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After losing their first game of the year, the Bears are sitting pretty with a 3-1 record.
Their record places them in a tie atop the NFC North with the Packers, who hold the head-to-head tiebreaker after winning their matchup at Soldier Field in Week 1. Chicago’s three-game winning streak has helped them recover from the loss and puts them in a good position going forward.
Despite Green Bay having won when the two teams squared off, Vegas currently has the Bears as the favorite to repeat as NFC North champions. Sports Betting Dime has the Bears as the slim favorites with odds at +150, with the Packers right behind them at +160.
SBD’s Sascha Paruk had this to say about the battle for divisional supremacy between the two teams:
“The current NFC North divisional odds reflect the fact that oddsmakers power-rate the Bears (+150) slightly ahead of the Packers (+160). Both teams are 3-1 on the year, but the Bears play a tougher, first-place schedule and the Packers already beat the Bears in Chicago (10-7). That means Green Bay will host the second meeting between the teams at Lambeau Field. All else being equal, the fact that the second game is in Green Bay would lead to the Packers having a slight edge to post a better record the rest of the way. Yet sportsbooks have made the Bears the favorites to win the North after Week 4, when their undermanned defense absolutely blanketed a good Vikings team (16-6). Even with Chase Daniel at QB for the foreseeable future, the reigning champs are still seen as the strongest team, top to bottom.”
The Vikings currently sit with the third-best odds at +380, despite currently having the worst record in the division. In last place as the Lions, who are fairly far behind with +790 odds, though their odds were as slim as +1200 before the season began.
Packers fans would surely have a lot to say about these odds, but the Bears’ defense has been playing at an elite level for the second year in a row. If their offense can improve after the bye week, then there’s no reason to think they couldn’t win the NFC North yet again.