The Bears still have to think long-term as they approach the NFL trade deadline Tuesday, but coach Ben Johnson said Monday there’s “a lot at stake” for his team at 5-3 after beating the Bengals 47-42 on Sunday.
Part of that, in his view, is making a run at winning the NFC North.
“We’re right in the mix of it,” Johnson said. “The parity of the NFL each and every year, it goes down to the wire. There’s a lot at stake. We can go any number of which ways here in the second half of the season, and it’s something our guys are going to get pretty excited about here.
“This is, in my opinion, one of the toughest, if not the toughest division in football. I’ve felt that way for a couple years now. When you look at all four of these teams, I think any team could win this thing.”
The Packers are on top at 5-2-1, and the Bears and Lions are 5-3. The Vikings are fourth at 4-4, making the North the only division in the league in which every team is .500 or better. The Bears opened the season with losses to the Vikings and Lions and have yet to face the Packers. Four of their final eight games are in the division after they host the Giants on Sunday.
The Bears also are on the fringe of the playoff field at the No. 8 spot in the NFC. The Lions are ahead of them at No. 7 by virtue of the head-to-head tie-breaker, and the 49ers are No. 6 at 6-3.
The Bears have not made the playoffs since claiming the seventh seed at 8-8 in 2020 and have not won the North since going 12-4 in 2018 under Matt Nagy.
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