NFL Crystal Ball: The Frigid NFC North!!

Dude…

The NFC North is being flipped upside down. The top of the division in the Minnesota Viking and Green Bay Packers seemed to have gotten worse and the bottom half in the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears have gotten better. No one knows what this division really entails with this division. The Packers have a brand new Quarterback at the helm. The Vikings continue to dismantle their defense. The Lions continue to upgrade their defense and make their young stars better. The Bears finally have some weapons on the outside to help Fields on the offensive weapons. Who wins the division? Who tumbles to the bottom of the leaderboard? Thank god I've got you covered.

Detroit Lions

Dan Campbell continues to try and turn this abysmal franchise into a successful one in his fourth year as the Lions head coach. The Lions look to be a bright spot instead of an ugly stain in the NFC North. The most intriguing thing about Dan Campbell is his grind it out mentality. His no excuses model continues to push this franchise in the right direction. Jared Goff is still the Quarterback in charge and the offensive line continues to be one of the best in the league. Goff’s main weapon on the outside, Amon-Ra St. Brown is looking for his breakout year. With Marvin Jones Jr on the other side of the field, the Lions have two very reliable outside threats. In the backfield, rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, is looking to make a statement as a top tier running back. David Montomery will see a lot of action to round out this loaded back field. Sam Laporta is another rookie that should be on everyone’s radar. On the defensive side of the ball, the unit continues to get better and better. Last year, the Lions defense only allowed 20+ points to three of their last eight opponents last season. Look, Detroit hasn’t made the playoffs since 2016. They haven’t won a playoff game SINCE 1991!!! This may be Detroit's best shot since 2016.

Chicago Bears

Soldier Field has been owned by Aaron Rodgers since he’s been a Packer. With Aaron jetting to New York, Justin Fields looks to take his rightful place as the king of Chicago football. The Bears had the first overall pick. They had a multitude of options to start over at QB. However, the front office decided to stick to the Ohio State alumni and trade the #1 overall pick. Who did they get in return? A little name in DJ Moore. Did I say little? I meant the best weapon Fields has ever had. The front office wasn’t done there. The front office got another weapon in Chase Claypool to put on the other side of the field. With Moore and Claypool as the new weapons. Now, the offensive line is still trash. Fields will most likely be running for his life on a majority of possessions. The running back room is still under construction with Khalil Herbert looking as the day one starter. Look for rookie Roschon Johnson to get some action and maybe earn himself some significant touches. On the other side of the football, the defense still has a lot of uncertainties. The Bears have been TERRIBLE for a long time now. With the revamp in Wide Receivers, Justin needs to prove that he is the Bears guy. So did the Bears score with trading the #1 pick and putting their faith in Fields? Or, will the Bears continue to hibernate and find themselves at the bottom of this division again? Only time will tell.

Green Bay Packers

Speaking of big changes, the Packers had a big one this off season. Their Hall of Fame Quarterback found his way to New York. So, where do the Green Bay Packers go for their new starting Quarterback. Enter Jordan Love. Love, who is entering his third year in the NFL, is looking to make a statement. Love has been counted out. Ridiculed. Never given a real opportunity as an NFL Quarterback. Well, now he has his chance. All the excuses have to go out the window. He has young, gritty, talented Wide Receivers in Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs. He has a prestigious backfield in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The offensive line is back and better than ever. This is the moment Love has been waiting for. The opportunity to show and prove why he can be a QB in this league. The Packers also bring back key defenders in their loaded defense. The Pack show may have someone new at the helm, but the team is still looking to make it to the playoffs and make a run for all the marbles. The only thing that isn’t certain is if Love has what it takes to take this historic franchise back to the promise land.

Minnesota Vikings

Iced out Kirk Cousins is back and better than ever. The Vikings showed a lot of promise last year. With the receiving leader in J Jettas returning for another year, the Vikings look to make a splash this year again. On the other side of the field, KJ Osborn is trying to prove he’s not a second fiddle to JJ. He will probably fail in his quest to overtake Jefferson as the main guy, but if he’s contributing it will only help the Vikings offense. Rookie Jordan Addison is also looking to make a splash in this league. His speed threat just gives icy Kirk more targets to throw to. The backfield saw some drastic changes. Their superstar running back Dalvin Cook is out. Stepping into his starting position is Alexander Mattison who has proven to be a gnarly back. He will receive most of the touches, however, Kene Nwangwu may see some action as well. TJ Hockinson rounds out this dynamic offense. Even though the offense is supposed to be as dynamic as ever, their defense has a ton of question marks. They have no leaders. They don’t seem to function well together and the Defensive Coordinator looks like he gets his plays off the coaches pick in Madden. The offense may score a ton of points, but the defense may give them all back.

Final Thoughts and Predictions

With all this in mind, where do we put these teams based on their rankings going forward into the 2023 NFL season? Well for one, I think the Lions win the division. Dan Campbell's gritty personality pushes the Lions to new heights. Amon-Ra St. Brown has one of the top receiving years in the league. Gibbs proves why he was drafted so high, and the defense imposes their will on the other teams. In second place are the Green Bay Packers. I think Jordan Love will do better than a lot of people expect out of him. He’s had the tutelage of Aaron Rodgers these past few years, now it’s time to put it into action. Watson and Doubs take major steps forward and the Packer defense ends as one of the best ones in the league. Third, I have the Vikings. J Jettas has another phenomenal year. Jordan Addison shines bright as the deep ball threat. However, Kirk is a year older and his arm strength won’t be there. Their offensive line and defense really hurt the team as they plummeted down the rankings. The luck seems to run dry for the Vikings as well. Finally, the Chicago Bears finish in last, but make major strides towards becoming a great team. Fields has a good but not great year. The Bears have been a shit stain on the NFC North, but prove to be a threat moving forward. Whichever way you put it, the NFC North should be on everyone’s radar this upcoming season.