The NFC North is really good. The division has all four teams at or above .500, with a perfect record in the group. That makes life difficult on the Chicago Bears, who are finding their way while other teams take big steps.

The Minnesota Vikings are shockingly 4-0 with Sam Darnold at the helm. The Detroit Lions are going strong (as expected) with another quality performance on Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. The Green Packers are 2-2, but that’s after Jordan Love missed two games that Malik Willis won in his stead.

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That means the Bears must start stacking wins in a hurry to keep pace. They’re capable of doing so thanks to an exellent defense and an attack that showed positive flashes with D’Andre Swift and Caleb Williams proving efficient.

Every team is trailing the Kansas City Chiefs, who have a perfect record despite injuries at key spots. That’s why it pays to have Patrick Mahomes on your side. Josh Allen is playing well and the Bills are back despite a Week 4 loss to the Ravens, who are playing well in recent weeks. NFL action has been up-and-down, but league’s upper tier is starting to form, and there are some new faces among the traditional elites.

Let’s see how these Week 5 power rankings shake out:

1. Kansas City Chiefs (4-0): Losing Rashee Rice is a big deal. But the Chiefs have the depth (and great coaching) to weather big losses.   

2. Minnesota Vikings (4-0): Justin Jefferson isn’t just the NFL’s best receiver right now. He might be one of the best ever, if he stays healthy.

3. Buffalo Bills (3-1): The Ravens got the Bills this time. We’d bet there’s another meeting coming up. In the postseason.  

4. Detroit Lions (3-1): I understand the rule, but Jared Goff throwing zero incompletions and solid yardage without a perfect passer rating is just silly.

5. Baltimore Ravens (2-2): The Lamar Jackson/Derrick Henry combo just might be lethal.

6. Houston Texans (3-1): C.J. Stroud is next level. And maybe the next great quarterback.

7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-1): We love this Baker Mayfield riches-to-rags-to-riches story. It gets better with every win.

8. San Francisco 49ers (2-2): Brock Purdy must help the 49ers weather an injury storm. If he can do that, S.F. will be primed for another deep run.

9. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-1): This is a situation where the Steelers could drop like a rock over time. Or defense could keep them afloat.

10. Washington Commanders (3-1): This Jayden Daniels/Kliff Kingsbury dynamic is something else.

11. Seattle Seahawks (3-1): Geno Smith is so fun to watch. So is Kenneth Walker. Seahawks are gonna be good.

12. Green Packers (2-2): Jordan Love’s return wasn’t perfect coming back from injury, but he’ll be fine overall. The Packers will be, too.

13. Atlanta Falcons (2-2): Put Younghoe Koo on your fantasy team. It’ll be worth it. Dude is nails.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (2-2): No more free passes for Philly. Eagles are gonna have to show us something.

15. Dallas Cowboys (2-2): It’s gonna take more than a close win over NYG to say the Cowboys are back in form.

16. New Orleans Saints (2-2): So that’s why the Saints paid Taysom Hill.

17. Los Angeles Chargers (2-2):  Justin Herbert doesn’t have many weapons. His health is one. Gotta make sure he’s right over the long term.

18. New York Jets (2-2): So much offensive talent, such underwhelming results.

19. Chicago Bears (2-2): D’Andre Swift’s emergence vs. L.A. was huge. So was Caleb Williams’ efficiency throwing and protecting the football. More of that and the arrows could be pointing way up.

20. Cincinnati Bengals (1-3): We know QBs are judged on wins and losses, but Joe Burrow is playing good football right now. That gives Cincy a puncher’s chance.

21. Los Angeles Rams (1-3): All those injuries are weighing the offense down.

22. Las Vegas Raiders (2-2): Someone call the Vatican. The Raiders getting a win without Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby is nothing short of a miracle.

23. Indianapolis Colts (1-3): Jonathan Taylor can’t carry Indy all by himself.Not for long, anyway.

24. Denver Broncos (2-2): Broncos wins are going to be low scoring. With the way they defend and score, always bet the under.

25. Arizona Cardinals (1-3): After a solid game against Dallas, things in the desert are slowly falling back to their expectation level.

26. New York Giants (1-3): Quick question for Brian Daboll (asking for a friend), can Malik Nabers play quarterback?

27. Carolina Panthers (1-3): Losing Shaq Thompson for the season is a very big deal. He’d be a superstar on a better team.

28. Tennessee Titans (1-3): Mason Rudolph or Will Levis? Or just run a whole lot.

29. Miami Dolphins (1-3): Dolphins are completely different team without Tua. And a pretty bad one at that.

30. Cleveland Browns (1-3): Look at that receiver corps. And that defense. Browns can’t win cause they don’t have a quarterback. Despite paying crazy money to get one.

31. New England Patriots (1-3): Hope the Pats enjoyed that Week 1 win.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars (0-4): If there’s such a thing as a losing mentality, the Jaguars have it.

Follow Bears Insider Scott Bair on X @ScottBairNFL. Also, Bair Mail is coming! Join the conversation by submitting a mailbag question or comment to mailbag@marqueesportsnetwork.com for a chance to be included in this new content series.