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Bears in the driver's seat with control of NFC North

From a nationally televised embarrassment at the new Meadowlands Stadium, where Jay Cutler had to be peeled off the field turf, the Bears have, in just one week, ascended to the driver's seat in the NFC North.

At 4-1 they're a game ahead of the Green Bay Packers, who have been decimated by injuries, and the Bears also are 2½ games ahead of the Minnesota Vikings, who have dug themselves a 1-3 hole and are not finished dealing with the off-the-field distraction of Brett Favre's “Textgate."

Quicker than you can say, “playoff contender, the Bears have control in the NFC North, and their position should only be strengthened over the next four weeks.

The Bears have home games against the mediocre Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins, a bye week, and then a road game against the winless Buffalo Bills, which isn't really a home game for them because it will be played in Toronto.

So, unless they trip over their own feet, the Bears are looking at a 7-1 record at the halfway point; 6-2 at worst.

They will be favored to win each of the next three games, probably by more than a touchdown in two of them. That is, as long as Cutler plays, which is expected once he is cleared for a full return to activity after practicing Wednesday.

First up are the Seahawks, who have been solid at home this season under new coach Pete Carroll but awful on the road, losing by 17 at Denver and at St. Louis, both of which are 2-3.

A 3-2 Washington team should offer a tougher challenge, since it already posted victories over the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Packers. But Washington also lost to the Rams by 14 points and has scored more than 17 points just once.

The Bills have allowed more points than any team in the NFL by a comfortable margin, an average of 32 per game.

Even if the Bears go 2-1, they'll be 6-2 and should still be in control of their own destiny and the NFC North.

The 3-2 Packers face a brutal four weeks with quarterback Aaron Rodgers questionable this week with a concussion. And that's the least of the Packers' injuries.

Packers tight end Jermichael Finley is expected to have knee surgery Wednesday and miss at least a few weeks. Running back Ryan Grant is already on injured reserve, NFL sack leader Clay Matthews has re-injured a hamstring, linebacker Nick Barnett could go on injured reserve with a wrist injury, right tackle Mark Tauscher has a shoulder injury, and safety Morgan Burnett has a knee injury.

On top of all that, the Packers face, in order: the Dolphins, Vikings, Jets and Cowboys. The lone bright spot is that only the Jets game is on the road, but the Packers have lost two of their last three with their only victory coming against the Lions by 2 points.

The Vikings are in worse shape. Their four week stretch begins when they host the Cowboys, making that a matchup of two 1-3 teams that were popular preseason Super Bowl picks but are now desperate for a victory. The loser faces long odds of even making it to the playoffs.

After that, it gets more difficult for the Vikings. It's back-to-back road games at Green Bay and New England before a home game against the Arizona Cardinals, who are off to a surprising 3-2 start. Split those games and the Vikings are 3-5 and can only afford one more loss the rest of the season to make the playoffs.

As for the second half of the Bears' schedule, it gets more difficult, especially if the Vikings get back on track, so they might need at least a 6-2 record at the midway point to make it to the playoffs.

The Bears and Vikings face each other twice, and the Bears also play at Green Bay, Detroit and Miami. They also have tough matchups vs. the Eagles, Patriots and Jets, but all three of those games are at home.

NFC North Outlook

Here's a closer look at the schedule for the next four weeks facing the three contenders for the NFC North Division:

WEEK 6BEARS (4-1) vs. Seahawks (2-2)PACKERS (3-2) vs. Dolphins (2-2) VIKINGS (1-3) vs. Cowboys (1-3)WEEK 7BEARS vs. Redskins (3-2) PACKERS vs.VIKINGS WEEK 8BEARS bye weekPACKERS at Jets (4-1)VIKINGS at Patriots (3-1)WEEK 9BEARS at Bills* (0-5)PACKERS vs. Cowboys (1-3)VIKINGS vs. Cardinals (3-2) *game will be played in Toronto