The NFC North is a gauntlet that's for sure but the Bears, as bad as the offense was last year, had pretty competitive games with all 3 North opponents. A returning (and improved) top 10 defense, a whole new offense that we've seen glimpses of with the Rams and Eagles, and a 2nd year Trubisky are all major factors as to why the Bears can leapfrog their NFCN opponents.