NFC North Predictions
Several different predictions/opinions out there. What's yours?
How do you feel about this NFC North prediction from @elitetakes_? 😈
— SleeperVikings (@SleeperVikings) September 4, 2026
🎥: elitetakes on TikTok pic.twitter.com/ZfUfCu8ygF
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Is this kid AI? And if he's not, is he in junior high?
NFC North Predictions: Will The Lions Or Bears Finish As Kings Of The North?
The NFC North enters the upcoming season as one of the most competitive divisions in the league, with all four teams harboring playoff ambitions.
The Chicago Bears enter as the defending division champions, but face heavy pressure from a reloaded division. Detroit aims to bounce back behind a high-powered offense, Green Bay looks to navigate early injury concerns, and Minnesota enters with a new-look roster.
With Week 1 just around the corner, the First Things First crew predicted the NFC North standings and how the season would unfold for the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings.
Both panelists agreed on the division winner, signaling a strong consensus at the top of the division.
Nick Wright's NFC North Prediction
1.
Detroit Lions
2.
Chicago Bears
3.
Green Bay Packers
4.
Minnesota Vikings
Nick Wright selected the Detroit Lions to win the division, projecting the Chicago Bears in second with 10 wins, the Green Bay Packers in third at 9-8, and the Minnesota Vikings fourth at 8-9.
Wright picked Detroit to capture the division title, led by a dynamic offense.
"I got the Lions winning the division. I think they'll have an awesome offense," Wright said. "I think they're going to struggle to stop the pass. I think they're going to lose to bad quarterbacks when they play them, but I think their offense is going to be really good."
Wright picked Chicago to finish second as a playoff wild card team.
"A little bit of a step back, 10 wins, the Chicago Bears," Wright said.
Wright projected Green Bay to finish third and miss the postseason, pointing to early availability issues and receiver production.
"I don't think they can overcome no Micah Parsons early," Wright said. "There's two teams that it's been three years since they've had a 1,000-yard receiver: the Chiefs ... and the Packers, who everyone's like, man, they've got four No. 1s. They've got an embarrassment of riches at receiver. I think they win nine games."
Wright placed Minnesota at the bottom of the division and questioned their late-season trajectory with Kyler Murray under center.
"I have the Minnesota Vikings going 8-9, but the inevitable Kyler Murray December collapse I think will follow him from the south to the north," Wright said. "I'm stunned by the amount of hype surrounding this team."
.@getnickwright was going through his NFC North predictions and accidentally summoned the ICEMAN 🥶
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 2, 2026
“Have no fear, Iceman is here! Ready to defend Caleb Williams against all doubters and haters of which on this panel, there are many.” — @DannyParkins 🤣 pic.twitter.com/a5qsINxrka
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NFC NORTH CHAMPS
Rank
1
(10 votes: Cersosimo, Filice, Gordon, Kownack, McWilliams, Okada, Patra, Rosenthal, Smith, Yam.)
T-2) Chicago Bears (+310) | 4 votes: Band, Ely, Parr, Zierlein.
T-2) Green Bay Packers (+270) | 4 votes: Bergman, Reuter, Shook, Umerani.
4) Minnesota Vikings (+420) | 1 vote: Abdoo.
Why Matt Okada chose the Lions: Last year, the Bears won seven of their 11 one-score games on their way to the NFC North title (tied for third-most such wins in the league). That typically spells regression the ensuing season. Therefore, in an extremely tight division, I'm banking on a bounce-back effort from the team that won it in 2023 and '24, with the most trustworthy offense.
Chris Broussard's NFC North Prediction
1.
Detroit Lions
2.
Chicago Bears
3.
Green Bay Packers
4.
Minnesota Vikings
Chris Broussard agreed with Wright on the overall division order, picking the Detroit Lions to take first place, followed by the Chicago Bears in second, the Green Bay Packers in third, and the Minnesota Vikings in fourth. Broussard voiced confidence in Detroit's leadership and overall roster depth.
"Bounce-back year for the Lions. I think they're ready. In Dan Campbell, I trust," Broussard said. "I think he's a very good coach, a great coach, and I think that defense is going to bounce back from last year, and obviously the offense has weapons galore."
Broussard placed Chicago second, anticipating growth from their young quarterback.
"I think the offense is gonna cook, and I think Caleb Williams is going to improve," Broussard said. "Not just be great in the last four minutes, but be really good throughout the game. I think they'll be good enough to get in the playoffs."
Broussard selected Green Bay to finish third, also citing the uncertainties surrounding Parsons leading into the start of the year.
"Micah targeted Week 6. Targeting doesn't mean he'll be back for week six. And then how long will it take him to get going," Broussard said. "It's gonna be a rough year. I hate to say it. They were my Super Bowl pick last year to get the NFC, so that's a tough one."
Broussard rounded out the standings with Minnesota in fourth place, expressing skepticism about their quarterback situation relative to the division.
"Kyler's the fourth-best quarterback in that division," Broussard said. "Even if he bounces back, he's the fourth-best quarterback in that division."
.@GregJennings went after @Chris_Broussard for saying the Packers would miss the playoffs 😬🤣
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) September 2, 2026
“At #3, Greg, I’m sorry… The Green Bay Packers! And I hate this, cause I’m a J-Lo guy. But we saw last year, great quarterbacks miss the playoffs.” pic.twitter.com/R6bSjFqph7
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Hurry-up Vikings, we ain't getting any younger!
Chicago Bears Win Total
OVER 9.5 (+105)
UNDER 9.5 (-125)
Despite winning the NFC North last season, the betting market is expecting a regression from the Chicago Bears this season. Their win total is set at just 9.5 for the upcoming season, with the UNDER being the more likely option at -125.
Detroit Lions Win Total
OVER 10.5 (-115)
UNDER 10.5 (-105)
The Detroit Lions had a disappointing 2025 season, but they have a lot of things going their way in 2026. Most notably, they have the easiest schedule in the NFL based on opponents' projected win totals. As a result, their win total is set at 10.5, with the OVER juiced to -115.
Green Bay Packers Win Total
OVER 9.5 (-130)
UNDER 9.5 (+110)
Minnesota Vikings Win Total
OVER 8.5 (-120)
UNDER 8.5 (+100)
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Rank 1
(10 votes: Cersosimo, Filice, Gordon, Kownack, McWilliams, Okada, Patra, Rosenthal, Smith, Yam.)
T-2) Chicago Bears (+310) | 4 votes: Band, Ely, Parr, Zierlein.
T-2) Green Bay Packers (+270) | 4 votes: Bergman, Reuter, Shook, Umerani.
4) Minnesota Vikings (+420) | 1 vote: Abdoo.
Why Matt Okada chose the Lions: Last year, the Bears won seven of their 11 one-score games on their way to the NFC North title (tied for third-most such wins in the league). That typically spells regression the ensuing season. Therefore, in an extremely tight division, I'm banking on a bounce-back effort from the team that won it in 2023 and '24, with the most trustworthy offense.
LIVE WELL ~ LOVE MUCH ~ LAUGH OFTEN
Let it rain.....love it. If they're right, then so be it. But if not, keep the receipts. Like I said for the past month, some of these talking heads are all in on Kyler Murray, but then put the Vikings last in their predictions. 🤔 I have no idea how the season is going to play out, but the predictions and rationale is always hilarious with these national guys.
NFC North Division Odds for 2026 Season (Expect a Bounceback Season in Detroit)
Each team in the NFC North has won the division at least once in the past five seasons. It's the Green Bay Packers who, surprisingly, have the longest divisional drought, having not won it since 2021.
It's shaping up to once again be one of the most wide-open divisions in all of football in 2026. Most divisions have at least one team that has virtually no chance of winning, but in the NFC North, even the Minnesota Vikings could come out on top if Kyler Murray returns to his former self in his first year with his new team.
The Chicago Bears won the division last year, playing to an 11-6 record behind a strong season by both Caleb Williams and new head coach Ben Johnson. Despite being the defending champions, they're third on the odds list to go back-to-back.
Let's dive into the odds and my prediction.
NFC North Odds
Lions +145
Packers +260
Bears +350
Vikings +460
The Lions finished in last place in the division last year at 9-8, but now they're set as +145 favorites to win the division this season, which is an implied probability of 40.82%. The Lions won the division in back-to-back years in 2023 and 2024, but had a disappointing 2025 campaign where things didn't go their way.
There are a lot of things to like about the Lions heading into this season. Firstly, I thought they were a lot better than their record showed last season, finishing the year third in DVOA and sixth in Net Yards per Play, the best mark amongst all teams that didn't make the postseason. This season, they get to play the easiest schedule in the NFL based on opponent projected win totals, which gives them an inside track to not only win the NFC North, but potentially capture the No. 1 seed.
Meanwhile, I think the Bears are a big regression candidate. Every season there's a team that continuously pulls out wins late in games, falls on the right side of variance more often than not, and the 2025 version of that was the Chicago Bears. I'm still not sold on this team on either side of the ball, and I'm not yet convinced that Caleb Williams is a franchise quarterback. He ranked in the bottom half of the NFL in virtually every single quarterback metric, including 29th in completion percentage over expected.
For the other two teams, the Packers didn't do enough this offseason for me to believe they can take the next step, and I have to see it before I believe it with Kyler Murray in Minnesota.
I'm taking the Lions to be named kings of the (NFC) North).
Pick: Lions to Win NFC North (+145) via FanDuel
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StickierBuns wrote:
Let it rain.....love it. If they're right, then so be it. But if not, keep the receipts. Like I said for the past month, some of these talking heads are all in on Kyler Murray, but then put the Vikings last in their predictions. 🤔 I have no idea how the season is going to play out, but the predictions and rationale is always hilarious with these national guys.
Talking heads fall in love with teams. It has often been the Packers in the North, but as of late it is the Lions. They had the exciting offense under Ben Johnson so I get the infatuation. But he is in Chicago now and seems to be building something there. We will see how year 3 works out for them. I see the Bears and Vikings dueling for the top spot. (pretty much always an optimist at this time of year.)
Lions have lost so many o-line pieces. They lost their workhorse back that could pass block. They still have Gibbs, but he can't pass block and needs the bruiser for the inside runs. Their D is missing pieces as well. I see Campbell possibly losing this team if they struggle again this year.
Packers are missing their identity on both sides of the ball. Without pressure on the passer or ability to run the ball, they are going to struggle mightily.
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