we got the talent, we just have to go out there and do it.”

Offensively, the Bears have still yet to play their best game they’re capable of playing. Defensively, the unit is still allowing big plays but will eventually get some major reinforcements back for the final stretch. Special teams has been an up and down experience as well, as we saw again on Sunday. But, it’s clear all of the pieces are there, it’s just a matter of putting the puzzle fully together.

“I think we got the guys,” Williams added. “We got the guys that we need to do whatever we need to do to win a game. They’re special, they’re talented, they make plays for us when it counts and when it matters.”

"You have to have a killer instinct to be in these games, and finish these games the way we have."

Caleb Williams after the Bears' win over Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/9r2RVwb8YP

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) November 16, 2025

All of that being said, let’s take a look at how the playoff picture looks heading into Week 12.

Current NFC Standings

1. Philadelphia Eagles (8-2)
2. Los Angeles Rams (8-2)
3. Chicago Bears (7-3)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-4)
5. Seattle Seahawks (7-3)
6. Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)
7. San Francisco 49ers (7-4)

The NFC standings are set as far as the Top-7 seeds go after Sunday and the Bears have improved to 3rd in the NFC with a win after being 6th in the NFC this time last week. If the season ended today, Chicago would host a playoff game against the Green Bay Packers, how exciting would that be? As for the divisional standings, things are looking just as sweet for Chicago.

Current NFC North Standings

1. Chicago Bears (7-3)
2. Green Bay Packers (6-3-1)
3. Detroit Lions (6-4)
4. Minnesota Vikings (4-6)

With the Detroit Lions’ loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on “Sunday Night Football,” the Bears jump up to first place in the NFC North after 11 weeks. Yes, you read that right, first place in the division with seven games left to be played. Things are getting exciting for Chicago, but the job’s not finished.

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