- Oct 16, 2026
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SportsMafia Wire graphic. Team logos and player headshots via ESPN.
Every club in the AFC North and NFC North could sit above .500 after Week 6, a feat achieved by full divisions only three times since the 2002 realignment.
The Vikings, Lions and Bengals already locked in winning records during their bye week. Four other teams need victories to complete the rare sweep. The Browns must defeat the Ravens, the Bears need to beat the Falcons, the Packers face the Cowboys, and the Steelers take on the Buccaneers.
Should the Bears and Packers both win, the NFC North would become the first division ever to post all teams above .500 through six weeks in three consecutive seasons. The 2024 and 2025 NFC North squads previously accomplished this, joining the 2005 NFC East as the only others.
The current 17-game slate determines six matchups by division assignment. The league has discussed expanding to 18 contests and shifting to non-division-based playoff seeding. Meanwhile, the NFC South champion may again host a postseason contest without reaching .500, repeating last year's scenario.
"May the best team win," a comment cited as sports' fundamental message, was noted as undermined by the present structure.
Source: ProFootballTalk - Sat Oct 17, 9:18 AM ET
Written by the SportsMafia Wire desk in our own words from the original reporting (AI-assisted, checked against the source).