The NFL is heading into week 11, and the Chicago Bears are first place in the NFC North. Most fans, including myself, saw improvement along the way, but to be in first place this deep in the season is something few saw coming.

The Bears come into Week 11 with a 6-3, record with three losses coming by a combined 11 points. Chicago found ways to keep close and give itself a chance to win every game thus far.

The toughest part of the schedule is right around the corner, and Chicago’s next game will be a Sunday Night Football match against the defending NFC North Champion Minnesota Vikings. The remaining games on the schedule include division games against the Packers, Lions and Vikings, and a home game against the 9-1 Los Angeles Rams.

After the Khalil Mack trade shored up the defense, the focus of the season was second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the offense’s performance. The young quarterback has thrived under new Head Coach Matt Nagy, throwing for over 2,300 yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The early return on the Nagy offense has been great. Nagy spoke on what his quarterback has been able to improve on during Monday’s news conference.

“More than anything, it’s about [Trubisky’s] eyes,” Nagy said. “He’ll let his instincts take over; if he’s going to become a runner, he’ll do that. He’s athletic enough to know this; he has to stop and throw, or throw on the run. His eyes have been really good lately.”

There have been some growing pains for Trubisky, including Week 1 against the Packers and Week 3 against the lowly Arizona Cardinals, but he has shown flashes of why he was the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft. In Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Trubisky threw for six touchdowns with zero interceptions and finished with a 154.6 passer rating.

If the offense improves as Trubisky does, then they will perform well. The Bears rank consistently middle of the pack in categories like total offense, passing offense and rushing offense this season. With the caliber of the Bears’ defense, middle of the pack is good enough.

The defense has been dominant. They are giving up the fourth fewest yards per game, the second fewest rushing yards per game and are fifth in the NFL with 30 team sacks.

The Bears lead the league with 16 interceptions, consistently winning the turnover battle. Even with Mack missing two games with an ankle injury, this defense has been what we thought they were.

The Bears still have some issues, but nothing more than any other team faces. They have struggled to get consistency out of running back Jordan Howard, as Nagy’s offense bodes more toward a dual-threat running back like Tarik Cohen. Kicker Cody Parkey hit the uprights on all four of his misses in last week’s game. In the second half and overtime against the Dolphins they struggled to tackle in the open field.

These issues can be capitalized on by opponents down the stretch. Opposing teams now have nine games of tape on the offense, so Nagy said execution has become more important than ever.

“We have to control what we can control and do what we do well,” Nagy said. “Every week is going to be a little different to what you see defensively.”

The Bears look poised to blow my preseason prediction of 8-8 out of the water, but they still need to perform on a weekly basis. With the Bears facing their toughest challenge yet this week against the Vikings, it’s time to find out if the Bears are a serious contender.