You've got more faith in the hiring of a jumped-up offensive coordinator than I do. Also, the line improvements mean nothing if Caleb can't count and drop back at the same time, something he proved impossible last season. He took a huge number of sacks because he has no sense of timing. Let's face it, they drafted the wrong quarterback, and they are still the Bears.

Minnesota has a fine coach and he made Darnold a pretty fair QB. I have no idea how that swap of QB's is going to work out, but if we go by history, it won't go well. The purple DNA is a losing DNA.

Detroit has a good quarterback, he will continue to be good and they'll make the playoffs. Then they'll lose in the first round.

The Lions won 15 games last year, not 14. I basically agree with the analysis here, though, including the Packers as the pick to win the division.

These Around The NFCN articles are cute, and funny. They always have reasons why these three will be worse, while neglecting that their drop might still leave them better than the Packer's improvement, which is as subjective.

Why is it a belief that Johnson won't/can't do more for Chi and Williams than what MLF seems incapable of doing for GB?

Min can have a part of the success of Daniels or Stroud rookie seasons under McConnell, and Det, well, I think replacing two coordinators there is better than how GB replaces any of theirs.

How about being brave and write about why the Division rivals might remain better with one catching them.

I know it isn't the format here to give credit to the enemy, but an honest assessment is needed to know what is needed to win. Don't dismiss the possible of them while lying about your own to compensate.

The Vikings went all in on age. Look at the DTs they signed. How old are they and when was their last great season? Who is going to play CB2 and safety for them? They are counting a lot (and I mean A LOT) on Flores to cook again. Even if McCarthy can play (and I have my doubts), they’re going to regress substantially in the win department. At some point (this year?) they’re going to lose more 1 score games than they win under KOC. They’ve had a horseshoe stuffed so far up their asses in that department, it’s unreal.

“The Bears got better in the offseason.” Yawn. I’ll believe it when it’s November and they’re actually relevant for the first time since 2019.

The Lions objectively got worse. They’re going to be poor up front. And do you know what that means for Game-Manager-Goff? Go look at his history under pressure vs not. It’s ugly. UUUUUGLY. And that doesn’t even count the new OC and DC.

Green Bay is going to win the NFCN this year.

When it comes to Ben Johnson, I can't help but think of Josh McDaniels when he was hired by Denver. He was the genius, can't miss, innovative OC of the Patriots. He flamed out before the end of his 2nd year. Being a successful OC is no guarantee to be a successful HC. It'll be interesting to see how things will work out in Chicago for him.

I think we all need to sit back and wait 2 months to experience reality. I see lots of 'critiquing' of the Vikings, Bears and Lions while refusing to use the same format w/the Packers.

Lions were devastated by coaching losses. They're basically going to be in a whole new system offensive and defensive. There's carryover of course, but it will be a big enough change to cause some losses early on.

Queens got nothing. Rookie QB and they have holes everywhere.

The Bears STILL suck.

We added a lot of good pieces on O... hopefully we can find one more difference maker for the D-line, or a CB.

Winner - Packers!

GPG!

For the most part I agree with most of this article, BUT.... Dan has a glaring hole to fill in this story if the Pack can win the division, Jordan Love. If Mr. Love preforms anywhere close to his 2024 stats..... The division banner will not be coming back to Title-Town. Jordan has gotten a contract well above NFL avg. If he steps up from last year and plays to match or exceed the value the Front office gifted him with.... Then yeah, the banner and title will be ours.
Aside from that, my 2 fav NFL teams are still.....:
The Green Bay Packers
and
Whoever is playing the Chicago Bears !
GPG

The Packers have more talent than anyone in division.

The difference is QB play.

I just pray to God that every game last year 80 percent of the snaps are not snapped with one second left, so the defense can tee off or switch at the last second.

I would like to see up tempo part of the game . We have the wide outs and and backs to go up tempo.

Rogers and Favre did it. They both said I don’t care what defense they are doing,. They have to stop our offense.

Matt needs to fix that

Get up on some teams. Then the defense can do some other things.

I watch the Vikings come into Lambeau and go up tempo and made us play from behind.

The Vikings threw quick and looked for yack.made me sick to my stomach.

That’s what teams will do at Lambeau.

Losing 3 division games at home. Come on .

Need to be 10 or 11 at home this year…..yes I know only 8 regular season games at home. The playoffs are back at lambeau for a few weeks

Packers got better with the additions of Hobbs and Brooks who essentially replaced 2 bad players in Stokes and Myers respectively. Huge upgrades there. They also added another stellar draft class imo. Belton might be my favorite Packers draft pick in recent memory as it signals the Packers are finally beginning to value the big mauler types who wont get pushed around by elite d-linemen in january. They've added 4 olineman who are 320+ with top 100 picks or via free agency in recent years. This is the philosophy ive been begging for them to adhere to for over a decade. Josh Jacobs is going to have a fun season. And at least some of their many young and talented players are almost guaranteed to improve. I expect Reed and Wicks to both come out looking sharper than ever. Kraft is an absolute monster who will be a huge part of the offense. Edgerrin Cooper and Xavier Mckinney both look primed to seriously compete for a defensive player of the year award. Quay should continue to improve in year 2 under Hafley. Cant wait to see Evan Williams and Javon Bullard make their year 2 leap. But my surprise prediction for this defense is that Gary, LVN, and Wyatt all have 10+ sacks and lead an absolute resurgance of their front 4 pass rush under the tutelage of Demarcus Covington, who by all accounts is the type of coach who gets the most out of his guys. But most importantly for this team, I think Jordan Love reaches his final form and shows the world he's an elite quarterback whos ready to lead this team back to the promised land. Hes about to go scorched earth on the NFL and make every single one of the haters eat their words. Packers will make the biggest jump out of any NFC North team for sure. I think they win 13-14 games, recapture this division, and probly get the #1 seed for the playoffs. This is the year our boys become men and start beating the snot out of teams without mercy.

Lions got substantially worse losing both coordinators and 2 pro bowl interior olinemen whom they replaced with mid to late round draft picks. Huuuuuge dropoff from what was the heart and soul of this entire team. Goff is a below-average qb when he faces pressure and that's about to happen with a lot more frequency. And the days of the run game being automatic on short yardage and goalline situations are a thing of the past. Plus Aidan Hutchinson still isnt even fully healed 8 months later after an injury that typically takes 4-6 months to heal. Saw a workout video of him recently and he still has a noticable limp. If hes still not even fully healed, he may never get back to the elite form he showed pre-injury. Lions are about to learn just how ridiculously hard it is to maintain an elite level of play in this league year after year. I think they'll still be good enough to win 9 or 10 games and maybe sneak into the playoffs but their super bowl window is slammed shut.

Bears look improved on paper but Im still not sold on them. Ben Johnson is cocky as all hell for a head coach with zero wins under his belt and hes gonna be real unhappy once he realizes he has to cut his playbook basically in half without the elite oline he had the last couple years in Detroit. Bears added a nice center but the guards they added are old and past their prime. Neither of their tackles impress me either despite the above average grades PFF gave them. The receiving corp is extremely overrated as DJ Moore is a me-first quitter (cant believe hes even still on the team but nobody loves receivers more than Ryan Poles). The guy they drafted in the 2nd round has major character concerns who some have questioned if he even likes football. And Odunze is mainly only a jumpball specialist playing with a qb whos terrible on deep throws. Odunze should never have been a top 10 pick and Im grateful they passed on Brian Thomas Jr so thanks for that, Poles. And speaking of Caleb, he strikes me as an immature and extremely entitled player who shrinks from accountability as well as seriously lacking leadership. They drafted a soft and injured tight end with a premium pick when they already had a good one they dont even use (Poles strikes again). The defense could be good with Dennis Allen coming to town but they still have an average at best pass rush that wont make life any easier for them. Ultimately, I see a Bears team who collectively quit on their coach when things got tough last year and that type of rotten losing culture cant be fixed in a single offseason with a first time head coach and a few new starters. I think that team is primed for another colossal meltdown. 5-6 wins and another top 10 pick in their future.

Vikings obviously got worse losing Darnold, which is wild to say even though its 100% true. Im not sold on Mccarthy, who couldnt even make it through a single preseason game without sustaining a devastating injury. There's been reports he's had trouble maintaining weight and was down to 188 pounds at one point this offseason. Vikings got big problems at the one position you absolutely have to get right. We might see Sam Howell real early in the season. O'Connell might be a damn good coach but you still need a decent lemon to make lemonade. I think they probly squeak past Bears for 3rd place with 7 or 8 wins.