Could someone in the NFC North lose, please?
Outside of the Detroit Lions, the last NFC North team to lose a non-division game was the Green Bay Packers back in Week 3. Since then, the Packers have won three straight, the Minnesota Vikings have yet to lose this season, and the Bears’ only two losses this season have come against NFC North teams.
Thursday night provides a decent opportunity for an NFC North opponent to finally tally a non-division loss. The Chicago Bears are hosting the surging New England Patriots on Thursday night. Both teams share a 4-2 record through six games, but the Patriots appear to have righted the ship after a shaky 1-2 start. They beat the Bills, Raiders, and Jets in the last three weeks, with Drake Maye looking much better than his 2026 start.
But Chicago also looked a lot better last week with Caleb Williams back behind center. They made quick work of the Atlanta Falcons, even if they almost let their three-touchdown lead slip away.
This looks to be a surprisingly good matchup for a Thursday night game, and it obviously has big implications on the NFC North.
So here’s a look at who our staff is picking for Thursday night.
If you don’t see the picks above, click here for all of our Thursday Night Football” picks.
And if you’re hoping to watch the game, here’s all the information you need to know:
Date: Thursday, October. 22, 2026
When: 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Soldier Field — Chicago, IL
TV: Prime Video
Streaming: Prime Video, Twitch
As for all nationally televised games, you can join our SB Nation live chat during the game by downloading the SB Nation app, joining our “NFL” community, and then finding the live game chat on the home page of the app.
You can also treat this post as our live chat for the game.