The Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings are 25-8 through Week 9 — the best nine-game divisional record in NFL history since the 1970 merger.
Sunday’s results lifted the NFC North to that mark: the Lions beat the Miami Dolphins 19-9, the Packers defeated the New England Patriots 45-27, and the Bears edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 27-24. The Vikings can extend the record to 26-8 with a win over the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
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At 25-8, the NFC North owns a .757 winning percentage — equivalent to a 13-win season over 17 games. That surpasses the 2022 NFC East’s 24-9 (.727) start. Even if the Vikings lose Monday, the division finishes Week 9 at 25-9 (.736), still the best nine-week mark in league history.
The division’s dominance extends beyond intra-division play. Against non-North opponents, the four teams are collectively 18-3 (.857). That out-of-division record is also the best through nine weeks in NFL history — ahead of the 1984 AFC West’s 21-4 (.850) and the 2022 NFC East’s 20-5 (.800). Five of the NFC North’s eight losses came within the division.
Historical precedent offers caution. Of the 12 strongest divisions through nine weeks — ranked by out-of-division winning percentage — none produced a Super Bowl champion. The 2022 NFC East sent three teams to the playoffs, but the Philadelphia Eagles lost the Super Bowl to the Kansas City Chiefs 38-35. The 2024 NFC North went 20-7 through nine weeks and sent three teams to the postseason, but lost its three playoff games by a combined 50 points. The 2020 AFC North, 2007 AFC South and 1999 AFC East each sent three teams to the playoffs — none advanced past the divisional round.
The 2026 NFC North’s collective 18-3 record outside the division is unmatched in context: no prior top-12 division posted more than 21 out-of-division wins through nine weeks, and only two others reached .800 or better. Yet history shows elite divisional strength does not correlate with postseason success. Since 1970, no division with a top-five out-of-division winning percentage through nine weeks has won the Super Bowl.
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