NFC North Title Odds: Lions Favored to Take Home First Division Championship Since 1993

Detroit looks to snap one of the longest streaks in the NFL and win their division for the first time in 30 years.

The Lions haven’t won their division since 1993 when the NFC North was the NFC Central.

But Detroit has the best odds to win its division for the first time in three decades thanks in large part to Aaron Rodgers’ exit creating a power vacuum, even though it was the Vikings who came in first last season.

Aside from the Lions, the other three teams have all hung NFC North banners within the last five years, even the Bears, who had the worst record in the NFL in 2022. This is by far the tightest division in football as all four teams have odds shorter than +400, but Detroit is firmly ahead of the pack in the betting markets.

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Junfu Han/Detroit Free Press / USA TODAY NETWORK

Detroit Lions Odds to Win NFC North: +140

The Lions just missed the playoffs in their second year under coach Dan Campbell, who led the team to its first winning season since 2017 and a six-win bump year over year. Detroit’s offense was one of the league’s best last year and though offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is back in the Motor City, there still were quite a few personnel changes on that side of the ball. In the backfield, Jamaal Williams left in free agency and the team traded away D’Andre Swift after drafting Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round and signed David Montgomery. At receiver, Marvin Jones Jr. is replacing D.J. Chark while Jameson Williams is suspended for the first six games of the season. The Lions have lots of room to improve on defense and they threw plenty of resources at their lackluster secondary with the signings of cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They also drafted linebacker Jack Campbell with their other first-round pick. There’s plenty of hype around Detroit and the expectation is another push forward to the postseason in Campbell’s third year at the helm in a wide-open division.

Lions 2022 Record: 9–8

Lions 2023 Projected Win Total: 9.5

Lions Home Opponents: Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Seahawks, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Lions Away Opponents: Chiefs, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers, Cowboys, Ravens, Bears, Packers, Vikings

Green Bay Packers Odds to Win NFC North: +330

The Aaron Rodgers era in Green Bay is over. After a drawn out process, the four-time MVP quarterback was traded to New York, paving the way for Jordan Love, a 2020 first-round pick who’s appeared in just 10 games, to start under center. Love will be leading an offense that took a major step back last season after the Davante Adams trade and lost its leading receiver, Allen Lazard. Still, there’s talent in place at the skill positions and the front office added receiver Jayden Reed and tight ends Tucker Craft and Luke Musgrave in the second and third rounds of the draft. And as usual, the front office opted to spend its first-round pick on defense and added defensive end Lukas Van Ness to the mix. Expectations will be tempered without Rodgers and it’s on coach Matt Lafleur to get the most out of this roster, which should still be competitive.

Packers 2022 Record: 8–9

Packers 2023 Projected Win Total: 7.5

Packers Home Opponents: Chiefs, Chargers, Rams, Saints, Buccaneers, Bears, Lions, Vikings

Packers Away Opponents: Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Giants, Steelers, Bears, Lions, Vikings

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Minnesota Vikings Odds to Win NFC North: +350

The Vikings were on the right side of a lot of one-score games last season, which historically isn’t sustainable year-to-year. Their porous defense essentially canceled out their stout offense to the point where they finished with a negative point differential. Brian Flores joined coach Kevin O’Connell’s staff as defensive coordinator and he will lead a unit that lost cornerbacks Patrick Peterson and Cameron Dantzler and added linebacker Marcus Davenport. On offense, the front office filled the hole left by receiver Adam Thielen with first-round wideout Jordan Addison, a nice complement to reigning Offensive Player of the Year Justin Jefferson. Running back Dalvin Cook remains on the roster at least for now and his backup, Alexander Mattison, inked a contract extension in the offseason. Quarterback Kirk Cousins is coming off a career-high 14-interception season. How far this team goes depends on his play and whether or not the defense can improve.

Vikings 2022 Record: 13–4

Vikings 2023 Projected Win Total: 8.5

Vikings Home Opponents: Chiefs, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers, 49ers, Bears, Lions, Packers

Vikings Away Opponents: Broncos, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers, Eagles, Bengals, Bears, Lions, Packers

Chicago Bears Odds to Win NFC North: +350

The Bears roster is markedly improved from where it was a season ago when they finished with the worst record in the league. General manager Ryan Poles turned the No. 1 pick into a No. 1 receiver in D.J. Moore and first-round tackle Darnell Wright, both of whom will make life easier for quarterback Justin Fields. Chicago also signed guard Nate Davis to further improve its offensive line around Fields, who showed flashes in his sophomore season but also took 55 sacks. To replace Montgomery, who signed with Detroit, the team signed running back D’Onta Foreman. Chicago handed out hefty contracts to linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, added defensive end DeMarcus Walker in free agency and drafted defensive tackle Gervon Dexter. The Bears’ odds to win the division are surprisingly short given where this team was in Year 1 under coach Matt Eberflus. Any appreciable leap forward will start with Fields, who’s in a much better position to succeed than last season.

Bears 2022 Record: 3–14

Bears 2023 Projected Win Total: 7.5

Bears Home Opponents: Falcons, Panthers, Broncos, Raiders, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, Vikings

Bears Away Opponents: Chiefs, Chargers, Saints, Buccaneers, Commanders, Browns, Lions, Packers, Vikings