It wasn't pretty, but the Chicago Bears moved to 6-3 during the 2025 NFL season after taking down the New York Giants at Soldier Field on Sunday. They dug themselves quite a hole, and DJ Moore leaving the game with an injury didn't help, but they escaped with a 24-20 victory.
This was, in part, due to more late-game heroics from Caleb Williams. Earlier in the season, the defense and special teams were coming through in big moments, and now, it seems to be the second-year quarterback and the offense led by Ben Johnson.
Simply put, Chicago knows how to close out games. They did it against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Washington Commanders, the Cincinnati Bengals, and now, the Giants. But their NFC North foe, the Green Bay Packers, does not have this talent, as perfectly captured by the current NFC playoff picture.
Bears up two spots in NFC playoff picture to No. 6 seed
Green Bay has now lost two games in a row after falling victim to a trap game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 9 and ending up on the wrong side of a boring Monday Night Football game in Week 10 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Below is an updated look at the full NFC playoff picture after the conclusion of Week 10's slate of games. The top seven teams, in bold, would earn a trip to the playoffs if the season ended today, with the top four being division winners, and the other three earning wild card bids.
Updated NFC playoff picture
- Philadelphia Eagles (7-2, 1st NFC East)
- Seattle Seahawks (7-2, 1st NFC West)
- Detroit Lions (6-3, 1st NFC North)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3, 1st NFC South)
- Los Angeles Rams (7-2, 2nd NFC West)
- Chicago Bears (6-3, 2nd NFC North)
- Green Bay Packers (5-3-1, 3rd NFC North)
- San Francisco 49ers (6-4, 3rd NFC West)
- Carolina Panthers (5-5, 2nd NFC South)
- Minnesota Vikings (4-5, 4th NFC North)
- Dallas Cowboys (3-5-1, 2nd NFC East)
- Arizona Cardinals (3-6, 4th NFC West)
- Atlanta Falcons (3-6, 3rd NFC South)
- Washington Commanders (3-7, 3rd NFC East)
- New Orleans Saints (2-8, 4th NFC South)
- New York Giants (2-8, 4th NFC East)
Surprise! Not only are the Bears now in the playoff picture after finding themselves on the outside looking in last week, but they have surpassed the Packers, who sat at the top of the NFC North at this time last week.
The Packers' two close losses to the Panthers and Eagles in recent weeks, as well as an inexplicable close loss to the Cleveland Browns earlier this year, have called into question the legitimacy of Green Bay this season.
Meanwhile, the Bears just keep finding ways to win, and it truly looks different every week. That is not such a bad thing for a team that hasn't been to the postseason since 2020, as all wins are good wins, and they all count just the same.
Read more: Ben Johnson's postgame locker room moment had fans buzzing after win over Giants
Chicago will still face off against Green Bay twice this season, in Weeks 14 and 16, which will tell both fan bases quite a bit about their respective teams. But for now, the Bears reign supreme over the Packers because they've been able to close out games.