Breaking down the NFC North: Who will challenge the Lions for dominance?

David Wilson, Miami Herald on Aug 30, 2025

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The 2025 NFL season is set to get underway on Sept. 4 when the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles face the Dallas Cowboys.

The Miami Herald broke down each division and continues with the NFC North, looking at the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings.

NFC NORTH

Chicago Bears

— Coach: Ben Johnson (first season as an NFL head coach)

— Last season: 5-12 (fourth in the division)

— Key additions: WR Luther Burden III, TE Colston Loveland, G Joe Thuney, C Drew Dalman, DE Dayo Odeyingbo

— Key subtractions: WR Keenan Allen, G Teven Jenkins

— Looking ahead: Year 1 for quarterback Caleb Williams was a dud, so here comes first-year coach Ben Johnson to the rescue. The Bears are trying to make everything easier for Williams in Year 2, getting the league’s best offensive coordinator to be their new coach, adding star guard Joe Thuney and center Drew Dalman in free agency, and spending their first two picks of the 2025 NFL draft on tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III. At the very least, Chicago needs to see major improvement from Williams in Year 2.

Detroit Lions

— Coach: Dan Campbell (fifth season with the Lions; 44-35-1 in the regular season, 2-2 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 15-2 (first in the division), lost in the NFC divisional round to the Commanders

— Key additions: WR Isaac TeSlaa, G Tate Ratledge, DT Tyleik Williams, CB D.J. Reed

— Key subtractions: G Kevin Zeitler, C Frank Ragnow, DE John Cominsky, DE Za’Darius Smith, CB Carlton Davis

— Looking ahead: The Lions are in a similar position to the Eagles of three years ago, when they topped the National Football Conference and then lost both of their coordinators to coaching jobs. On paper, Detroit should be fine with still one of the most talented rosters in the league, but replacing both coordinators inevitably leads to uncertainty. Still, it’s hard to not like a team featuring superstars like quarterback Jared Goff, running back Jahmyr Gibbs, tight end Sam LaPorta, tackle Penei Sewell and safety Brian Branch. The Lions are still loaded at some of the most important positions on the field — receiver, offensive line and defensive back — and so it’s hard to envision them taking too much of a step backward.

Green Bay Packers

— Coach: Matt LaFleur (seventh season with the Packers; 67-33 in the regular season, 3-5 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 11-6 (third in the division), lost in the NFC wild-card round to the Eagles

— Key additions: DE Micah Parsons, WR Matthew Golden, WR Savion Williams, T Anthony Belton, CB Nate Hobbs

— Key subtractions: DE Kenny Clark, C Josh Myers, CB Jaire Alexander

— Looking ahead: Quarterback Jordan Love is consistently getting the Packers to the NFL playoffs. The next step is turning Green Bay back into an actual contender. The Packers were a trendy pick in the National Football Conference based largely on excitement about Love and LaFleur, and that was before acquiring star defensive end Micah Parsons in a trade with the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday. But they still need to find some reliable offensive weapons beyond star running back Josh Jacobs. Notably, Green Bay majorly invested in weapons in the 2025 NFL draft, spending early picks on Golden and Williams. On defense, safety Xavier McKinney turned into a superstar last season in his first year with the Packers, and provides an important veteran presence on an otherwise young and exciting unit.

Minnesota Vikings

— Coach: Kevin O’Connell (fourth season with the Vikings; 34-17 in the regular season, 0-2 in the playoffs)

— Last season: 14-3 (second in the division), lost in the NFC wild-card round to the Rams

— Key additions: RB Jordan Mason, G Will Fries, C Ryan Kelly, DT Jonathan Allen, DT Javon Hargrave

— Key subtractions: QB Sam Darnold, QB Daniel Jones, CB Stephon Gilmore, S Camryn Bynum

— Looking ahead: The Vikings were one of the surprises of the regular season last year, winning 14 games despite losing quarterback J.J. McCarthy in the regular season. Even so, Minnesota let quarterback Sam Darnold — who led the Vikings to those 14 wins — walk in free agency to give the reins to McCarthy in Year 2. Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson should make life a little bit easier for McCarthy, as should a rock solid offensive line featuring star tackle Christian Darrisaw, and new additions in guard Will Fries and center Ryan Kelly.