Predicting the NFC North for the 2024 NFL Season

The NFC North is currently one of the most interesting divisions in the NFL. All four teams have their positives and negatives. The 2024 offseason has also shaken things up in the NFC North with the most important factor being the double first-round draft picks used on quarterback and wide receiver duo of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze by the Chicago Bears.

As for the Detroit Lions, the franchise looks to be in capable hands with Dan Campbell reinventing this franchise. Whether or not the Lions can continue their success from last season is going to be worth watching while the Green Bay Packers have also turned over a corner after the rough start to their 2023 campaign.

The Minnesota Vikings may have lost Kirk Cousins and the season-ending injury to rookie QB J.J. McCarthy has certainly made things worse. However, it would be foolish to count them out before the season even starts.

1. Detroit Lions

Last year, the Lions showed what they are capable of by very nearly making it to the Super Bowl. Detroit as a franchise has had very little to no success in the Super Bowl era and hadn’t won a playoff game since the 1991 season. But all that has changed now and the Lions are making sure the NFL takes note.

Detroit was tremendous last season on the offensive side of the ball, while on defense they struggled to an extent, especially in the secondary. To counter that, Detroit drafted top collegiate cornerback Terrion Arnold in the first round.

The overall schedule for Detroit in 2024 isn’t too tough despite having to play some of the other No. 1-ranked teams. It is looking good for the Lions to win the NFC North once again with a 12-5 record.

2. Green Bay Packers

The Packers are coming off a pretty good year considering they had one of the youngest teams in the league in 2023 and it was Jordan Love’s first year as a starter. Sure, they had quite a few hiccups at the start of the season, but they went on a winning spree and ended up demolishing the Dallas Cowboys in the Wild Card game.

Where does that leave the Packers now? Well, they just signed Love to a new deal making him the highest paid QB, they let Aaron Jones go, but replaced him with Josh Jacobs, and signed Xavier McKinney at the safety position to address the issue in the secondary.

While Green Bay’s offense was acceptable, the defense was a big let down especially their run defense where they ranked near the bottom. However, the Packers have addressed this problem as well by signing a new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. So, Green Bay looks poised to continue building in 2024 and should finish second in the division with an 11-6 record.

3. Chicago Bears

There is a lot of excitement right now if you are a Bears fan. Not only did the team just get a whole lot better under center with generational talent Caleb Williams, but they have added a plethora of weapons for him to work with. A wide receiving core of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and rookie Rome Odunze is quite incredible. Add to that D’Andre Swift in the backfield and this offense is looking incredible at least on paper.

On the defensive side of things, Chicago had the best rushing defense last year and was 20th in points allowed, while their passing defense ranked at 25. Even though nobody is really expecting the Bears to go deep into the playoffs, there is some level of expectation from this team. And who is to know, they could potentially make the postseason and end up like the Houston Texans from 2023.

However, with all said and done, the Bears should finish this season with a 2 game improvement from last year and end with a record of 9-8.

4. Minnesota Vikings

The biggest news from the Vikings’ standpoint during the offseason was letting go of Kirk Cousins at the quarterback position.

They followed up this move by drafting J.J. McCarthy who may have started a few games this year, but with his meniscus tear injury, he is set to miss the season. Sam Darnold, who has struggled to justify his third overall selection from 2018 will be under center and it will be interesting to see what he can do with quality receivers such as Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison.

As for the run game, the Vikings have added Aaron Jones who stays in the NFC North but instead of playing for the Packers, he will now suit up for the Vikings. This is a good move considering Minnesota struggled mightily in rushing offense last year.

As for the defense, Minnesota did improve slightly last year, but the secondary is still a question. The Vikings also selected Dallas Turner from their second pick of the first round this year and he is thought to be the best linebacker of this class. Nevertheless, the Vikings have a tight schedule in 2024 and while they should finish last in the NFC North, it looks like they will end the season going 6-11.

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