Are the Bears the Favorites to Win the NFC North?

Were it not for an out-of-this-world performance from a hobbled Aaron Rodgers in Week 1 of the regular season, the Chicago Bears would be undefeated.

Now at 2-1 and leading the NFC North ahead of the Packers, Vikings, and Lions anyway, the Bears have been one of the biggest surprises in the early going of the NFL season.

But can they keep it up?

Considering the talent level in the rest of the division, especially on the rosters of Green Bay and Minnesota, the jury is still very much out on that question.

However, to help answer it, ESPN assembled a panel of NFL experts who focus on the NFC North and asked them how they see the division shaking out.

Among the four experts polled, none picked the Bears to win the division when all is said and done and instead split their votes between the Vikes and Pack with a keyWeek 12 game in Minneapolis serving as the potential tiebreaker.

But, ESPN Vikings reporter Courtney Cronin does give the Bears a chance.

“The Bears’ defense has legitimized their playoff hopes in 2018. A team that felt like it was still a year away before Sept. 1 is now in first place in the NFC North, thanks in part to how the acquisition of [Khalil] Mack has taken this unit to another level,” Cronin said. “Every team is now circling the Bears on their calendar, wondering how the heck they’re going to block the former defensive player of the year who has recorded a sack and forced a fumble in three straight games. This defense is advancing at such a rapid rate that the only thing that could halt Chicago’s chances at the playoffs might be its play at quarterback. The long and short of it: There’s no longer a two-team race in the division between the Vikings and Packers.”