The NFC North has long been dominated by the Green Bay Packers, with the Minnesota Vikings occasionally taking the division title. Even the Detroit Lions, under Dan Campbell, have won the division the last two years after decades of futility, and even made it to the NFC Championship.
The Chicago Bears enjoyed great success under Lovie Smith, winning the NFC North consecutively from 2005 to 2006 and even reaching Super Bowl XLI, where they lost to the Indianapolis Colts. Since then, they have only won the division in 2010 and 2018, and many will agree they have been perennial underachievers in the NFL.
But in 2025, the Chicago Bears have flipped the script. At 9-3, the Bears enter a critical showdown with the Green Bay Packers, with both the NFC North and the top seed in the NFC on the line in Week 14.
The NFL is taking notice of the Bears after they dismantled the Philadelphia Eagles 24-15 on Black Friday. The upcoming game was flexed to 3:25 pm CST, and the game scheduled on December 20 has also been flexed to 7:20 pm CST.
The Wiener Circle, a famed hotdog joint in Chicago, promised a free hotdog if Caleb Williams threw four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys. He did, and thousands of fans lined up. They promised another free hot dog if Johnson took off his shirt in celebration after any win this season.
After beating the Eagles, Johnson took off his shirt inside the locker room, sending his players and coaches into a frenzy. The rise of the Bears not only shifted the momentum and threatened the balance of power inside the NFC North. It has stirred raw emotions among rival fans.
The NFC North rivals are starting to take notice of the Bears
Paul Farrington from YouTube's "The Paul Farrington Show", who is a Vikings fan, ranted over the Bears sitting at the top of the NFC, Johnson taking his shirt off, and his Vikings badly struggling as J.J. McCarthy has struggled to establish himself.
"I can't believe the Bears are ripping off their shirts & having free hot dogs in Chicago and we have the 2nd worst QB of the century... but the Bears at this point in time are a Super Bowl contender."
— The Paul Farrington Show (@FarringtonShow) December 2, 2025
Paul sadly admits the Super Bowl is ON in Chicago pic.twitter.com/NlhcBkilik
Meanwhile, Ben Brust, ex-University of Wisconsin basketball star and now one of the hosts of "Kyle, Brust, and Nortman" from ESPN Milwaukee, ranted the top five reasons why the Bears are frauds on Tuesday, trying to rile up the Bears fans in preparation for the big game on Sunday.
As for the Detroit Lions, they lost to the Green Bay Packers again on Thanksgiving after failing on multiple fourth down gambles, and fell to 7-5. Many are wondering if the Lions have lost their edge and identity after Johnson's departure.
The Bears’ resurgence has reignited rivalries and unsettled the NFC North. Their opinion on Johnson’s shirtless celebration and the ensuing hot dog giveaway shows how even off-field antics are being weaponized.
Farrington and Brust use their platform to portray Chicago’s resurgence as fraudulent. They attack the Bears' passing game and Caleb Williams, relying on turnovers and an easy schedule, while the AFC-leading New England Patriots are also playing the last-place schedule.
The players have all bought in on Johnson. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen could become the Bears' version of Steve Spagnolo. And, more importantly, Caleb Williams has a chance to become the franchise quarterback despite the dubious track record of developing one. Their fear comes from realizing Chicago might be building something lasting, unlike after winning the NFC North in 2018, when both Matt Nagy and Mitchell Trubisky were gone in a few years.
Read more: JJ Watt spoke the quiet truth out loud about Ben Johnson's work with Bears
The 2025 Chicago Bears have forced every team and fanbase to reckon with a new reality: the division’s balance of power is shifting, and the Bears are no longer a punchline. They’re going to be a problem for years to come.