Bears clinch NFC North championship, home playoff game with Packers loss to Ravens

The Chicago Bears won their first NFC North championship since 2018 on Saturday night.

The division crown came even though the Bears didn’t play Saturday. Chicago clinched the North after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Baltimore Ravens. The Bears entered the weekend with an opportunity to win the North with either a win or a Packers loss.

It’s the team’s first division title since 2018 and third since 2010. The accomplishment comes a week after the Bears earned their first playoff berth since 2020.

The division title guarantees Chicago will host at least one playoff game at Soldier Field. The Bears are still in contention for the NFC‘s No. 1 seed with two games to go in the regular season.

Saturday was a major accomplishment for Bears head coach Ben Johnson and his coaching staff in their first season in Chicago. The Bears went from 5-12 last year and last in the division to North champions. Johnson became the first Bears coach to win a division title in his first season since Matt Nagy did it in 2018.

Chicago will next play against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night before hosting the Detroit Lions in Week 18.