The NFC North (once the NFC central) has been one of the best divisions in football since its inception in 1967. The Bears, Packers and Vikings are all historically successful franchises, despite the low number of Super Bowls, and the Lions have started to come into their own in recent years. This season, however, has been historic, three of the four teams have nine or more wins in the first 14 weeks. Can the North keep up its dominance? Or will it end in tragedy, as it has for these teams many times before?
The Chicago Bears came into the season with a lot to look forward to. One of the most thrilling quarterback prospects in recent memory, Caleb Williams was meant to finally be the saving grace that the city needed. Along with Williams, the Bears acquired Rome Odunze from the draft, signed free agent D’Andre Swift and re-signed cornerback Jaylon Johnson. In addition to these offseason moves they obtained Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers and kept a keystone offensive player D.J. Moore. With all of these new players and a new offensive and defensive coordinator, Chicago fans were confident that they were in playoff contention. As it stands the Bears are 4-9 and currently on a seven-game losing streak. In the last four weeks, they have lost to all three division rivals by a combined score of seven points. Despite the lack of recent success, Williams is looking to be the franchise quarterback as they expected which is very good news for Bears fans. If he stays on this trajectory, Williams will be the first quarterback in their history to throw for more than 4,000 yards. Bears fans have a right to be disappointed with the results this season, but there does seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Green Bay Packers are currently in an interesting spot; many regard them as a top team in the NFL, with a commanding record of 9-4, however, injuries may play a part in their success later in the season. The Packers have been without a couple of vital pieces in their offensive line and have not had their starting tight end for a while; this worked out as Tucker Kraft has been producing since being moved up to the starting spot. Jordan Love has looked impressive at times, but has a problem with turning the ball over. Though their situation may sound scary, coming off of a big win against the Dolphins and a close loss versus the Lions can be seen as a boost in morale and may be just what this team needs to head into the second half of their season with a full head of steam. If the Packers can continue this positive momentum and stop turning the ball over, no team will want to face them in the playoffs come January.
The Detroit Lions are currently 12-1 for the first time in their entire 95-year history. They have already clinched a playoff spot and are a real contender for the Super Bowl. On the offensive side of the ball, they have arguably the best quarterback in the division, Jared Goff, who plays alongside one of the league’s elite wide receivers, Amon-Ra St. Brown. In addition to this duo, there is sophomore tight end Sam LaPorta who is not producing as well as he was last season but is still a threat nonetheless. On top of having arguably the best quarterback-receiver duo in the division, they have undoubtedly the best running-back duo in the NFL. This backfield consists of second-year running back Jahmyr Gibbs and fifth-year running back David Montgomery. These two combine to make the most effective backfield in the NFL and there is no debate, they have combined for 21 touchdowns (Montgomery with 11 and Gibbs with 10). The Detroit Lions also have an elite defense even though they lost their star defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson. Kerby Joseph is still tied with most interceptions in the NFL at seven, Joseph finds himself tied with another elite defensive back also in the NFC, North Xavier McKinney.
The Minnesota Vikings are the team nobody expected to be here. Sitting at a record of 11-2 and one of those losses being against the Lions, it seems as if they are one of the best teams in the NFC. However, due to the margin of victory in the past five games, the Vikings have been regarded as frauds by the media. A lot of that is due to who is leading the Vikings into battle every Sunday, Sam Darnold. He was labeled as a bust early in his career due to the lack of talent around him. Now, with a good coach and system, he has been able to be more than serviceable. It also helps that Darnold is throwing to some of the best weapons in the NFL, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones. One part of this Vikings team that is not questioned by the media is the defense. Brian Flores and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah did a terrific job bringing in guys like Andrew Van Ginkle, Jonathan Greenard and Blake Cashman this offseason. Due to these signings, the Vikings’ run defense has been one of the best in the league, allowing only 87.2 rushing yards per game. Even though this year was supposed to be a rebuilding season, this is a great opportunity to help young players get playoff experience.
