It feels like every year the NFC North might be the best division in football. Then the season starts, they underachieve, and we all look like fools for buying in again. Last year the Bears surprised by winning the division and everyone was over .500 but none were ever real contenders. Is this year going to be any different?
NFC West
NFL Season Preview 2026
NFC North
NFC South: September 3
NFC East: September 4
AFC East: September 7
AFC South: September 8
AFC North: September 10
AFC East: September 11
Chicago Bears
- In: Coby Bryant, Devin Bush, Dillon Thieneman
- Out: D.J. Moore, Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, Tremaine Edmunds, C.J. Gardner Johnson
- Prediction: Playoff bubble
The Bears went 11-6 last year which included a 9-1 stretch in the middle of the season. Caleb Williams played great and there’s good reason to believe that if he levels up again they are a legitimate contender. However, that also included an 8-4 record in 1-score games (not including a 1-1 record in those same types of games in the playoffs) and only a +23 differential. It’s not like the schedule was hard either (though they did beat up the Eagles when we were falling apart). Now they replaced the back end of their defense and still do not have a go-to receiver. Everyone automatically crowned Ben Johnson a genius after one year and that never smells right to me (PCKST – Post Chip Kelly Stress Disorder). While they could still win the division and Caleb Williams might be special, there is a clear talent gap between this team and the big guns of the NFC.
Detroit Lions
- In: Cade Mays
- Out: Taylor Decker, David Montgomery, Alex Anzalone, Amik Robertson, Terrion Arnold
- Prediction: Playoff bubble
The Lions were supposed to be contenders last year and cratered. It was an offensive mess and the team dealt with injuries all over. Other than hopefully being healthier this season, are they any better? Not at all. Detroit always looks great on paper, but they actually are all of the negatives the media heaps upon the Eagles. Jared Goff is not a Super Bowl caliber QB who is lifted by his teammates not the other way around. Dan Campbell is only a CEO coach, who has a bad habit of not motivating his team when they need it and has never won any big games. When his team needed answers last season, he had none. They may end up winning the division simply by having the easiest schedule of the bunch.
Minnesota Vikings
- In: Kyler Murray, Jauan Jennings,
- Out: Jonathan Greenard, Jonathan Allen, Jalen Nailor, Javon Hargrave
- Prediction: Hovering in the mathematically-still-alive level of the potential playoff field, but does not realistically have a chance
Getting Kyler Murray for $1.3m is a steal. No, he is not going to completely transform the team but he may win a few and lose a few games on his own. He is certainly more competent and capable than J.J. McCarthy though. To get that at the league minimum? That’s huge. It lets them soft reset their payroll after some big splurging the last 2 seasons and nothing to show for it. The best they are going to do is some really fun offensive games against bad teams. Too bad they don’t play the Bengals this season.
Green Bay Packers
- In: Zaire Franklin, Javon Hargrave
- Out: Rashan Gary, Malik Willis, Romeo Doubs, Quay Walker, Elgton Jenkins
- Prediction: Playoff bubble
I went up to Green Bay for the Eagles game last year and it was an interesting experience. It is football heaven, but the people were the most interesting part. They are all very nice and they all know football and not in the blowhard, wants-you-to-know-they-know-football kind of way. From everyone we talked to, they had the same opinion: none of them thought Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love were going to win anything. No one said they were “trash” or anything close to outright negative, but they were all convinced that just good was the best they would ever be. It was very telling. The team didn’t do anything to improve that mediocre opinion either.
Photo: Gonzo fan2007, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
Leave a Reply