The NFC North has been setting itself up to be the best division in football, evidenced by how well the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers have played through

While the Bears have tailed off since their 4-2 start, the NFC North is still set to demolish its previous high win total since the realignment. The old black-and-blue division won 36 games in 2011, though that figure was buoyed by the Packers winning a franchise-record 15 regular-season games.

The playoff simulator at The New York Times tells the story. For starters, the Packers currently have a 99 percent chance of making the postseason. They are 9-3 and have a three-game lead over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,

The Atlanta Falcons, the Arizona Cardinals, and Baltimore Ravens lost those matchups. Despite the Falcons’ loss, they will stay in first place in the NFC South. They swept the season series against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and own the tiebreaker if both teams finish the week at 6-6.

The Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks were among the teams that picked up key wins in the AFC and NFC playoff pictures on