NFL North: Team-by-Team Season Preview
Adam Martin 
The NFC North is arguably the most exciting division for this season, with three of the four teams making it into the play-offs last year.
With improvements being made across the board it does feel that all four teams could make them this upcoming season, and it is currently joint-favourite with sports betting sites to finish as the winning division come the end of the season.
Free Bets NFL expert, Adam Martin, has had a look at the Northern Division and what to expect from each team before the start of the season.
Chicago Bears
Last season was a tough one for the Bears who finished with a dismal 5-12 record. Hopes were high after they drafted number one pick, Caleb Williams, however, that didn’t translate into wins. Statistically the Bears defence was decent against the pass under Matt Eberflus but that was as far as it went.
The offence spluttered a lot and could never really get going and the run defence barely existed. Eberflus was fired early on into the season and plans were beginning to be made for this one.
However, the Bears have renewed optimism now thanks to the arrival of new head coach Ben Johnson. The former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has been largely credited with the huge turnaround in Detroit’s offensive play. If he can do what he did in Detroit to Chicago, then things will be looking up for Bears fans very soon.
He has bought in Declan Doyle, the former Broncos tight end’s coach as offensive coordinator and Dennis Allen, former Saints head coach to run the defence. Having an experienced guy like Allen running your defence is a great move and he has the experience to really make a difference.
One of the biggest areas of weakness for the Bears was their offensive line and they went big on sorting that out in free agency. Bringing in Joe Thuney, Drew Dalman and Jonah Jackson is a huge upgrade. Thuney especially should bring a ton of experience and know how.
They also improved their defence by bringing in Dayo Odeyingbo and veteran Grady Jarrett. Overall, the Bears made some important moves in free agency that should stand them in good stead.
The draft was also a success bringing in some exciting young talent. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden were both considered top tier attacking talent at tight end and wide receiver respectively.
They also continued to improve on the offensive line with Ozzy Tripalo who they took in round two. The defensive line also saw another second-round pick being spent on it with Shemar Turner coming in. All four of them players could easily be starters for this team very quickly.
Overall
The Bears have made huge strides, and excitement is at fever pitch in Chicago. If Ben Johnson can put all this together quickly then they really could be a tough team to beat by the end of the season. However, it does feel that playoffs could be a tough ask in year one of this new regime. Their goal should be to have a winning record and given the strength of this division it probably won’t get them in the play-offs.
Green Bay Packers
Last season didn’t quite go as the Packers had planned despite finishing with an 11-6 record. Quarterback Jordan Love got injured in the first game which meant he missed a couple of weeks and then picked up more niggling injuries during the season. The wide receivers were fifth in the league when it came to drops and it just felt like the Packers couldn’t get out of their own way.
In an odd quirk of statistics, the Packers were a top ten team when it came to running and passing the ball. However, it wasn’t just on offence but on defence as well. A team with stats like that should have had a much better record and arguable could have been the number one seed in the conference.
Despite all of that they finished third in division and got beaten by the Eagles early in the playoffs. They are still one of the youngest teams in the league and in a division of changes the Packers are hoping continuity will get them over the line this season.
Matt Lafleur is back as head coach and he has kept the same coordinators in Adam Stenavich, Jeff Hafley and Rich Basaccia. Stenavich is largely an assistant to Lafleur for the offence and Hafley vastly improved the defence last year.
The free agency period was quiet for the Packers with only star cornerback, Jaire Alexander, the biggest name to move on. They bought in Aaron Banks from the 49ers to help with the offensive line and Nate Hobbs from the Raiders to improve the cornerback room.
The draft was a massive thing for Green Bay this year as it was being hosted there. Matthew Golden was taken in round one, the first time the Packers had taken a wide receiver in the first round since 2002. The Texas wide receiver has bundles of speed and will provide another option for Jordan Love.
They bolstered the offensive line again with Anthony Belton in the second round and exciting wide receiver/running back Savion Williams is a raw talent who could be good. Aside from that the rest of the draft was mainly filled with defensive depth players.
Overall
All in all, the Packers are still a very young exciting team who should have done better than their 11-6 record suggested last season. They have bolstered their offensive line and provided Jordon Love with more attacking talent. However, the schedule is tough this season and if they can win 12-13 games they will have done very well.
Minnesota Vikings
Last season felt a bit of a surprise for the Vikings as they had a strong run and finished 14-3. They expected rookie quarterback JJ McCarthy to be starting but he was injured in training camp and never played. With Sam Darnold at quarterback there was some trepidation going into 2024, but he worked well under the system and the playoffs beckoned. Unfortunately for the Vikings they lost straight away and found themselves wondering what might have been.
They relied heavily on their defence that statistically showed out to be very good both against the pass and the run. Offensively they looked good when it came to passing the ball, but the run game never really worked for them.
That is something that head coach Kevin O’Connell will be hoping to change this year. He is back with his offensive coordinator Wes Phillips and defensive coordinator Brian Flores for another go. Flores is one of the main reasons for this team being so good on defence and you would expect that to be the case again.
In free agency the Vikings had quite a bit of movement with some big names going. Stephon Gilmore, Shaquill Griffin, Jihad Ward, Patrick Jones, Johnathon Bullard and Cam Byram all left that good defence. They also lost Sam Darnold, Cam Robinson and Ed Ingram from the offence.
They did re-sign some of their big-name veterans though. Andrew Van Ginkel, Byron Murphy and Harrison Smith will keep that defence doing well.
They managed to bring in a few names. Will Fries and Ryan Kelly will help bolster the offensive line and Jordan Mason came in from the 49ers to help the run game with veteran Aaron Jones still there.
In the draft the Vikings didn’t do much as they were limited with picks. Ohio State guard/left tackle, Donavon Jackson, was the pick of the bunch in the first round. The rest will be depth pieces who most likely will not contribute straight away.
Overall
This season regression is expected for the Vikings. It’s tough to win 14 games and the schedule is harder as well. JJ McCarthy is expected to start at quarterback and as he missed his first season to injury, the Vikings essentially have a rookie. Its all about making McCarthy work in the system and that might mean a slightly lower win total this season.
Detroit Lions
The Lions had a great season despite losing 21 players to injury over the course of it. They went 15-2 and took the number one seed in the playoffs only to miss out in the Divisional round, losing to the Commanders.
They had one of the best offences in the league statistically and a solid defence. Unfortunately for them the number of injuries just took their toll and losing Aidan Hutchinson early in the season was a game changer.
Dan Campbell will be back as head coach, but both his offensive and defensive coordinators have moved on. John Morton has come in from the Broncos to be the Lions offensive coordinator and Kelvin Sheppard has been promoted to defensive coordinator.
Replacing Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn is no easy task, but these guys deserve a shot at it. Historically you see teams regress when they lose both their main coordinators and similar could happen in Detroit.
The Lions also lost some players during free agency but not many big names. Both cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Carlton Davis have moved on along with right guard Kevin Zeitler.
However, they did mange to re-sign some of their guys, most notably Levi Onwuzurike and Kerby Joseph to help the defence. They also bought in two good pros in defensive lineman Ray Lopez and cornerback DJ Reed.
Most of the Lions draft will probably not feature much this season but have added depth to an already strong squad. Tyleik Williams looks to be a good pick, and the defensive lineman will help stop the run. They also bought in two decent rookies for the offensive line in Tate Ratledge and Miles Frazier.
Overall
This is a team that has seen a lot of roster turnover. It has lost both its offensive and defensive coordinators. New people have come in and they have a tough schedule. Despite all of that you have to expect them to be competitive and winning the Super Bowl should be their main goal, as reflected by their standing as fifth favourites in the NFL betting markets.
NFL Betting Tips
Adam Martin will be here to preview and provide betting tips ahead of every round of NFL action this season with his NFL betting tips.
Everything you need to know, along with the latest betting offers and enhanced odds, will be there to keep you informed ahead of each round.
Adam has already previewed the Western Division, check out what he has to say on those four teams.
