Week 12 NFC North Power Rankings and Previews

Here are the latest NFC North power rankings and a look at this week’s matchups, which include the Packers hosting the 49ers and a division clash between the Vikings and Bears.

Bill Huber | Nov 22, 2024

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs (8) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Chicago Bears. / David Banks-Imagn Images

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – With seven weeks to go in the regular season, three NFC North teams are in position to make the playoffs, with the Detroit Lions in control of the No. 1 seed and the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers leading the wild-card race.

Here are this week’s NFC North power rankings.

On SI NFC North Power Rankings

As selected by the On SI team publishers: Bill Huber from Green Bay, John Maakaron from Detroit, Gene Chamberlain from Chicago and Joe Nelson from Minnesota.

1. Detroit Lions (9-1): The Lions, who have won eight in a row, received all four first-place votes and are No. 1 in our Consensus NFL Power Rankings.

2. Minnesota Vikings (8-2): The Vikings received all four second-place votes and are No. 5 in the On SI NFL Power Rankings, compiled by our team beat writers.

3. Green Bay Packers (7-3): The Packers received all four third-place votes. They are facing a stretch of three games in 11 days, culminating with Week 14 at Detroit.

4. Chicago Bears (4-6): The Bears received all four last-place votes. They have lost four in a row after reaching the bye with a 4-2 record.

Bill Huber’s NFC North Rankings

1. Detroit Lions: The Lions have the best record in the NFC and look like the best team in the NFL. Talk about dominance: The Lions are outscoring their opponents by 15.9 points per game. That’s almost as much as the next two teams (the Bills and Eagles) combined.

2. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have won three in a row, though those victories over the Colts, Jaguars and Titans weren’t exactly impressive. There’s no reason why they can’t extend their winning streak to at least eight games.

3. Green Bay Packers: It’s hard to vault the Packers past anyone when they needed a blocked field goal to beat the lousy Bears.

4. Chicago Bears: Chicago has a lot of offensive firepower. Why it has failed to reach even a modest 20 points in four consecutive games is a mystery.

Best team in the NFL: It’s the Lions, and no other team is even close. Given the way they’re playing, it’s hard to see any team in the NFC keeping them out of the Super Bowl.

Worst team in the NFL: Kudos to the Giants for giving Daniel Jones a contract worth $40 million per season, and then humiliating him by playing him as a scout-team safety in front of reporters.

NFC North Week 12 Games

As written by our NFC North team publishers.

Green Bay Packers

vs. San Francisco 49ers (noon Sunday)

Best free agent addition: Last season, the Packers’ primary starting safeties were Darnell Savage and Jonathan Ford. Combined, they had zero interceptions and three pass breakups for a defense that ranked toward the bottom of the NFL with seven interceptions. In free agency, the Packers signed the best veteran available, Xavier McKinney. All McKinney has done is intercept six passes, play mostly leak-proof defense and lead a pair of rookie safeties, Javon Bullard and Evan Williams, who get a ton of playing time.

Keys to victory: This will be Christian McCaffrey’s third game back in the lineup. The All-Pro running back hasn’t really gotten going yet, as he’s averaged 3.7 yards per carry with a long run of 13 yards and just two broken tackles. The Packers need to keep him under wraps. Because Green Bay struggled to stop the run last week, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams helped the Bears convert on 9-of-16 third downs. It could be the same formula for the 49ers with Brock Purdy picking and choosing between Deebo Samuel, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle.

Detroit Lions

at Indianapolis Colts (noon Sunday)

Best free agent addition: Carlton Davis doesn’t qualify because he was acquired in a trade, but he’s been an excellent addition to the secondary. While defensive tackle DJ Reader and nickel Amik Robertson have been solid additions, signing guard Kevin Zeitler was a super under-the-radar move. Detroit was able to land the productive veteran on a one-year, $6 million contract and he has fit right in with the elite offensive line. In pass protection, he’s allowed just nine pressures in nine games, according to Pro Football Focus.

Keys to victory: Stifle the Colts’ run game. Quarterback Anthony Richardson is a huge threat with his legs, and the Colts also boast premier running back Jonathan Taylor, who has four 100-yard games, including against Green Bay and Chicago. If those two get going, the Lions will be tested. If Detroit can force Indianapolis into second-and-long situations, the defense should be able to thrive.

Minnesota Vikings

at Chicago Bears (noon Sunday)

Best free agent addition: There are so many to consider: Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, Shaq Griffin, Stephon Gilmore and Aaron Jones have been outstanding, but one name stands out above the rest: Blake Cashman. Was it any wonder that Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford shredded the Vikings over the middle of the field when Cashman was out with a turf toe injury? The Vikings have been stifling on defense with Cashman on the field. He’s the underrated defensive MVP in Minnesota.

Keys to victory: Win the turnover battle. It’s an obvious truth, but it carries more weight every time Minnesota travels to Soldier Field, where weird things seem to happen to the Vikings. The Vikings could have the greatest roster of players in franchise history, all of them in their prime, against the worst players in Chicago history, and the game would still come down to the wire. That’s just the way it is when these clubs meet in Chicago.

Chicago Bears

vs. Minnesota Vikings (noon Sunday)

Best free agent addition: When the Bears signed free agent safety Kevin Byard to replace Eddie Jackson, CBS Sports labeled it the worst signing of free agency. Byard, who is 31, has proven he has plenty left after his 2023 season was split between Tennessee and Philadelphia. Pro Football Focus grades Byard the league’s seventh-best safety, higher than any of the Eagles safeties who Philadelphia put in his place when they let him leave in free agency. He quickly became a leader not just in the secondary but of the entire defense.

Keys to victory: A good blitz plan for Caleb Williams is critical. A rookie facing Brian Flores’ blitzes for the first time can quickly get lost in the sea of onrushing bodies. If they have a place where he can get rid of the football quickly and safely, with hot reads, screens or even just throwing it away, they can stay in the game. Williams has gone 146 consecutive passes without an interception, and it’s difficult to see how that list remains intact after this game considering the Vikings’ pressure.

Latest Green Bay Packers News

The #Packers will face a huge challenge on Sunday against the 49ers. @hibbard_casey has this week's keys to the game. ⬇️https://t.co/isUjzgfFTH
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 22, 2024

Published Nov 22, 2024

BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.