Pete MartuneacOct 5, 2026
Martuneac power ranks the NFC North a quarter of the way through 2026, placing the 3-1 Bears first ahead of the unbeaten Vikings, with the Lions third and the Packers last. They also expect Green Bay's 2027 first-rounder to land in the top 10 and sees Chicago becoming the NFC's Super Bowl favorite once Caleb Williams is healthy.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Pete Martuneac said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThe Bears appear to be hitting their stride, and once Williams returns to the starting line up, they should become the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LXI.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- NFC North Roundup: Second-Place Bears are the Class of the Division
- The original
- Read the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl“once Williams returns to the starting line up, they should become the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LXI.”
- 2Green Bay Packers to pick “Top 10 selection” (picks 1–10)“the Packers don't even have control of their first-round pick in the 2027 NFL draft, and that could very well become a Top 10 selection.”
- 3Power Rankings“Which team is truly the class of the NFC North? Let's get started with a division power ranking. 4. Green Bay Packers: 2-2 ... 3. Detroit Lions: 2-2 ... 2. Minnesota Vikings: 4-0 ... 1. Chicago Bears: 3-1”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl1 | Conference Champions | — | — | — | — | |
| Green Bay Packers to pick “Top 10 selection” (picks 1–10)2 | Team Draft Slot Calls | — | — | — | — | |
| “Which team is truly the class of the NFC North? Let's get…”3 | Power Rankings | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 1 conference champion, 1 power ranking and 1 team draft slot call — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 2 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against the record
Their call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Conference ChampionsChicago Bears
Chicago Bears to reach the Super Bowl
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Team Draft Slot CallsGreen Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers to pick “Top 10 selection” (picks 1–10)
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“Which team is truly the class of the NFC North? Let's get started with a division power ranking. 4. Green Bay Packers: 2-2 ... 3. Detroit Lions: 2-2 ... 2. Minnesota Vikings: 4-0 ... 1. Chicago Bears: 3-1”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
John Middlekauff · Draft Bust Calls · Caleb Williams · Miss 0
Middlekauff expects either Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson to win this year's MVP, calling them the two best players in the league. They are pessimistic on the Bears, forecasting six or seven wins and saying they'd bet Caleb Williams doesn't work out as a franchise quarterback. They also see Oklahoma's John Mattier as a first-round pick who'll be in the Heisman mix.Bill Huber · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Huber argues Green Bay has no excuses left and will beat New England in Foxborough, and expects Christian Watson to play despite their rib injury. They also sketch the projected interior offensive line, with John Williams at center and Laken Tomlinson at right guard.Bryan DeArdo · Score Predictions · Chicago Bears · Hit 98
DeArdo picks the Bears to beat the Buccaneers on Sunday night in a defensive game, predicting a 20-16 final score.Derek Brown · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Brown picked the Bengals to beat the Falcons in Madrid, the Packers to win outright in New England and the Bills to beat the Vikings on Monday night. They were bullish on Jonah Coleman's rest-of-season value, expected Jonathan Taylor to play for the Colts, floated a Breece Hall trade, and did not expect DJ Reed to play in Week 9.Danny Parkins · Game Outcome Picks · Green Bay Packers · Hit 100
Parkins named the seven AFC teams they believe are already set as the playoff field, expects Chicago, Buffalo and Kansas City to win this week, took Green Bay over New England and Atlanta over Cincinnati outright, and kept Bills–Bears as their Super Bowl matchup with the Giants still winning the NFC East.
More conference champions
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
Damonza Byrd · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
The co-host picks the Seahawks to beat the Rams in the NFC Championship game, and says they believe New England will win in Denver even though they are taking the Broncos with the points.Nick Wright · Conference Champions · New England Patriots · Hit 100
The host picks the Rams to beat the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game and believes the winner of that game wins the Super Bowl, i.e. that this is the Rams' year; they also pick New England to win in Denver despite taking the Broncos with the points, and says Stafford is winning MVP. They call Sean McVay the second-best coach in the NFL.Nick Wright · Conference Champions · Denver Broncos · Close 50
Wright picked the Broncos to beat the Patriots in a low-scoring AFC Championship game (17-16), said Sean Payton would coach Denver to the Super Bowl, picked the Rams to win outright in Seattle 31-20, believes the winner of the NFC game wins the Super Bowl with the Rams the better team, and expects Matt Stafford to be named league MVP.AJ Hawk · Conference Champions · Los Angeles Rams · Close 50
Hawk picked the Patriots to win in Denver despite liking Stidham and the Broncos defense, and in the NFC they stuck with the Rams, saying Stafford gets to the Super Bowl.Derek Murphy · Conference Champions · Seattle Seahawks · Hit 100
Bone said after watching film that Seattle will handle the Rams in the NFC Championship Game, and that the Seahawks are going to the Super Bowl.