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Interactive: 20-3 outside the division — the NFC North’s record first half, step by step

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Chicago 7-2, Minnesota 6-1, Detroit 6-2 and Green Bay 6-3: the NFC North is 25-8 overall and 20-3 against everyone else, with 11 straight outside wins. Week by week, every division since 2002, and the seven head-to-head games still to come.

w.
WhyNFL Sports DeskPublished
The Vikings and Lions line up for the opening kickoff at Ford Field in Detroit
The Vikings and Lions line up for the opening kickoff at Ford Field in Detroit in December 2018. Photo by Michael Barera, CC-BY-SA-4.0, resized.
Vikings and Lions line up for a kickoff at Ford FieldThe Vikings and Lions line up for a kickoff at Ford Field in Detroit, December 2018. Photo by Michael Barera, resized.
Interactive · NFC North

20-3 outside the division: the NFC North’s record first half, step by step

Chicago is 7-2, Minnesota 6-1, Detroit 6-2 and Green Bay 6-3. Against everyone else, the four teams have lost three times. How the record was built week by week, how it compares with every division since 2002, and the seven games in which they now start taking wins off each other.
Bears celebrate a walk-off field goalThe Bears celebrate Cairo Santos’ walk-off field goal against Tampa Bay at Soldier Field, Nov. 8, 2026. Image: Chicago Bears, resized.
Chapter 1

Three wins on one Sunday

All three NFC North teams that played on Sunday won. Detroit beat Miami 19-9, Green Bay won 45-27 at New England, and Chicago beat Tampa Bay 27-24 on Cairo Santos’ 38-yard field goal as time expired.

That leaves the division at 25-8 in all games and 20-3 against teams from outside it, before Minnesota plays Buffalo on Monday night. All four teams have at least six wins.

0-3record outside the division
0-8combined record, all games
+0point differential
0teams with 6+ wins
“It’s hard to win with five turnovers, and yet we found a way to do it.”
— Ben Johnson, Bears head coach, after the 27-24 win over Tampa Bay
Vikings at Lions, Week 8Vikings at Lions, Week 8, Nov. 1, 2026. Still from official NFL highlights, resized.
Chapter 2

Four teams, one table

Chicago has the best record at 7-2 but is 0-2 inside the division. Minnesota is 6-1 and holds the No. 2 seed in the NFC. Detroit is 2-0 against its rivals. Green Bay is 6-3 after winning five of its last six games.

If the season had ended on Sunday night, all four teams would be in the NFC playoff field: Minnesota second, Chicago fifth, Detroit sixth and Green Bay seventh.

Wins

Chicago 7-27
Minnesota 6-16
Detroit 6-26
Green Bay 6-36

Point differential

Chicago+57
Minnesota+47
Detroit+33
Green Bay+25
0-0Chicago outside the division
0-0Minnesota outside the division
0-1Green Bay outside the division
0-2Detroit outside the division
Lions at Dolphins, Week 9Lions at Dolphins, Week 9, Nov. 8, 2026. Still from official NFL highlights, resized.
Chapter 3

Built week by week

The three losses all came in the first four weeks. Buffalo beat Detroit 41-31 in Week 2, Atlanta beat Green Bay 35-14 in Week 3, and Carolina beat Detroit 32-26 on Oct. 4.

Since that loss in Charlotte, the NFC North has won 11 straight games against the rest of the league.

Wins outside the division, cumulative

After Week 1 (2-0)2
After Week 2 (3-1)3
After Week 3 (6-2)6
After Week 4 (9-3)9
After Week 5 (11-3)11
After Week 6 (13-3)13
After Week 7 (15-3)15
After Week 8 (17-3)17
After Week 9 (20-3)20
  1. Buffalo 41, Detroit 31: the first loss to an outside team.
  2. Atlanta 35, Green Bay 14 at Lambeau Field.
  3. Carolina 32, Detroit 26: the last loss so far.
  4. 11 straight wins, from New Orleans and Arizona to Tampa Bay on Sunday night.
0straight wins outside the division
0outside losses, all by Week 4
Lambeau Field in Green BayLambeau Field in Green Bay. Photo by Gonzo fan2007, resized.
Chapter 4

Measured against every division since 2002

We compared every division after the first nine weeks of each season since the 2002 realignment, using official play-by-play results: 200 division seasons in all.

The 2026 NFC North has the best combined record (.758) and the best record outside the division (.870) of any of them. It is also the only one in which every team was at least three games over .500.

Best record outside the division after nine weeks

2026 NFC North20-3
2022 NFC East20-5
2020 AFC North15-4-1
2007 AFC South16-5
2008 NFC East18-6
2019 NFC West19-6-1

Best combined record after nine weeks

2026 NFC North25-8
2022 NFC East24-9
2013 AFC West23-10
2024 NFC North23-10

The 2022 NFC East came closest, but Washington was 4-5. The closest the NFC North had come was 2024, when Detroit was 7-1, Minnesota 6-2, Green Bay 6-3 and Chicago 4-4 after nine weeks. Detroit finished 15-2, Minnesota 14-3 and Green Bay 11-6.

Packers at Patriots, Week 9Packers at Patriots, Week 9, Nov. 8, 2026. Still from official NFL highlights, resized.
Chapter 5

How the wins came

The Packers produced the biggest result on Sunday. Jordan Love threw for 372 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another as Green Bay forced four turnovers in the 45-27 win. No opponent had ever scored that many points at Gillette Stadium.

Detroit won with defense in Miami, holding the Dolphins to 9 points. Chicago survived five turnovers, including four interceptions by Caleb Williams, and won on the final play.

0Love passing yards at New England
0Packers points
0points allowed by Detroit
0Bears turnovers in a win
“Those are low-percentage throws in theory, but he’s making them look high-percentage.”
— Matt LaFleur, Packers head coach, on Jordan Love
Kevin O’ConnellKevin O’Connell speaks to reporters on Nov. 2, 2026. Image: Minnesota Vikings video, resized.
Chapter 6

Now they play each other

Only five of the division’s 12 head-to-head games have been played. The other seven are still to come, and each will add one win and one loss to the combined record. The outside record can only be added to in the remaining games against other divisions, starting with Minnesota against Buffalo, which is also 6-1, on Monday night.

  1. Buffalo at Minnesota, 6-1 against 6-1.
  2. Minnesota at Green Bay.
  3. Chicago at Detroit on Thanksgiving.
  4. Detroit at Minnesota.
  5. Green Bay at Chicago on Christmas.
  6. Detroit at Chicago.
  7. Detroit at Green Bay and Chicago at Minnesota.
0division games left
0division games played
0division games left for Detroit
“It’s about us getting better, man. We got to find a way to win this game.”
— Dan Campbell, Lions head coach, before the win at Miami

Twenty wins, three losses, none since Oct. 4. No division since 2002 had reached this point with a better record against the rest of the league. From here, the seven games against each other will decide the order.

Interactive by WhyNFL Staff · November 9, 2026

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