As expected, the NFC North looks like a beast of a division in 2024

But very few people thought it would be the Vikings sitting atop the standings.

The NFC North is a collective 14-5 this season, the best record of any division. / Imagn Images

Coming into the 2024 season, the NFC North looked like one of the best, deepest divisions in football. That's been the case through five weeks, but it's been led by a dominant start from the team most people thought would be bringing up the rear this year.

The Vikings are 5-0 after taking down the Jets in London, which means they could go 2-10 the rest of the way (seems unlikely) and still hit the over on their preseason Vegas win total of 6.5. The 3-1 Lions were off this week after dropping 42 points on the Seahawks last Monday. The Packers and Bears both moved to 3-2 with wins on Sunday over the Rams and Panthers, respectively. That makes the NFC North the only division in the NFL where all four teams are above .500.

The NFC North 🍿🍿 pic.twitter.com/Oye2FvYBVz

— PFF (@PFF) October 7, 2024

That's a collective 14-5 record for the division, which is tops in the league by a notable margin. Heading into Chiefs-Saints on Monday Night Football, the AFC West is second at 11-7. The NFC East is 11-8. The five other divisions are all below .500 as a collective, although the NFC South would be 10-10 with a New Orleans victory on Monday.

Want another data point? The four NFC North teams have a combined point differential of +133, led by the Vikings' league-leading +63. The next-best division is the AFC West at +26. The NFC East is at +11, and the other five are in the negatives.

This looks like the best division in football — and it might not be close. The Vikings are rolling behind the NFL's best defense and a strong start (prior to Week 5) from NFC offensive player of the month Sam Darnold. The Lions remain a major Super Bowl contender with a balanced, star-studded roster that includes NFC defensive player of the month Aidan Hutchinson. The Packers, with a healthy Jordan Love, are a legit contender. Even Caleb Williams and the Bears are in the mix after walloping the Panthers this weekend.

It's going to be a heck of a grind over the next three months. We've only had one of the 12 intra-division matchups so far (the Vikings' win at Lambeau Field in Week 4). The 11 remaining games will come with plenty of intrigue, starting with a massive Vikings-Lions showdown in Minneapolis in two weeks.

"I'm not surprised," Lions coach Dan Campbell said on Monday. "I expected this. I expect us sitting here in another month and it's gonna look very similar, we're in there together. It's gonna be one of the toughest divisions, I felt that way going in this year. So I'm not shocked one bit. You don't want it any other way, really. I think that's awesome, I think it's a good thing. You get to duke it out with some teams that are playing really good football. It's kind of exciting, honestly."