Who Will Win NFC North? Fresh Faces Will Decide

The Detroit Lions won the NFC North last year. Will they win it again? Their new cornerbacks, along with Xavier McKinney, Caleb Williams and the Vikings' pass rushers, will decide.

Former Green Bay Packers running back Aaron Jones (33) and Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (23) get into a scrap after last season's game. / Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The NFC North will be among the most intriguing divisions in the NFL this year and perhaps the most powerful division based on the potential top-to-bottom power at quarterback.

The Detroit Lions are reigning champions, the preseason favorites to repeat at FanDuel Sportsbook and among the Super Bowl favorites, as well.

However, as mutual funds are required to state, past performance is no guarantee of future results. Roster additions (and subtractions) can drastically change the fortunes of teams.

From that perspective, with the start of NFL training camps about three weeks away, here is a closer look at how those fresh faces could impact the division race.

Detroit Lions

The Lions have a great offense. They had a bad defense. Will that change?

Last year, the Lions finished 23rd with 23.2 points allowed per game. They ranked 26th in yards allowed per play. The problem was evident: They ranked third in yards allowed per rushing attempt and 30th in yards allowed per passing play.

GM Brad Holmes took the Brian Gutekunst approach to fixing a roster by throwing massive resources in one direction. First, Holmes sent a third-round pick to the Buccaneers in exchange for cornerback Carlton Davis and a couple late-round picks. Next, he signed slot Amik Robertson, who started 12 games last season for the Raiders. Finally, he used his first-round pick on Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold and his second-round pick on cornerback Ennis Rakestraw.

“I tell these guys this: Like, Terrion comes from Alabama. You’re not playing Georgia every week,” Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said during OTAs. “Once you get to the NFL, you’re playing a top-notch player every week and he has to understand that and there’s no weeks off. You’re not playing App State now.

“You’re playing a quality NFL receiver every week. He’s going to get his lumps, just like Rakestraw. They’re going to get their lumps. But I do know this: The mentality of those guys, they are fighters. And that’s the reason we got them. They’ll be ready to play each week.”

If the Lions have fixed their secondary, it’s going to be a lot tougher for Jordan Love during their twice-a-year matchups.

As CBS Sports’ Garrett Podell wrote in his NFC North overview: “Detroit’s retooled defense, plus its top-tier offensive continuity, provides a simple blueprint back to the top of the NFC North in 2024.” 

Green Bay Packers

Just like Holmes at cornerback, Gutekunst made a series of moves to address the weakness at safety. After signing premier veteran Xavier McKinney, he used three draft picks on Javon Bullard, Evan Williams and Kitan Oladapo.

Just like that, a key position in new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense has been addressed.

Down the stretch, Green Bay went with Darnell Savage and Jonathan Owens as the starting safeties. For the season, they combined for zero interceptions and four passes defensed. McKinney by himself had three interceptions and 11 passes defensed. Plus, he is among the top tacklers at the position. Bullard should be an excellent fit, as well, with his coverage skill and physicality.

With a four-year, $67 million contract, the expectation is McKinney, more than anyone, will be the key to Green Bay’s defense finally reaching its potential.

“I don’t think it’s pressure,” he said. “I’m here to perfect my craft. So, I don’t really feel any pressure ever. I just try to go out there and play my best and compete. I’m trying to win, at the end of the day, and I know what that takes to be able to win games and win championships. So, I don’t ever really feel pressure.

“I know that a lot of these guys in here are super-motivated and are hungry. I’m the same way, so it’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a fun time.”

Chicago Bears

Last season, Love threw 32 touchdown passes for the Packers. No quarterback in Bears history has thrown 30 touchdown passes.

Thanks to a brilliant trade with the Carolina Panthers, the Bears secured the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and landed USC’s touted Caleb Williams. Williams won the 2022 Heisman Trophy and became the first collegiate quarterback with 30-plus touchdown passes and 10-plus touchdown runs in back-to-back seasons since Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech.

It’s not just Williams. The Bears added receiver Keenan Allen in free agency and receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth overall pick. Along with star receiver D.J. Moore and established tight end Cole Kmet, Williams will have an embarrassment of riches to hit the ground running.

If Williams is what the Bears hope – a great quarterback capable of making the Bears perennial championship contenders – the Packers-Bears rivalry will be something more than two automatic wins for the Packers and the NFC North race will be one of the most heated in the NFL for the next decade.

As NFL.com’s Eric Edholm said: “The Bears offer Williams some things that few of those rookie QBs had: an exciting WR corps, the makings of a solid offensive line and other good foundational pieces on offense, not to mention an improved roster on defense and special teams. Williams is an exceptional talent, the likes of which the Bears might never have had at the position.”

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings had run their course with Kirk Cousins. So, Cousins signed a huge contract with the Atlanta Falcons and the Vikings responded by signing veteran Sam Darnold and using the 12th overall pick on quarterback J.J. McCarthy.

Whoever, the quarterback, he’ll benefit from some premier talent. Receivers Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson (once he’s back from a torn ACL) form an elite trio, and former Packers running back Aaron Jones will fix a running game that finished 24th in yards per carry.

“We get the conversation about running backs and age and different things like that,” general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, “but I think, as you've seen this year in the market, maybe that dynamic has gone a little too far to the other side, and teams are realizing that there's still really good players, that they're valued, and it's a position where you can really upgrade performance at a pretty efficient [price].”

So, the offense should be fine. With the transition at quarterback, the Vikings will sink or swim based on Brian Flores’ defense.

In free agency, Minnesota lost Danielle Hunter, who finished fifth in the NFL with 16.5 sacks, but signed Jonathan Greenard (12.5 sacks for the Texans) and drafted Dallas Turner (All-American at Alabama with 10 sacks) in the first round. If they can provide some pass-rushing juice, it should help a defense that finished 26th in interception percentage and 28th in the red zone.

As Podell wrote: “They should help increase the Vikings’ quarterback pressure rate of 32.1 percent from a year ago, a figure that was the sixth-worst in the NFL despite Flores blitzing an NFL-most 50.7 percent on quarterback dropbacks.” 

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