There is perhaps no NFL division with as much collective intrigue and firepower going into the 2025 season than the NFC North. Producing three different teams with at least 11 wins and a playoff berth in 2024, the formidable quartet figures to be just as, if not more, dangerous come fall and winter.
The Detroit Lions are the reigning division champions, ascending all the way to the NFC’s No. 1 seed in Year 4 of the ultra-aggressive Dan Campbell regime. The Green Bay Packers have been right in the thick of the NFC North race, if not atop it, ever since Matt LaFleur arrived in 2019. The Minnesota Vikings approached a franchise record with 14 wins under Kevin O’Connell in 2024, despite using a rental journeyman at quarterback. And the Chicago Bears appear primed for a leap of their own, one year after taking Caleb Williams No. 1 overall in the draft.
Which of the NFC North’s four teams is best equipped to meet or exceed expectations? Is it fair to expect at least three of these teams to once again make the playoffs? We’ve got other burning questions for each of the division’s contenders ahead of the 2025 campaign:
Chicago Bears: How quickly can Caleb Williams mesh with Ben Johnson?
We know Williams is a freak athlete, bringing dual-threat elusiveness and a live-wire arm under center. We know Ben Johnson is one of the most respected offensive minds in the game, previously bringing both stability and authority to Detroit. We don’t yet know how these two will work together. All the pieces are there: Williams’ dynamism, Johnson’s innovation, and a rock-solid setup now outfitted with added veteran blockers and a trio of young wideouts in DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III. But how quickly can Williams adapt to Johnson’s system? Already the coach is apparently retraining the quarterback’s body language; will Johnson also be able to reign in Williams’ more frenetic play style?
Detroit Lions: How will Dan Campbell weather the staffing purge?
An exodus of coordinators doesn’t have to derail you, but it can; look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles, who essentially needed a full year to properly recover from the loss of both Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon after their 2022 Super Bowl bid. Campbell is enough of an offensive expert and rah-rah locker-room force to keep the Lions’ ultra-talented lineup in check. Without his second-hand men in Johnson and Aaron Glenn, however, the pressure will be on the big man to improve a club that’s upped its win total the last three years. Is it possible the Jared Goff-led attack has already peaked? They’ve still got a crazy arsenal of playmakers, but these Lions have also lived and died by Campbell’s decisions.
Green Bay Packers: Can Jordan Love and Co. stay healthy and in rhythm?
Plenty of experts had the Packers pegged as Super Bowl contenders going into 2024, because Green Bay ended 2023 — Love’s first season as a full-time starter — with magnificent promise. Most of the big-game dreams faded as a result of Jordan Love sandwiching mercurial results between lingering injuries. And then basically his entire wide receiver corps broke down. LaFleur’s scheming and Josh Jacobs‘ rushing physicality could help Love, a top-10 talent, get right back to the playoffs. But the quarterback will also need to build chemistry with a restocked pass catching corps featuring two rookies in Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, plus banged-up holdovers like Christian Watson.
Minnesota Vikings: What can J.J. McCarthy bring to the table?
This is the money question of the entire division. The Vikings have the makings of a heavyweight. O’Connell is a masterclass in uplifting leadership. Brian Flores’ defense was a crunch-time takeaway machine in 2024. Both fronts have added veteran help, and the weapons are as good as they come, with Aaron Jones, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson all Pro Bowl-caliber talents. Yet their ability to weather a brutal 2025 schedule hinges on the new guy dealing the ball. O’Connell got big-play results from Sam Darnold for much of last year, but J.J. McCarthy is 22 with zero NFL experience. Is he ready, in his first-ever pro action, to meet Vikings fans’ abruptly inflated expectations? He’s certainly got the infrastructure to make early waves. But Minnesota knows all too well that things aren’t always as smooth as they seem.
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