Getty Images

The Bears have gone from worst to worst to worst to worst to first.

After finishing in last place in the NFC North for four consecutive years, Chicago has clinched the division today with a win over Green Bay at Soldier Field. The Bears can now start getting ready for the playoffs.

The Bears’ defense had its way with Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback who has beaten them so many times through the years — and in Week One of this year. Today the Bears got their revenge on Rodgers, holding him in check, pressuring him often, and forcing him to throw just his second interception of the season with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, a pick that sealed the Packers’ fate.

The loss moves the Packers’ playoff hopes from slim to none, and it firmly establishes the changing of the guard in the NFC North: Not only are the Bears on top this year, but the Bears’ key players are younger than the Packers’ key players. This looks like a rivalry that the Bears could get the better side of for many years to come.

But the Bears aren’t thinking that far in the future just yet. They’re thinking about January, when they’ll host at least one playoff game at Soldier Field, and they’ll be a tough team to beat.