NFC North standings: Lions, Bears to battle for first place

We're only entering Week 4 of the 2013 NFL season, so the standings don't mean a whole lot at this point. Some teams that are at the top of the standings will inevitably fade, just as a surprise team or two will rise from the bottom and make a late run at the postseason.

Even so, it's actually quite fun to talk about the standings in the NFC North right now considering the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions are atop the division. They are set to play at Ford Field on Sunday, and first place will be on the line.

1. Chicago Bears (3-0)
2. Detroit Lions (2-1)
3. Green Bay Packers (1-2)
4. Minnesota Vikings (0-3)

If the Lions are able to beat the Bears on Sunday, they will technically move into a tie for first place. However, considering they would own the head-to-head tiebreaker, the Lions would theoretically be the NFC North's No. 1 team. Even though we'll only be a quarter of the way through the regular season once Sunday's game is over, the fact that the Lions could be in first place is a pretty awesome thought.

In the NFC in general, the Lions are tied for fourth with the Dallas Cowboys at 2-1. The Bears, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks lead the way at 3-0. Behind Detroit and Dallas are seven teams at 1-2 and four teams at 0-3. Obviously it's way too early to start thinking about the playoffs, but based simply on the first three weeks, the Lions have to like the way things are developing in the NFC. It was believed to be the much stronger conference going into the season, but that hasn't been the case thus far.

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