NFC North Standings: Bears are worst team in division through Week 7

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It seems like such a long time ago that optimism and hope were the feelings that best described the Chicago Bears fanbase. Optimism was bred from the talking points around quarterback Mitch Trubisky in training camp; Hope was the result of knowing this defense was good enough to win a Super Bowl.

Yet, here we are, seven weeks into the 2019 season, and the Bears sit at 3-3 and in third place in the NFC North. And it's not like they've had a few bad breaks, either. Nor is it because another team or two in the division is fool's gold. Instead, the Bears are a pretty bad club right now. They have the division's worst offense, led by the North's worst starting quarterback, and a defense that's suddenly drifted closer to a middle-of-the-pack group than the elite squad that was drawing comparisons to the 1985 team.

Chicago's embarrassing 36-25 loss to the Saints on Sunday makes it back-to-back one-sided defeats that were the result of an equal parts offensive and defensive failure. But it's impossible to talk about this team without bringing up the obvious and most necessary issue: Mitch Trubisky.

His performance in Week 7 was more like an undrafted rookie making his first career start than a former No. 2 overall pick in his third season. Sure, he was restricted by a shoulder harness and probably wasn't 100% healthy, but the Bears are running out of excuses for Trubisky. The boo birds were out in full force in the second half of Sunday's loss and it's a trend that will continue unless, of course, he rights the ship quickly.

His passes fluttered high and wide when they mattered most, and despite finishing the game with over 250 yards and two touchdowns, he was downright bad. 

And to make matters worse, the NFC North may have already slipped away in 2019.

The Packers walloped the Oakland Raiders, 42-24, to improve to 6-1. They're the class of the division, and if quarterback Aaron Rodgers starts to click like he did on Sunday (he threw for 429 yards, five touchdowns and had a perfect passer rating), Green Bay could end up being the favorite in the NFC.

The Minnesota Vikings defeated the Detroit Lions, 42-30, to improve to 5-2. The Vikings are now in sole possession of second place in the NFC North at 5-2.

The Lions, meanwhile, drop to 2-3-1, and are currently in last place in the North. That said, they aren't the worst team. That distinction belongs to the Bears, and it isn't particularly close.

You'll hear a lot about the Bears being 3-3 after six games last season, too. Unfortunately, this team is very different. And it starts under center, where Trubisky has taken a big step back in a season that he was expected to develop into Chicago's franchise quarterback.

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