Chicago Bears: Leaders of the NFC North after two weeks of preseason

While it’s obviously just preseason — we know what happened with the Detroit Lions after going 4-0 in the preseason — but there could be something bigger to this regarding the Chicago Bears.

In the preseason, especially once you start getting later into it, the starters seem to become more like fans than players, as they’re normally in “street clothes” on the sideline. At the end of the day, rarely are sure-fire starters playing in preseason games.

That being said, preseason is good at getting valuable reps for players “in the mix”. If a player is maybe younger and not a first-round pick, preseason is huge for them.

The reason I bring this up is due to the fact that if you look at the roster for the Chicago Bears, it’s not the dumpster fire that a lot of Chicagoans claim. In actuality, they have a nice roster with some young pieces. For most NFL general managers, that’s the standard: having a young team that can win a Super Bowl.

Now, the Chicago Bears aren’t winning Super Bowls yet, but that’s for another time.

What does NFC North preseason lead mean for the Chicago Bears?

After two preseason weeks, the Chicago Bears are the only team in the NFC North to have a tally in the win column. Again, it’s preseason, but impressive nonetheless.

An area that definitely got a little skewed last Saturday was point-differential so far.

"Detroit Lions: -7Chicago Bears: -19Green Bay Packers: -28Minnesota Vikings: -29"

At least they’re not 2-0 thus far, otherwise, Detroit Lions fans might start getting worried about another winless season.

However, are the Chicago Bears in a division of losers? Well, in a non-harsh tone as of right now, yes. However, to save me from death by NFC North, I’ll give credit where credit is due: the NFC North isn’t always a bunch of losers, just sometimes. I’ll even say the Chicago Bears aren’t the best team in the NFL… happy?

While it’s up to debate on who has the best roster in the NFC North, each fan base has their reasoning. However, I’d argue that preseason football shows who has the best of the best in terms of top-down roster management.

There’s a reason that the Buffalo Bills were close to making the AFC Championship game last year in an arguably harder AFC conference. Their roster is full of guys that can play football and play it well.

That being said, does this two-week sample size give reason to think the Chicago Bears have the best roster in the NFC North? No, and I’d confidently say it isn’t, but I’ll also say that this roster could be one that we look back on in a couple of seasons and admire as being full of some great football players.

Let’s just hope this preseason NFC North lead can continue late into the regular season.