Only eight teams remain undefeated after the first two weeks of the season - and two of them happen to be bitter division rivals.
Against that backdrop, the Chicago Bears will host the Green Bay Packers in an NFC North showdown on Monday Night Football.
The Bears have been among the biggest surprises of the young season. After squeaking past the Lions, 19-14, in Week 1, Chicago went into Dallas last weekend and stunned the Cowboys, 27-20.
It marked the first time the Bears have started a season 2-0 since 2006, when they went to the Super Bowl.
Quarterback Jay Cutler, who threw a league-high 26 interceptions last season in his first year with the Bears, has thrived under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz.
Cutler riddled the Cowboys' secondary for 277 yards and three touchdowns on 21-of-29 passing. And he did it despite a running game that managed just 38 yards on 19 rushes.
While running back Matt Forte hasn't produced much yardage on the ground, he has been invaluable as a receiver out of the backfield.
Forte had five catches for 37 yards, including a fourth-quarter scoring pass, against Dallas. In the season opener, he had seven receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
Chicago's defense shut down the Cowboys' ground game, holding them to 36 yards on 20 carries. The Bears did allow 374 yards passing, which is a concern with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers coming to town.
Green Bay, which has been touted as one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl this season, has scored an NFC-high 61 points with a 27-20 victory at the Philadelphia Eagles and a 34-7 beating of the Buffalo Bills in its home opener last week.
The Packers, however, absorbed a big blow to their running game when Ryan Grant suffered a season-ending ankle injury in Week 1.
Brandon Jackson took over the starting job, but rushed for just 29 yards on 11 carries against the Bills.
The absence of an effective running game could force Rodgers to carry the offense. He finished 19 of 29 for 255 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the Bills. Rodgers also ran for a 9-yard touchdown.
He has been spreading the wealth to his receiving corps, with wideouts Donald Driver and Greg Jennings catching nine and eight passes, respectively, and tight end Jermichael Finley snaring eight receptions.
Green Bay’s defense has registered a league-high 10 sacks, led by linebacker Clay Matthews, who became the first player in franchise history to record back-to-back three-sack games.
The Packers swept the season series a year ago, posting a 21-14 victory in Chicago behind 137 yards rushing and two touchdowns from Grant.
The teams will be meeting for the 180th time – the most in NFL history. Chicago leads the all-time series 91-82-6.