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Sunday could not have gone better for the Detroit Lions when it comes to the NFC North standings. The Lions picked up a 21-19 win over the Chicago Bears, and the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. What does this all mean? Of the three 5-3 teams in the NFC North entering Week 10, only the Lions came away victorious. As a result, the Lions are now in first place all by themselves:
- Detroit Lions (6-3)
- Chicago Bears (5-4)
- Green Bay Packers (5-4)
- Minnesota Vikings (2-7)
The Lions are entering new territory by leading the NFC North this late in the season:
The Lions have never had sole possession of an NFC North lead this late in a season. Until now.
— Rich Eisen (@richeisen) November 10, 2013
As a reminder, these are the remaining schedules for the top three teams in the NFC North:
| Lions | Packers | Bears | |
| Week 11 | at Steelers | at Giants | vs. Ravens |
| Week 12 | vs. Buccaneers | vs. Vikings | at Rams |
| Week 13 | vs. Packers | at Lions | at Vikings |
| Week 14 | at Eagles | vs. Falcons | vs. Cowboys |
| Week 15 | vs. Ravens | at Cowboys | at Browns |
| Week 16 | vs. Giants | vs. Steelers | at Eagles |
| Week 17 | at Vikings | at Bears | vs. Packers |
If the Lions can win their next two games, they could be going into Thanksgiving against the Packers with potentially more than a game lead over Green Bay with Rodgers remaining out. What's more, with Jay Cutler not exactly looking all that healthy, the Bears could potentially fall more than a game back here in the next couple weeks if the Lions keep winning.
In short, the NFC North is shaping up to be the Lions' division to lose. That's not to say that they will indeed win the NFC North considering there is so much football still to be played, but they are in excellent position to make a run at winning the division and getting a home playoff game.