The NFC North standings race in October 2026
The Vikings lead the NFC North with a 5-0 record as Sam Darnold manages inconsistent performance. Meanwhile, Jordan Love drives the Packers' offense with 1,684 yards on deep passes as Green Bay and Chicago remain tied at 4-2.
Sam Darnold and the Vikings
The Vikings lead the NFC North with a 5-0 record. Sam Darnold has recorded 1,033 passing yards and 7 touchdowns against 7 interceptions. His 41.9 adjusted QBR ranks 26th in the league. I find his performance inconsistent despite the winning record. He threw a 97-yard touchdown to Justin Jefferson in Week 2 against the 49ers. He also connected with Jefferson for a 39-yard touchdown in Week 16 against the Seahawks. Darnold has 7 touchdowns on 149 attempts. In Week 12 against the Chicago Bears, he completed 6 of 6 passes for 90 yards to set up a winning field goal in overtime. He also threw 5 touchdowns in Week 14 against the Falcons while completing 22 of 28 passes for 347 yards. His 77.4 passer rating reflects this high-scoring variability. Can Minnesota maintain this lead through the winter?
Jordan Love and the Packers
Jordan Love provides explosive yardage for the Green Bay offense. He has 1,684 yards on passes over 20 yards. He completes 59.7 percent of these attempts and has 11 touchdowns. The Packers have a 4-2 record, tying them with the Bears. Love enters his fourth year as a starter. He averages 280.7 yards per game. The team relies on a receiving corps including Christian Watson and Jayden Reed. Tucker Kraft is also returning to the lineup after an ACL injury. Matt LaFleur manages an offense that seeks to avoid the staleness seen in 2025. I think his reliance on big plays could become a problem if the offensive line fails to protect him. The Packers face the Lions on October 25 at Ford Field.
Divisional ties and the standings
The NFC North race involves four teams with distinct paths to the playoffs.
| Team | Wins | Losses | Ties | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vikings | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Packers | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 |
| Bears | 4 | 2 | 0 | .667 |
| Lions | 3 | 2 | 0 | .600 |
The Packers and Bears share a 4-2 record. The Bears enter the season with optimism after Caleb Williams and head coach Ben Johnson led them to a division title last year, and they also signed Super Bowl LX champion Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract. In Detroit, the Lions aim to rebound from a 9-8 season by adding center Cade Mays, Larry Borom, and Ben Bartch to the roster. They also acquired Juice Scruggs to bolster the trenches. The NFL uses a specific sequence of tiebreakers, including head-to-head results and divisional records, before it ever considers a team’s performance against conference opponents to resolve any potential deadlocks in the standings. If teams finish with identical won-lost-tied percentages, they first look at head-to-head matchups. The next step involves the best winning percentage in divisional games. If the tie persists, the league examines common games. The fourth step in the hierarchy is the best winning percentage in conference games. Beyond these, the league evaluates strength of victory and strength of schedule. Strength of victory is the average win percentage of opponents you have beaten, and it relies on the wins of opponents. This conference record weighting remains a significant factor for teams aiming for a playoff spot. You should watch the standings closely as the season progresses.
