By Kenny Burgess Contributor
Updated 7/19/23 9:01pm ET
Before last season, the Green Bay Packers had won three straight division titles, but Aaron Rodgers and company fell from the top spot and he has since moved on to the New York Jets. Now, we’ll see how the NFC North shakes out without the Hall of Fame quarterback.
The Minnesota Vikings won the division last year and were the kings of one-possession games. Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions were the feel-good story of the NFL and made serious strides last season. The Packers were a major disappointment and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2018. Green Bay now looks to Jordan Love to be its new franchise quarterback. The Chicago Bears saw second-year quarterback Justin Fields take huge steps forward, but they still had an extremely tough season.
All four teams should have a reason to believe they can win this division this upcoming 2023 season. Let’s break it down.
Minnesota Vikings (2022 Record: 13-4)
Last season, the Vikings won the division with an impressive 13-win campaign under first-year head coach Kevin O’Connell, who took the offense to the next level as they finished inside the top ten in terms of yards and scoring. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has faced a lot of scrutiny throughout his career, but he had a solid season last year and was flawless in crunch time. During the regular season, the Vikings were a perfect 11-0 in one-possession games. While that is impressive, some believe it’s not the recipe for success. The Vikings had a negative net point total last season despite winning 13 games. This reflects in the odds.
The Vikings aren’t favored to win the division this year and have the second-best odds at +270. Oddsmakers don’t see the Vikings as much of a threat to win the Super Bowl, even after their impressive season last year, and have the 14th-best odds at +3500. If the Vikings want to silence the haters, they’ll have to change the narrative that they got lucky last season. Oddsmakers think the Vikings will take a big step back and their win total is set at just 8.5.
Detroit Lions (2022 Record: 9-8)
The Detroit Lions are viewed by many as one of the teams that will ascend into the elite of the NFL this season. In its second season under Campbell, Detroit won nine games, but fell just short of making the playoffs. This season, the Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North with odds at +145.
Jared Goff and the offense finished fifth in all of the NFL in scoring, but Detroit did allow the most yards of any team in the NFL. The Lions will have to clean that up if they want to be a serious contender. Experts are expecting a big jump from the Lions this season and they have the ninth-best odds to win it all (+2200) with a win total of 9.5. If Goff and the offense have a repeat performance and the defense can improve, the Lions could be a real threat this upcoming season.
Green Bay Packers (2022 Record: 8-9)
Since the Packers have moved on from Rodgers, they are looking for Love to step up as their guy. Love is a former first-round pick, but hasn’t got much of a chance due to Rodgers’ presence. The Packers still have a solid roster around Love and should still be competitive in a division that seems up for grabs.
The Packers have the third-best odds to win the division at +350 and their win total is set at 7.5. This is a big year for the Packers, as this will be a measuring stick year for their quarterback and the team as a whole. If they perform well, the Packers will retool around Love. If things go badly, however, we could see a full-blown rebuild in Green Bay.
Chicago Bears (2022 Record: 3-14)
The Chicago Bears finished in last place of the entire NFL last season, which earned the first overall selection in this past spring’s draft. The Bears showed that they trust Fields by trading the pick away and getting him a No. 1 receiver in DJ Moore. Fields showed a lot of improvement in his second season in Chicago and will look to take another step forward this upcoming season.
The Bears enter with the worst odds to win the division, but the odds aren’t that long at +420. The line for the win total is a drastic jump from Chiciago’s record last season and sits at 7.5. If the Bears can even get close to that, I’m sure it will be counted as a success after last season.
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