Bears clinch first NFC North division title since 2018 after Packers' loss to Ravens
For the first time since 2018, the Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North division title after the Green Bay Packers loss to the Baltimore Ravens 41-24 at Lambeau Field on Saturday night.
The Packers already clinched a playoff berth on Thursday when the Detroit Lions lost 23-10 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Both the Ravens and the Packers were missing their starting quarterbacks as Baltimore's Lamar Jackson has a back injury, and Green Bay's Jordan Love is in concussion protocol. Tyler Huntley for the Ravens and Malik Willis for the Packers were both effective in a game that featured only one punt.
Despite a late rally by the Packers, Derrick Henry seals the deal for the Ravens. He rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns. Their win keeps their playoff hopes alive.
The Bears have the potential to become the NFC's No. 1 seed with victories over the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions and one loss by the Seattle Seahawks. The team is 11-4 under rookie coach Ben Johnson and second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. They will host at least one playoff game at Soldier Field.
As they prepare to take on the 49ers Sunday night, some of the Bears' players are dealing with illness, including starting right tackle Darnell Wright, who did not travel with the team to San Francisco and is now questionable. There is still a chance Wright could travel separately and play. He's the sixth Bears player to deal with some sort of illness this week, including backup corner Nick McCloud, who was ruled out because of it.
The 49ers offense has been rolling, averaging 37 points a game over their last three, including not punting at all in their last two games.
Running back Christian McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle, both Pro Bowlers, are at the heart of most things the 49ers do on offense. Kittle is expected to be a game-time decision on Sunday, dealing with an ankle injury. The two of them are the leading pass catchers on a 49ers team without a stud wide receiver.
Kickoff for Sunday's game starts at 7:20 p.m.
After the 49ers, the Bears will take on the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Jan. 4.