NFC North 2025

[El Guapo]

This will be one of the strongest divisions in the NFL again this season. The Packers and Vikings have dominated the division for decades. The Lions were always the paper champions of the offseason and the Bears (aside from one or two seasons) also ran. Now the Lions actually have become the champions and the Bears have added both legitimate players and coaches.

The Lions are the back-to-back champs. Until someone knocks them off, they are still the undisputed champs. If JJ McCarthy plays as I suspect, you've got three teams that legitimately can win the North. I think that the Bears may be a year away. Yes they seem to have improved, but it takes time for those improvements to make a season-long impact. That doesn't mean that I'm picking the Bears to come in last place, just that I don't think that they will come in first place.

Division Championships since 1967
Minnesota Vikings - 21
Green Bay Packers - 17
Chicago Bears - 11
Detroit Lions - 5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 3

Division Champion - Year by Year
2024: Detroit Lions (15-2)
2023: Detroit Lions (12–5)
2022: Minnesota Vikings (13–4)
2021: Green Bay Packers (13–4)
2020: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2019: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2018: Chicago Bears (12–4)
2017: Minnesota Vikings (13–3)
2016: Green Bay Packers (10–6)
2015: Minnesota Vikings (11–5)
2014: Green Bay Packers (12–4)
2013: Green Bay Packers (8–7–1)
2012: Green Bay Packers (11–5)
2011: Green Bay Packers (15–1)
2010: Chicago Bears (11–5)

 

[Raptorman]

This will be a good year for the North. Although I think one team will be disappointed when they don't make the playoffs. Mainly because they will have a better record than a division leader.

I think it will take 14 wins to take the division this year.

 

[OldSchool101]

Division Championships since 1967
Minnesota Vikings - 21
Green Bay Packers - 17
Chicago Bears - 11
Detroit Lions - 5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 3

Division Champion - Year by Year
2024: Detroit Lions (15-2)
2023: Detroit Lions (12–5)
2022: Minnesota Vikings (13–4)
2021: Green Bay Packers (13–4)
2020: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2019: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2018: Chicago Bears (12–4)
2017: Minnesota Vikings (13–3)
2016: Green Bay Packers (10–6)
2015: Minnesota Vikings (11–5)
2014: Green Bay Packers (12–4)
2013: Green Bay Packers (8–7–1)
2012: Green Bay Packers (11–5)
2011: Green Bay Packers (15–1)
2010: Chicago Bears (11–5)

It’s almost like clockwork with GB.

The only team in the North to win a Championship since 1985.
The only team to repeatedly play in NFC games.
The only team to 3-peat the North Division (Twice) in the last 15 years.

Total Dominance since the Super Bowl Era.

*Although credit to Chicago what happened in 2018? Was there a high profile FA trade or something??

 

[El Guapo]

Well, since this is an NFC North thread you'd be hard pressed to convince anyone that we've dominated when the Vikings have won it more than us. They also dominated the 70s, winning it 11 of 13 seasons.

 

[tynimiller]

Well, since this is an NFC North thread you'd be hard pressed to convince anyone that we've dominated when the Vikings have won it more than us. They also dominated the 70s, winning it 11 of 13 seasons.

Many fans are too short sighted to understand this history…only that which fits their narrative. Hence why Lions fans speak only in Dan Campbell era lol

 

[milani]

This will be one of the strongest divisions in the NFL again this season. The Packers and Vikings have dominated the division for decades. The Lions were always the paper champions of the offseason and the Bears (aside from one or two seasons) also ran. Now the Lions actually have become the champions and the Bears have added both legitimate players and coaches.

The Lions are the back-to-back champs. Until someone knocks them off, they are still the undisputed champs. If JJ McCarthy plays as I suspect, you've got three teams that legitimately can win the North. I think that the Bears may be a year away. Yes they seem to have improved, but it takes time for those improvements to make a season-long impact. That doesn't mean that I'm picking the Bears to come in last place, just that I don't think that they will come in first place.

Division Championships since 1967
Minnesota Vikings - 21
Green Bay Packers - 17
Chicago Bears - 11
Detroit Lions - 5
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 3

Division Champion - Year by Year
2024: Detroit Lions (15-2)
2023: Detroit Lions (12–5)
2022: Minnesota Vikings (13–4)
2021: Green Bay Packers (13–4)
2020: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2019: Green Bay Packers (13–3)
2018: Chicago Bears (12–4)
2017: Minnesota Vikings (13–3)
2016: Green Bay Packers (10–6)
2015: Minnesota Vikings (11–5)
2014: Green Bay Packers (12–4)
2013: Green Bay Packers (8–7–1)
2012: Green Bay Packers (11–5)
2011: Green Bay Packers (15–1)
2010: Chicago Bears (11–5)

That 15-1 hurts even more than the Lions 15-2 considering that we were the defending SB champs.

 

[El Guapo]

At the end of the season, the NFC North will all have tough games:

Week 17:
Vikings vs Lions
Packers vs Ravens
Bears @ 49ers

Week 18:
Packers @ Vikings
Lions @ Bears

I do like that the NFL has shifted in recent years to mostly scheduling division games to end the season. It makes sense and adds to the excitement, especially in a strong division like the North.

 

[OldSchool101]

At the end of the season, the NFC North will all have tough games:

Week 17:
Vikings vs Lions
Packers vs Ravens
Bears @ 49ers

Week 18:
Packers @ Vikings
Lions @ Bears

I do like that the NFL has shifted in recent years to mostly scheduling division games to end the season. It makes sense and adds to the excitement, especially in a strong division like the North.

I like divisional games middle to end also.
That said I don’t think it’s smart to open with 2 playoff caliber division teams. My opinion is you don’t get an accurate depiction of a team until 2nd quarter of a season. Yet that 1st week could easily decide a tie breaker or have a heavy hand on seeding. Do those games Oct-Jan.

 

[tynimiller]

I like divisional games middle to end also.
That said I don’t think it’s smart to open with 2 playoff caliber division teams. My opinion is you don’t get an accurate depiction of a team until 2nd quarter of a season. Yet that 1st week could easily decide a tie breaker or have a heavy hand on seeding. Do those games Oct-Jan.

I cannot wait to see a fanbase be ignorant about week 1 if their team loses Sunday....the amount of overreacting about GB or Detroit is going to be lunacy level.

 

[tynimiller]

I've always been a fan of having your interconference games be during the first 6 Contests, the other games in that frame be same conference but not divisional and then rest of season be conference and divisional. Would make our 2025 be something like this instead of what it is:

Week 1 - @ Browns
Week 2 - Bengals
Week 3 - BYE
Week 4 - @ Steelers
Week 5 - Commanders
Week 6 - Ravens
Week 7 - @ Cardinals
Week 8 - @ Cowboys
Week 9 - Lions
Week 10 - @ Broncos
Week 11 - Eagles
Week 12 - @ Giants
Week 13 - Vikings
Week 14 - @Bears
Week 15 - @ Lions
Week 16 - Panthers
Week 17 - Vikings

 

[OldSchool101]

I cannot wait to see a fanbase be ignorant about week 1 if their team loses Sunday....the amount of overreacting about GB or Detroit is going to be lunacy level.

Yeah. I mean just a few years ago a Rodgers led Offense scored 3 points in Jacksonville. Saints 38 Packers 3
GB goes on to a 13-4 season and really should’ve made the NFC game.

The very season before (2020) the Saints beat up on Brady and Co to start (Twice) Tampa goes on to win the Super Bowl. Teams that remain competitive and finish well (get hot at the right time) often Win it all

 

[El Guapo]

I've always been a fan of having your interconference games be during the first 6 Contests, the other games in that frame be same conference but not divisional and then rest of season be conference and divisional. Would make our 2025 be something like this instead of what it is:

Week 1 - @ Browns
Week 2 - Bengals
Week 3 - BYE
Week 4 - @ Steelers
Week 5 - Commanders
Week 6 - Ravens
Week 7 - @ Cardinals
Week 8 - @ Cowboys
Week 9 - Lions
Week 10 - @ Broncos
Week 11 - Eagles
Week 12 - @ Giants
Week 13 - Vikings
Week 14 - @Bears
Week 15 - @ Lions
Week 16 - Panthers
Week 17 - Vikings

First of all, I like that we only have to play the Bears once. Why waste your ammo on a dead horse...

Secondly, I didn't like your proposal from the outset but then changed my mind. I like that there is some overlap between your AFC, NFC, and North games.

To Old School's point, there is merit to having 'less meaningful' games dominate the start of the season so that the tie-breaker games are played when teams are hitting their stride. What I wouldn't like from a fan perspective is having to suffer through essentially an extension of the preseason, because the games aren't as impactful and the teams put in 90% effort instead of 100%. There can still be some good inter-conference games, such as Steelers/Packers or Ravens/Packers to start a season.

 

[tynimiller]

First of all, I like that we only have to play the Bears once. Why waste your ammo on a dead horse...

Secondly, I didn't like your proposal from the outset but then changed my mind. I like that there is some overlap between your AFC, NFC, and North games.

To Old School's point, there is merit to having 'less meaningful' games dominate the start of the season so that the tie-breaker games are played when teams are hitting their stride. What I wouldn't like from a fan perspective is having to suffer through essentially an extension of the preseason, because the games aren't as impactful and the teams put in 90% effort instead of 100%. There can still be some good inter-conference games, such as Steelers/Packers or Ravens/Packers to start a season.

lol I figured I’d miss type a game and clearly did lol

 

[rmontro]

That 15-1 hurts even more than the Lions 15-2 considering that we were the defending SB champs.

One thing I remember from that season is the first game, we had drafted Randall Cobb, and he returned a kick the length of the field for a touchdown. There were some local radio hosts (Colts fans, in Indiana) talking about it the next day, saying "Oh great, they're already the Super Bowl champs, and now they've added this Red Grange type of player". That's always stuck in my head. It was a great season, and fun to watch, until the Eli Manning curse caught up with us.

 

[milani]

I like divisional games middle to end also.
That said I don’t think it’s smart to open with 2 playoff caliber division teams. My opinion is you don’t get an accurate depiction of a team until 2nd quarter of a season. Yet that 1st week could easily decide a tie breaker or have a heavy hand on seeding. Do those games Oct-Jan.

What I hope changes is those mistakes you itemized. Our youth, the penalties. That is what I fear the most. And there are coaching staffs that are able to curb that. Holmgren was a pretty good disciplinarian. We saw that in his first year. Belichick certainly was. MLF has to impart that.

 

[Raptorman]

Yeah. I mean just a few years ago a Rodgers led Offense scored 3 points in Jacksonville. Saints 38 Packers 3
GB goes on to a 13-4 season and really should’ve made the NFC game.

The very season before (2020) the Saints beat up on Brady and Co to start (Twice) Tampa goes on to win the Super Bowl. Teams that remain competitive and finish well (get hot at the right time) often Win it all

Jacksonville Saints?

 

[OldSchool101]

Jacksonville Saints?

Yes. The game was relocated technically that 1 week they were the Jacksonville Saints

 

[OldSchool101]

Looks like ZaDarius just signed with Philly. At least he’s not signing with Detroit again.

Za'Darius Smith lands with Eagles, not Lions

The richer get rich.

www.nbcsports.com

 

[milani]

Looks like ZaDarius just signed with Philly. At least he’s not signing with Detroit again.

Za'Darius Smith lands with Eagles, not Lions

The richer get rich.

www.nbcsports.com

For some reason the Eagles did not record any sacks last night. Even Hurts went down once.

 

[Magooch]

13m+ for Ben Johnson and the Bears get the same clock management they had with Eberflus.

How in the world do you let Santos put a returnable ball in play there?

 

[DoURant]

Woke up this morning to see the Vikings outscore Da Bears 21-7 in the 4th Quarter to pull off a comeback win 27-24....

 

[tynimiller]

Woke up this morning to see the Vikings outscore Da Bears 21-7 in the 4th Quarter to pull off a comeback win 27-24....

The last two games of the week had a lot of people fall asleep thinking the game was gonna end differently...

 

[Vegscott]

13 players on the injury report today; why are we constantly one of the most injured teams in the league, not liking this at all, not this early, especially with a short week

 

[milani]

Woke up this morning to see the Vikings outscore Da Bears 21-7 in the 4th Quarter to pull off a comeback win 27-24....

So much like the Bears of 2023. However, as much as the Bears could have won the game, victories are almost impossible when you commit 12 penalties for 127 yards. That stat looks more dooming than one team hitting a long FG and the other missing one. The Packers only had 4 Sunday. You cannot beat the Lions with 8, 10, or 12.

 

[milani]

13 players on the injury report today; why are we constantly one of the most injured teams in the league, not liking this at all, not this early, especially with a short week

We always are. It is part of our history. Generally, in GB, a blister or hang nail will get you on the report. Sometimes I think we have always done it that way to try and make the opponent feel that we are so wounded that they have us. Back in 2010 we went to play the Jets in NY. Between injuries and IR, Rex thought we were playing a load of second stringers. We did and still shut the Jets out 9-0.