Who Will Take the NFC North?
The Packers used to win the NFC North every year. It was never a matter of if, but when. The tides seem to be turning. The NFC North is heating up, with the Detroit Lions in the lead. It is too early to see who will win the division, but it is not too early to estimate. The Bears seem to be out of contention. However, the other three teams all have a shot to win the division if things go their way. The team that will win the division is up in the air, just as it was last year.
The Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears’ season has been a huge letdown. Caleb Williams was drafted first overall and was expected to make the Chicago Bears a competitive football team again. However, this has not been the case. Caleb Williams has struggled to adjust to the NFL from college. Williams likes to scramble, as he did in college, but NFL defensive linemen are much more agile. He ends up getting sacked instead. The wide receivers don’t seem to approve of Caleb Williams. In one play, Williams tried to keep the play alive by scrambling out of the pocket, but D.J. Moore, his wide receiver, ran out of bounds and turned his back on the play. The Bears will need to accept Caleb Williams as their quarterback if they want to improve, and Williams will need to prove that he is the quarterback of their future.
The Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers have had injuries plaguing them this season. Jordan Love has been in and out of injuries throughout the course of this season, already missing two games. However, the Packers have played well with their only losses being against the Lions, Vikings, and Eagles. Josh Jacobs has stepped up for the Packers this season, having 762 rushing yards, which is the fourth most in the league. The Packers are 7-3 this season. They will need to find ways to beat the Vikings and the Lions if they want to win the division.
The Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have taken the NFL by surprise this year. They lost their starting quarterback, whom they drafted this year before the season even started. J.J. McCarthy tore his meniscus before Week One of the season. That meant Sam Darnold had to step up, and he has. Sam Darnold has 17 passing touchdowns, which is tied for the fourth most in the league. He also has 2141 passing yards. The Vikings are tailing the Lions at a record of 8-2. The only time they did play the Lions, they lost 31-29. They will need to find a way to beat the Lions if they want to win the division.
The Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are favored to win the division. They are 2-0 in matchups in the division and seem to dominate almost every team that they play. Jared Goff has had one of the best seasons of his career. Goff has 2,080 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, which is tied for the seventh most passing touchdowns in the league. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have also dominated the league. Montgomery has eight rushing touchdowns, which ties him for the third most in the league. Gibbs has 727 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. This means Gibbs has the sixth most rushing yards in the league, and he’s tied for the seventh most rushing touchdowns in the league. Both running backs have dominated. The Lions should win the division if they can continue to win against their division rivals.
The Packers used to win the NFC North every year. It was never a matter of if, but when. The tides seem to be turning, and now the Lions and the Vikings are at the top of the pack. It is too early to say who will win the division, but if things stay the same, the Lions should win. However, there is a scenario where the Vikings could take it away from them if the Lions let them. If the Lions continue to dominate the league, the crown will be theirs.
