Predicting the 2025-26 NFC North Turnout

Published: Friday, July 4, 2025

by Ryan Nelke

After the NFC North title came down to the final game of the season last year, it seems primed to be a tightly contested division once again.  The Lions captured the North for the second straight season, edging out the Vikings in Week 18 in a battle between two 14-win teams.

However, there have been big changes made within the division, as Detroit lost both of their coordinators, with Chicago taking their OC, Ben Johnson, to be their new head coach.  Minnesota handed the reins at QB over to JJ McCarthy, while Green Bay elected to move on from star CB Jaire Alexander.  With that said, it is time to get into my predictions for the 2025-26 NFC North.

The Detroit Lions

While the Lions regular season went just as they would have hoped it would, the playoffs were a whole different story.  Coming off the bye, they hosted the Washington Commanders and got bulldozed on defense, as they were upset 45-31.

As a result, Detroit went out in free agency and brought in star CB D.J. Reed and LB Derrick Barnes, giving their defense a much-needed boost.  On offense, they are running it back with a lineup that clicked on all cylinders throughout the majority of the season.  

With Jared Goff leading the way, and having a plethora of weapons including Jahymr Gibbs, David Montgomery, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Sam LaPorta, this team should be lethal for a third consecutive season.  While there might be some growing pains under new coordinators, I believe they will still win the division with a 12-5 record.

The Green Bay Packers

It is not often that an 11-win team finishes in third place, but the Packers achieved that feat last season, as they quietly had an impressive season in the shadows of the Lions and Vikings.  Jordan Love put together another solid year after suffering what looked like a gruesome injury in Week 1, and Josh Jacobs scored the most touchdowns of his career in his first year in Green Bay.

The most notable difference on this Packers squad comes on the defensive side of the ball, as longtime corner Jaire Alexander was released, leading to him signing with the Baltimore Ravens.  That said, it should be interesting to see how this cornerback room performs once football kicks off in September.

At the end of the day, Green Bay is putting out a very similar team that it had last year, and for those reasons, I expect similar results.  That being the case, I have the Packers finishing at 12-5, tying the Lions record, but finishing in second due to a tiebreaker and taking the second Wild Card spot.

The Chicago Bears

Expectations are high in the Windy City for a second straight season as they brought in the highly touted Ben Johnson to lead their team as Caleb Williams enters his sophomore campaign.  To the surprise of very few Bears fans, Chicago fell way short of the high hopes their faithful had, which is why they now look to Johnson to conjure the magic he produced in Detroit.

In an effort to protect their young quarterback, Chicago went out and upgraded what was an atrocious offensive line last year.  The Bears traded a 2026 fourth rounder for All-Pro LG Joe Thuney and a 2025 sixth rounder for Pro Bowler Jonah Jackson.

However, despite these additions, I am still weary in putting my trust into this team like I did last year, so while there are potentially good or even great years ahead for this Williams-led franchise, I am pumping the brakes for now.  What that means is I have the Bears ending the season in third place at 6-11.

The Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings shocked the NFL world last season, as while many thought they were in for a rough year with Sam Darnold at quarterback, he completely changed his reputation of the type of player he was, leading this team to a 14-3 record and the top Wild Card spot.  However, their season fell apart at the very end, leading to the Minnesota brass moving on from Darnold.

Enter JJ McCarthy, the 10th overall pick in the 2024 draft who missed the entirety of last year after tearing his meniscus in the preseason.  Many are still under the impression that McCarthy will be able to pick up where Darnold left off, and that head coach Kevin O’Connell will be able to curate him into a solid quarterback, keeping this team in contention.

That is where I differ, as I have not been a McCarthy fan since his college days at Michigan.  I believe Minnesota made the wrong decision letting Darnold walk, as while the losses to the Lions and Rams at the end of last year soured his season, he still won 14 games.  Therefore, the Vikings will pay for this decision and undergo a serious regression, finishing with a 4-13 record.

Projected NFC North Standings

1) Lions (12-5)
2) Packers (12-5), 2nd Wild Card
3) Bears (6-11)
4) Vikings (4-13)

The NFC North has the potential to be the most competitive division this year, with every team having playoff and or championship aspirations.  Find out how it all pans out when the season kicks off on September 4th…

Ryan Nelke can be reached at nelkerya@shu.edu.

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