The home division of my Beloved Bears is next up. I’m sure these predictions will change in my final season long predictions. The bottom line is this division should be tight all year.

NFC North Preview

Chicago Bears

Williams Needs To Deliver
  • Coaching: The Bears cleaned house in the coaching staff – HC Ben Johnson steps in and was paid an incredible contract for it. Johnson will effectively be the OC, but Declan Doyle who comes from DEN as the TE Coach, but at 28 – he will be learning from Johnson. On D, Johnson picked a great DC in Dennis Allen who was fired as the NO HC, but as a DC, Allen has been a top tier guy. I love that hire.
  • Departures: WR Keenan Allen (unsigned), TE Gerald Everett (unsigned), LB Jack Sanborn (to DAL), OG Teven Jenkins (to CLE), OG Larry Borom (to MIA),
  • Additions:
    • Free Agents
      • Defense: DT Grady Jarrett (from ATL), DE Dayo Odeyingbo (from IND)
      • Offense: OG Joe Thuney (via trade KC), WR Olamide Zaccheaus (from WAS), C Drew Dalman (from ATL), OG Jonah Jackson (via trade LAR), WR Devin Duvernay (from JAC)
    • Draft
      • TE Colston Loveland (1st – Michigan)
      • OT Ozzy Trapilo (2nd – Boston College)
      • DT Shemar Turner (2nd – Texas A&M)
      • WR Luther Burden (2nd – Missouri)
      • LB Ruben Hyppolite (4th – Maryland)
      • CB Zah Frazier (5th – UTSA)
      • OG Luke Newman (6th – Michigan State)
      • RB Kyle Monangai (7th – Rutgers)
  • Overview – Ben Johnson will need to prove himself as a good HC vs. an OC like Shanahan or McVay, he will need Allen to be his rock. I think the marriage should yield wins. This review is really early in camp, and QB Caleb Williams has not started well. However, I’m pretty sure Johnson will get the most out of Williams or even Tyson Bagent if he has to. The D is talented, and with the other teams in the division, they have a real shot to win it this year. As skeptical as I have been over the Bears moves in recent years, I am hopeful they will be good enough every single week. That’s what matters right now.
  • Prediction – 10-7 – this would put them winning the division, which is pretty ambitious, so look for the final predictions. I think they will be able to make the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers

Make Or Break for Love
  • Coaching: HC Matt LaFleur is a quality coach, but let’s see if he can take advantage of the divisional turnover in 2025. OC Adam Stenavich returns to lead the Offense, which revolves around QB Jordan Love. DC Jeff Hafley returns after a much better campaign for the D in 2024. In fact, it can be argued that GB played the Eagles the best in the playoffs in 2024 on D.
  • Departures: RB AJ Dillon (to PHI), OT Andre Dillard (to SF), CB Jaire Alexander (to BAL)
  • Additions:
    • Free Agents
      • Defense: CB Nate Hobbs (from LVR), LB Isaiah Simmons (from NYG)
      • Offense: OG Aaron Banks (from SF), WR Mecole Hardman (from KC)
    • Draft
      • WR Matthew Golden (1st – Texas)
      • OT Anthony Belton (2nd – NC State)
      • WR Savion Williams (3rd – TCU)
      • DE Barryn Sorrell (4th – Texas)
      • DT Nazir Stackhouse (UDFA) – but he is listed 2nd on depth chart behind Kenny Clark
  • Overview – I will admit I was super high on GB last year – my Super Bowl pick. So, I’ve stepped back a bit this year. I still believe LaFleur is the best coach in the division, even over O’Connell. So, the last step for him would be the Super Bowl. However, is Jordan Love the guy? This year will tell me if he is or not. The WR room is even better than last year. The TEs are great, and RB is really good. So, it’s now or never. The D is about the same as 2024, which was really good. So, they should win the division, but will they?
  • Prediction – I’ll likely have them win the division in the end, but my first pass is 9-8 squeaking in the playoffs as Wild Card.

Detroit Lions

Let’s See If Campbell Can Really Coach
  • Coaching: HC Dan Campbell will be really tested this year, as he lost Ben Johnson to CHI, so can new OC John Morton from DEN who was the passing game coordinator – maybe he can mimic Johnson’s scheme. I would think he will not be able to. At DC, Kelvin Sheppard steps up from the LB Coach. The D wasn’t great under departing Aaron Glenn, but we will see with a healthy unit with the return of Aidan Hutchinson.
  • Departures: DE Za’Darius Smith (unsigned), OG Kevin Zeitler (to TEN), CB Carlton Davis (to NE), QB Teddy Bridgewater (retired again), S Ifeatu Melifonwu (to MIA), DE Jonah Williams (to NO)
  • Additions:
    • Free Agents
      • Defense: CB DJ Reed (from NYJ), CB Avonte Maddox (from PHI), LB Zach Cunningham (from DEN), DT Roy Lopez (from AZ)
      • Offense: QB Kyle Allen (from PIT)
    • Draft
      • DT Tyleik Williams (1st – Ohio State)
      • OG Tate Ratledge (2nd – Georgia)
      • WR Isaac TeSlaa (3rd – Arkansas)
      • OG Miles Frazier (5th – LSU)
      • WR Dominic Lovett (7th – Georgia)
  • Overview – My take on the Lions this year is that they are due for a step back. They were on the rise in 2023, in 2024 they were the top dog, but they missed their shot and were terribly exposed in the playoffs. The O scored a crazy amount of TDs – 67 – so regression is coming. The D has to step up in 2024 to replicate the same results, and maybe Hutchinson’s return will help. They are talented, but I think the division will be a bloodbath in 2025.
  • Prediction – I have the Lions out of the playoffs at 8-9. That’s a huge step back, but I think losing both Coordinators and the likely drop in offensive production will doom the 2025 Lions.

Minnesota Vikings

JJ is Back, but Can He Lead The Vikes?
  • Coaching: HC Kevin O’Connell and reigning Coach of the Year returns, and he has been a wizard, however the team has turned over a ton this year. OC Wes Phillips follows O’Connell’s lead again. DC Brian Flores is still a gem leading that side of the ball.
  • Departures: QB Sam Darnold (to SEA), QB Daniel Jones (to IND), RB Cam Akers (to NO), OT David Quessenberry (to LAR), CB Stephon Gilmore (unsigned), OG Dalton Risner (unsigned), LB Patrick Jones (to CAR), DE Jonathan Bullard (to NO), CB Shaquill Griffin (to SEA), LB Jihad Ward (to TEN), OT Cam Robinson (to HOU), DT Jerry Tillery (to KC), C Garrett Bradbury (to NE)
  • Additions:
    • Free Agents
      • Defense: DE Jonathan Allen (from WAS), DE Javon Hargrave (from SF), CB Isaiah Rodgers (from PHI), CB Jeff Okudah (from HOU), CB Tavierre Thomas (from TB), LB Eric Wilson (from GB)
      • Offense: QB Sam Howell (via trade SEA), RB Jordan Mason (via trade SF), C Ryan Kelly (from IND), OG Will Fries (from IND), WR Rondale Moore (from ATL), OT Justin Skule (from TB)
    • Draft
      • OG Donovan Jackson (1st – Ohio State)
      • WR Tai Felton (3rd – Maryland)
      • DE Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins (5th – Georgia)
      • LB Kobe King (6th – Penn State)
  • Overview – For me, the Vikings will live and die with JJ McCarthy. Yes, Sam Darnold had the year of his life, but he and the Vikes O were completely exposed when it mattered in 2024. JJ is coming off a huge injury, and reports are positive so far, I just don’t trust him. So, I am very harsh on the Vikes this year, which I was worse last year – I’ll be wrong again on them. It should be noted that WR Jordan Addison was given a 3 game suspension from a DUI charge (he pled to “wet reckless” as a misdemeanor), so he will miss the first 3 games. All that said, I know my prediction will improve in the final analysis, but the Vikes should be the 4th best team in this loaded division. The D could be the differentiator here Allen and Hargrave upfront when they struggled against the run in the playoffs.
  • Prediction – 7-10

Next on the docket – AFC North.

Wegs

About the author

I'm a 49 year old, twice divorced guy with a 20 year old. The blog has morphed a bit lately. Not just sports or dating, social commentary and now some stories from my past experience.