Cardiac Contenders: How Bears showed Super Bowl DNA & resolve in pressure moments | CST
Cassie Carlson and Devan Kaney breakdown the first 9 weeks of the Bears’ season as they head into the bye week at 7-2. Coming off a primetime scare, how did last season’s close finishes help the Bears close out the Bucs last night and avoid a disastrous loss? Also, how can the Bears get their run game back on track and is Kyle Monangai’s return the missing link? Plus, why the Bears aren’t worried about an inconsistent Sunday night performance and how they plan on getting their game back on track after the bye week.
Every team in the NFC North has a winning record.
How tough is this? Let’s put it this way: The Green Bay Packers at 6-3. They’d be on top of the NFC South and tied for first in the NFC East. They’re currently in last place in the NFC North.
That’s why this was an important trade deadline.
With all four teams in the division having at least six wins, there was a chance to separate from the rest of the pack.
Pencils down, the deadline has passed. Here’s how we graded the NFC North at the 2026 NFL Trade Deadline.
Chicago Bears
The NFL world will tell you the Bears overpaid for Jeffery Simmons by sending two first-round picks for the defensive tackle.
In the two games since acquiring Simmons, the Bears are 2-0 and come off a Sunday Night Football win over Tampa Bay where the defense had to do most of the heavy lifting in the second half.
The Bears’ offense is among the tops in the NFL. The issue was that the defense wasn’t built to survive if the offense wasn’t clicking.
When quarterback Caleb Williams threw four interceptions, the defense proved it could hold the line. Tampa Bay tied the game at 24, but the reason the Buccaneers had to get to 24 was because the Bears’ defense scored a Jaylon Johnson pick-six.
Overpay or not, Simmons has helped the Bears’ defense improve. Players like Austin Booker, Montez Sweat and Grady Jarrett have seen an uptick since Simmons’ arrival.
It’s a move that moved the Bears closer to a Super Bowl.
The Bears could have moved for cornerback help with Tyrique Stevenson and Malik Muhammad banged up, or perhaps a third tight end with Cole Kmet on injured reserve. But, the Bears opted to stand pat with the Simmons trade being the shining example.
What they’re saying:
“I feel really confident about the guys that we have in this locker room right now,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said. “I think they’ve proven at this point that we can find a way to win each and every week with this crew.”
Grade: A
Minnesota Vikings
It made way too much sense.
After the Bills beat the Vikings with Carson Wentz manning the offense, general manager is Nolan Teasley had seen enough. Luckily, there was a scenario that felt like piecing the puzzle back together.
The Vikings needed a quarterback. The Kyler Murray experience has not worked. They already traded JJ McCarthy to the Giants. The team is 6-2 after Wentz’s rough outing.
After Wentz went out on Monday Night Football with a 8.9 passer rating, it’s clear something needed to change.
So, the Vikings made everything full circle.
Bringing Kirk Cousins back to Minnesota made all the sense. It was the right move to make.
Not only does this give coach Kevin O’Connell a quarterback he’s familiar with, but it also gives him a quarterback that’s been playing well. Cousins has passed for 2,340 yards and thrown 20 touchdowns against eight interceptions.
This made too much sense, and the Vikings got it done. They got a quarterback that can help them contend for the NFC North title and beyond.
What they’re saying:
“Tight turnaround, obviously, playing a Monday night game,” O’Connell said. “We’ll get right to work on any potential moves that could be there.”
Grade: A
Detroit Lions
The Lions stood pat.
Their focus was elsewhere, especially after the team is still reeling from losing standout linebacker Jack Campbell to a terrifying neck injury.
That led to a quiet trade deadline, save for one Monday move where the team traded for safety Andre Cisco from the New York Jets. Detroit just sent a 2028 sixth-round pick.
After beating the Dolphins in an emotionally charged game, the Lions sit in second place at 6-2. That’s just a half game behind the Bears at 7-2.
The Lions’ defense has gotten better with the return of Brian Branch, allowing 17, 15 and nine points in their last three games.
Sitting back and letting a close-knit team improve could prove to be the right move.
What they’re saying:
“He’ll take the prayers, but he didn’t want the pity,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “He didn’t want you wasting the time thinking about him. He certainly doesn’t want us to go and not play our best ball and lose a game. So that’s what we could do, and we wanted to honor him.”
Grade: B
Green Bay Packers
There are two sides to this coin.
On the one hand, the Packers are one of the hottest teams in the NFL. They dropped 45 points on the Patriots. Quarterback Jordan Love is playing himself into the NFL MVP conversation.
Why not add fuel to the fire? Running back Josh Jacobs is going to be out with a broken finger. Why not swing a trade for Tony Pollard or Jonathan Taylor to really inject some firepower into a run game that could help Love play even better?
Kaleb Johnson might carry the load with Marshawn Lloyd still nursing a knee injury and Pierre Strong Jr. sitting down on the depth chart.
On the other hand, the Packers trusting the roster they have might pay off in the long run. They don’t have much high-end draft capital to trade due to the Micah Parsons’ trade last year.
Sometimes, the best deal you can make is the one you don’t swing for.
What they’re saying:
“It was encouraging to see what Kaleb did out there,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “I thought he did a good job. I thought when there were lanes there, he hit it. I mean, obviously he broke a couple of explosive runs, so that was definitely encouraging to see.”
Grade: B-
The Source: Analysis is from FOX Chicago’s Chris Kwiecinski, who covers the Bears and NFL regularly.