NFL

Winning the NFC North: Reasons the Bears, Lions, Packers and Vikings can claim the division crown

by
SaC Bot
June 24, 2025

It’s not a stretch to suggest that the NFC North could provide the most entertainment of the entire 2025 NFL season. We’re talking about a quartet that was historically successful the last time it graced the field, sending three different teams to the postseason with at least 11 wins apiece. Two of those teams — the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings — vied for the conference’s top playoff seed in the final week of the regular season, and the rival Green Bay Packers have been a postseason mainstay on their own.

That’s not even accounting for the Chicago Bears, who enjoyed one of the most celebrated offseasons of any team in recent months. All that said, the competition figures to be stiff in 2025. Is it possible we could see another trio of North foes duking it out come January? Only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure: All four of the division’s teams have solid reasons to believe an NFC North title is within reach this year.

Here’s one big reason each of the clubs can dream about winning the division in 2025:

Note: Win-total odds courtesy of FanDuel sportsbook.

Chicago Bears

Caleb Williams has a legitimate foundation on which to grow. The No. 1 pick of the 2024 draft was like a hamster on a wheel for much of his debut season, spinning and sprinting to make something meaningful of Chicago’s chaos. Now the gifted gunslinger has a fortified front featuring All-Pro guard Joe Thuney, plus another multipurpose outlet in Luther Burden III alongside DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.

On top of that, new coach Ben Johnson brings a widely respected balance of aggression and play design to the sidelines. If only Johnson can get his lineup’s on-paper talent to translate in between the lines, there’s no reason Chicago shouldn’t up its win total by at least a few games. And in a tight division where everyone might wear on each other, it’s possible that just getting above .500 could be enough for the Bears to sneak all the way to the top.

Projected O/U win total: 8.5
Our prediction: 7-10 record, fourth-place finish

Detroit Lions

Dan Campbell still oversees many of the NFL’s best pure playmakers. Detroit’s coordinator turnover isn’t something to overlook; Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn were instrumental voices on Campbell’s staff, bringing energy to both sides of the ball. Their exits also shouldn’t be oversold to the point of discrediting the Lions’ enviable skill talent.

Between Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams out wide, Sam LaPorta at tight end and a front featuring sturdy bookends in Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, Motor City promises to remain home to track-meet-style fireworks. And that’s saying nothing of Campbell’s own fiery brand of aggression, which helped build the Lions into what they are today. Barring a total meltdown from Jared Goff in the pocket, this team still has the unteachable manpower to light up scoreboards.

Projected O/U win total: 10.5
Our prediction: 10-7 record, second-place finish

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Cody Benjamin

Green Bay Packers

Jordan Love has a deeper, healthier supporting cast. Remember at the close of 2023, when the young quarterback had moments of Patrick Mahomes-esque flair? His loose cannon of an arm had Green Bay surprisingly scrappy in the playoffs to end his first year as a full-time starter. Then 2024 happened, and injuries wrecked his equally youthful wide receiver corps, while Love’s own inner Brett Favre occasionally exacerbated the wounds.

All signs point to a big rebound at Lambeau Field, where Love’s gifted arm can now feed an offense that added two weapons in Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, and still features the bruising Josh Jacobs on the ground. If the pass rush ever truly comes alive for Jeff Hafley’s defense, we might be talking about a Super Bowl contender here, not just head coach Matt LaFleur’s fourth career NFC North crown.

Projected O/U win total: 9.5
Our prediction: 11-6 record, first-place finish

Minnesota Vikings

Kevin O’Connell is a master at maximizing talent. And he’d better be, considering the bet they’re making under center. Everything except quarterback spells a surefire playoff run in Minnesota: the all-star weaponry headlined by Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, the rebuilt front anchored by new big men Ryan Kelly and Will Fries, the exotic Brian Flores-led defense with versatile hitters at every level.

It’s just that J.J. McCarthy, the cool but unproven successor of departed journeyman Sam Darnold, is set to take his first NFL snaps against one of 2025’s toughest schedules. Fortunately, O’Connell is a winning motivator, squeezing 35 touchdowns out of Darnold and an MVP-caliber stretch from Kirk Cousins before that. If he can just keep McCarthy’s head high, helping the youngster control the rock and pace of play, this could be a sneaky contender.