The NFC North is chock-full of big questions, one year after three of the division’s four teams made the NFL playoffs.
Are the Chicago Bears primed for a seismic leap under new coach Ben Johnson, who has a recent No. 1 overall draft pick at his disposal in Caleb Williams? Can the Detroit Lions weather major staff turnover after a surprisingly early exit from the postseason? Will the Green Bay Packers stay healthy around Jordan Love in coach Matt LaFleur’s latest bid to be an NFC power? And what, exactly, is J.J. McCarthy’s ceiling as the new face of the Minnesota Vikings?
All of the pressing questions will be answered in due time. In the meantime, however, it’s important to look beyond the biggest names for clues regarding each club’s trajectory. So which under-the-radar players could be secret weapons this year? Here are overlooked X factors for each of the NFC North’s four contenders entering the 2025 campaign, including a former Pro Bowl playmaker and a ball carrier who once excelled in place of San Francisco 49ers star Christian McCaffrey:
The key to this season in Motor City is how Williams and Johnson coexist, provided of course the quarterback gets adequate protection from his rebuilt front. But almost nobody is talking about how much Johnson leaned upon the ground game in his Detroit Lions run. Swift even spent time with Johnson in Motown. He was woefully inefficient to start his 2024 season in Chicago, but he’s still got home run burst. Maybe he’ll be paired effectively with rookie Kyle Monangai, a preseason standout, to give the Bears a legitimate one-two punch.
We cycle through the same names when discussing the Lions: Jared Goff as the distributor, Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown as the electric skill weapons, Aidan Hutchinson as the pass rushing force, and Dan Campbell as the hearty captain of the ship. Everything starts in the trenches, though, and Glasgow, who’s on his second stint with the team, will be tasked with filling the shoes of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow, who retired before the age of 30 this offseason. How he holds up at the heart of the line could dictate whether this group stays on course.
The Packers didn’t take wide receiver lightly this offseason, spending two early draft picks on new toys for Jordan Love. The first pick, Matthew Golden, appears especially poised to have an early impact out wide alongside Jayden Reed and Co. But bumps and bruises still run rampant in that position room (see: Christian Watson, who’s set to miss the start of the season). That could leave Kraft as one of Love’s most reliable pass targets. The former third-rounder quietly logged 50 catches and 700 yards in 2024, earning Love’s trust as a safety valve.
Everyone and their mother knows J.J. McCarthy is the X factor in Minnesota. But the young quarterback doesn’t just have an elite pass catching tandem to support his regular-season debut. The Vikings quietly added Mason via trade with the 49ers, plucking San Francisco’s top Christian McCaffrey fill-in for what appears to be a meaty role. Aaron Jones is still the clear starter in the backfield, but coach Kevin O’Connell seems intent on spelling the speedy veteran with Mason’s more physical approach. The run game could be pivotal here.
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