Cold War (2025 NFC North Preview)

The NFC North. Chaotic. Gritty. Insane. Monstrous. And that's just the Packers. As a Packers fan, I enjoy this division so much. Honestly, even if I was a fan of a different team, I'd enjoy this division. These four teams have co-existed together for over sixty years, all together in that same Midwestern cluster, all in that cold weather (though the Lions and Vikings actually play indoors). Last year was a wild mess in the NFC North, a wild, unexpected mess, indeed. The mess will remain, but I do expect some things to change--some for the better, some not so much.

So let's take a look at the NFC North:

Chicago Bears (5-12)

The Chicago Bears. Still the butt-monkey of the NFC North, and boy was that proven to be true last season. I still remember when everyone in division was at least two games over .500--with the Bears at 4-2. Bears won once since then, but that one win was against the Packers, breaking a long losing streak against the team. The win came on the 102nd and final birthday of the team's owner, Virginia Halas McCaskey, who passed away just over a month later. That season also saw the Bears do something they had never done in their entire existence: they fired their head coach in-season. After embarrassing himself yet again in the Bears' Thanksgiving loss to the Lions, Matt Eberflus was shown the door a day later on Black Friday, the first time that the Bears fired their HC during the season. Ben Johnson's the man in charge now, and the Bears will look to escape their role as the division's punching bag. Spoiler alert: they won't.

Green Bay Packers (11-6)

Year Two with Jordan Love under center saw the Packers at 11-6, a two game improvement from 2023. It was great to see Love get his first 10-win season of his career, but there were a few hiccups for us last year. For one, Love was banged up early in the year, but we still persevered. One thing that really does bug me was our division record. If we hadn't blocked that field goal in Chicago, we'd be looking at a winless record in division play in 2024, mainly because while we were kicking ass, the Lions and Vikings became beasts. I'll elaborate on the other two teams later. The end our last season was not delicious at all, but honestly, I'm more upset about our last two regular season losses than the one in the Wild Card--mainly because a) we lost to the eventual champs, and b) even horrendously banged up, we still put up a game fight. I see more improvement for the Packers in 2025, especially since we actually drafted a receiver in Round 1! Can you believe it?!

Minnesota Vikings (14-3)

I'm disgusted. I can't believe they did this. I'm still processing this, and I'm just sickened by it. The Minnesota Vikings... won fourteen games! UGH! I had to suffer through 18 weeks of the Vikings actually being... GOOD. But yeah, out of their 17 games, Minnesota won 14 of them, including sweeping my Packers. They were finding ways to win, even with Sam Darnold as QB. No way in hell did I expect Sam Darnold to be the upgrade they needed. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins regressed in Atlanta to the point where he lost his starting job by December. The Vikings had a hell of a regular season, but as usual, they disappeared in January. Only scored 9 points and lost in the Wild Card to a Rams team who was not playing at home due to the raging California wildfires. Seriously, the more that Minnesota finds ways to lose early in the playoffs, the less respect I have for Drew Brees for letting this team own him in January. But there is one great thing about the Vikings having seasons like this: they'll have nowhere else to go but down.

Detroit Lions (15-2)

You know, I've come to a conclusion: Detroit is just not allowed to be in the Super Bowl. Hell, they're hardly allowed to host it; only two SBs have emanated from Motor City: Super Bowl XVI (the Niners' first of five wins) and Super Bowl XL (the Steelers joining the five-time champions club). As we all figured, the Lions improved from their already amazing 2023 season. They won 15 games. Fifteen! Only the Bucs and Bills beat them (both losses at home). #1 seed in the NFC. This was their best chance to finally reach the Super Bowl. I was prepared for it. I was imagining the Lions actually being in the Super Bowl. And then some team with a rookie QB decided to burn Ford Field to ashes. A 15-2 season gone in about a quarter and a half against the Commanders. Like I said, this team is just not allowed to be in the Super Bowl. But I know this, the Lions will have a downward slide, but not a bad slide. They'll still be our #1 problem in the division, and the meetings will be interesting--especially that first one on September 7.

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Each division has six different matchups, totalling 12 games overall per division. Week 1 will see two of those games: Lions/Packers on September 7's late window, and Vikings/Bears as the first Monday game of the regular season. The NFC North is wild, untamed, dramatic, and unhinged, and I absolutely love the madness! 2025 will be no different when it comes to the NFC North's intensity!