Breaking Down the NFC North, 2024

[milani]

Here is what I found on Aiden Hutchinson's injury. His leg broke when it leg whipped his own teammate Alim McNeil. Pretty gruesome if you see it. https://x.com/woodwardsports/status/1845619174090985852?t=rkJCZo7jaHzFMpncGdf3rA&s=19

So sad to see that happen.

 

[OldSchool101]

North Rankings week 6

Offensive Points Scored

#7 Minnesota
#8 Green Bay
#10 Detroit
#11 Chicago

Defensive Points Allowed

#4 Minnesota
#5 Chicago
#8 Detroit
#9 Green Bay

Several years back I did the cumulative scoring Ranking for every SB Winner both Offensive Scoring and Defensive Scoring Ranking combined (Median) rounded to a whole number.
The result was SB Winners averaged a
#7 D scoring points against Ranking
#8 O scoring points for “ “
#15 Cumulative Scoring Ranking (O+D)

Current Cumulative Ranks in 2024
#11 Minnesota
#16 Chicago
#17 Green Bay
#18 Detroit

Cumulative Scoring Ranks (O+D) Leaguewide
#15 Buffalo
#20 K.C.
#21 Tampa Bay
#23 Washington
#28 Baltimore
#28 Houston (Tied)
#29 Pittsburgh

Boys and Girls we have a Battle getting ready to ensue in the North

 

[Heyjoe4]

This division is definitely the top division in the NFL. 4-2 is tied for last place in the North... 5 total losses for the entire division through week 6. Aiden Hutchinson's injury is a huge loss for Detroit's defense, prayers up to him, and hopefully he has a speedy recovery.

Yeah that didn't dawn one me until I saw the Bears improve to 4-2 yesterday, and then the Lions' thrashing of the Cowboys. Has an entire division ever finished with four teams with winning records? Sure looks like the North is gonna send 3 teams to the playoffs. Never thought I'd live to say that.

 

[Heyjoe4]

So sad to see that happen.

I didn't watch the game but a broken leg is always a gruesome and dangerous injury. It is a shame. He plays with a lot of passion and a non-stop motor. The guy is certainly among the very top ends in the NFL. I wish him a complete recovery.

 

[OldSchool101]

Looks like we will have some dynamic games coming up. These will start to give some semblance of our intra Division strength.

Week 7
10/20
Lions @ Vikings

Week 9
11/3
Lions @ Packers

Week 11
11/17
Packers @ Bears

Thankfully the Packers are trending up. While the Cardinals are not a powerhouse, they can present problems when they play up to ability. AZ had 13 penalties for 100 yards of self inflicting damage. While GB finally ran a relatively normal 5-40 yards of yellow flags.

 

[Heyjoe4]

Looks like we will have some dynamic games coming up. These will start to give some semblance of our intra Division strength.

Week 7
10/20
Lions @ Vikings

Week 9
11/3
Lions @ Packers

Week 11
11/17
Packers @ Bears

Thankfully the Packers are trending up. While the Cardinals are not a powerhouse, they can present problems when they play up to ability. AZ had 13 penalties for 100 yards of self inflicting damage. While GB finally ran a relatively normal 5-40 yards of yellow flags.

Yeah the last 2/3rds of the season are rough. Minnesota got to play SF and Houston early and their schedule is pretty easy from here. Even so, and as much as it pains me, they look legit. And even the Bears aren't an easy out anymore.

So it was good to see the team put together a complete game yesterday. We know what they can do.

I expect much closer games, which makes the kicking situation that much more important. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what can be done about it other than to bring in a team psychiatrist for Narveson......

 

[milani]

Looks like we will have some dynamic games coming up. These will start to give some semblance of our intra Division strength.

Week 7
10/20
Lions @ Vikings

Week 9
11/3
Lions @ Packers

Week 11
11/17
Packers @ Bears

Thankfully the Packers are trending up. While the Cardinals are not a powerhouse, they can present problems when they play up to ability. AZ had 13 penalties for 100 yards of self inflicting damage. While GB finally ran a relatively normal 5-40 yards of yellow flags.

The whole division is scary. Lions powerful offensive line and speed. Vikings defense and receivers. Bears just plain tenacious. Packers, a plethora of young talent.

 

[PikeBadger]

The whole division is scary. Lions powerful offensive line and speed. Vikings defense and receivers. Bears just plain tenacious. Packers, a plethora of young talent.

One year, I think it was 1963, we finished 11-2-1 and was only good enough for 2nd place. This got us into a consolation game for runner ups in Miami. Lombardi was asked about playing a game at such a nice venue to which he grumpily replied, it's a hinkydink game for hinkydink players, coached by hinkydink coaches in a hinkydink town.

We could find ourselves with a pretty good team, with a pretty good record lounging on a hinkydink couch in a hinkydink house watching important games.

 

[OldSchool101]

One year, I think it was 1963, we finished 11-2-1 and was only good enough for 2nd place. This got us into a consolation game for runner ups in Miami. Lombardi was asked about playing a game at such a nice venue to which he grumpily replied, it's a hinkydink game for hinkydink players, coached by hinkydink coaches in a hinkydink town.

We could find ourselves with a pretty good team, with a pretty good record lounging on a hinkydink couch in a hinkydink house watching important games.

True. Although I don’t think any fan of the North can yet be at ease. It takes 1 or 2 losses and a head to head game and the tables flip.

Call me an optimist but having all good teams in a Division force us to play at a higher level. As you said though someone has to lose. It’s very possible that a North team (that would in many seasons Win 11 contests) finishes with 9 wins and sits out this Postseason. Even though they are clearly better than several other Seeded teams

 

[Voyageur]

The draft is over and rosters are (mostly) set. I want to take a stab at stacking up the various position groups in the division. As always, I strive to be objective despite my obvious bias as a Packers fan.

Quarterback: The rest of the division finds themselves, once again, looking up at Green Bay at the most important position. Love clearly demonstrated elite traits and tons of growth last season. The future is very bright. Goff is a very good QB for Detroit, though I question how sustainable their success will be once they've had to pay him and his supporting cast. Both the Bears and Vikings are going to be breaking in rookies, with Chicago obviously having the much more highly regarded talent of the two.

1. Packers
2. Lions
3. Bears
4. Vikings

Running Back: Green Bay signed Jacobs this off-season who, for my money, is the best overall back in this division. They're backing him up with an explosive rookie and a very reliable pro in A.J. Dillon who can handle some key roles, such as blitz pickup. The Lions are close with the duo of Montgomery and Gibbs, who are both strong options and complement each other well. I wouldn't argue with someone who ranked them 1st, but I think they get a touch overrated as independent talents because they run behind the best line in the division. The Bears added Swift to their backfield to join Herbert and Johnson, and that's a quality addition, but they're going to see more modest production than he showed running behinds the Eagles' offensive line. Minnesota again brings up the rear: Aaron Jones is a stud, but he's aging and needs to be used in a complementary fashion. The rest of their backfield is pretty unimpressive.

1. Packers
2. Lions
3. Bears
4. Vikings

Tight End: At the top, one has to choose between quantity and quality. The Packers had two very talented rookies demonstrate a lot of promise in 2023, but neither were particularly close to the level of Sam LaPorta. Given his excellence in the passing game, I'm giving Detroit the nod here. I do, however, rank GB ahead of the Vikings despite the fact that Hockenson is of a similar quality to 2023 LaPorta. My reasoning is that, entering year 6 and age 27, Hockenson is basically a finished product (and a good one!). The tight ends in Detroit and Green Bay are all 23 and entering year 2, when most talented players take a big leap. The Bears are an easy 4th place with the decent, but unspectacular duo of Kmet and Everett.

1. Lions
2. Packers
3. Vikings
4. Bears

Wide Receiver: The Bears don't have the best receiver in the division, but I think they have the best group overall. D.J. Moore is a quality WR1, Keenan Allen adds a high end possession option, and Rome Odunze was, for my money, the best overall player in the draft. I think he is flat out better than Harrison Jr. and Nabers and should make an instant impact. The Packers don't have a clearly defined #1 option, but they go 4-5 deep with serious quality players while also being so young at the position that there's a lot of expected growth. Minnesota has the best overall player at the position, but he doesn't have much help. Addison exceeded my expectations last season but I suspect he will won't look quite as capable without Cousins. Meanwhile the depth chart beyond those two is bleak. Detroit is similar, but worse off-- St. Brown is excellent and the rest of the depth chart sucks.

1. Bears
2. Packers
3. Vikings
4. Lions

Offensive Line: The bedrock of the Lions' offense is their line. They are good to great at basically every position save maybe right guard. The reason why the offensive production exceeds the ability of their skill positions is that their front is elite. Green Bay is a step down, but still good and promising. It's unclear where the best five will slot in, positionally, but they had enough young players demonstrate promise last year to be optimistic in light of what they've added since. The Bears and Vikings are both strong at tackle and questionable on the interior. I give Chicago the nod because Teven Jenkins, if healthy is better than anyone in Minnesota on the inside. No one in the division is a disaster in this area.

1. Lions
2. Packers
3. Bears
4. Vikings

Defensive Line/Front: For this group, I am considering the entire defensive line group, including edge rushers (even if they stand up). The Packers have thrown tons of resources into these positions recently and they're beginning to pay off. Gary, Smith, Van Ness, Enagbare is easily the best edge group in the division, while Clark, Wyatt, Slaton, Brooks is head and shoulders the best group of interior pass rushers. Look for these players to show out in a new way under Hafley this season. The Lions, meanwhile, have some quality without as much depth. Hutchinson is a better player than anyone on the Packers in 2023, but he lacks a capable rush mate unless Marcus Davenport returns to a form he hasn't shown since 2021. They don't have much for pass rush on the inside (their big investment was D.J. Reader, who is a run defense specialist). The Bears are in a very similar position, just with a step down when it comes to their lead stud (Sweat is good, but he's not Hutchinon). Minnesota could be in trouble here. Greenard and Turner could be a decent duo depending on how quickly the latter gets up to speed, but their interior players have all the makings of a disaster area-- a unit that could be seriously debilitating.

1. Packers
2. Lions
3. Bears
4. Vikings

Linebacker: This position is the inverse of the offensive line. Whereas I think all four teams are pretty good on the OL, I don't think anyone is particularly impressive at linebacker. The Bears have two decent starters in Edwards and Edmunds and that's enough for me to give them the nod at #1. The Lions, similarly, have two guys who can play in Anzalone and Barnes, but I think that duo is a little step down from the Bears' unit. That could change if Campbell takes a big step in year two. Minnesota got good play out of Ivan Pace Jr. and added Blake Cashman, but I think both were more products of their DC last year than anything else. I like the potential in Green Bay, but it's unrealized. Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper are definitely the most talented pairing in the North, but they need to prove it before they merit a higher ranking.

1. Bears
2. Lions
3. Vikings
4. Packers

Cornerback: The Bears are complete with proven talent after keeping Jaylon Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson provided quality play as a rookie and Kyler Gordon is a good nickel. The Lions were abysmal at corner last year, but they have thrown a ton of resources at it. Carlton Davis is probably not the player he was, but he's surrounded by other investments: Terrion Arnold, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Amik Robertson, and Emmanuel Moseley coming back from injury. With so much of the group being new, there are a lot of possible outcomes here, but they'll be somewhat stabilized by Davis and Branch holding down the slot. Green Bay has the best pure corner when he's healthy in Jaire Alexander, but he hasn't been reliable of late. If Stokes comes back healthy and competes well with Valentine, the other position could be well-manned. I don't care much for Nixon on defense. The Packers' group has the talent to outplay this ranking (especially if Hafley's approach to defense unlocks them), but they haven't earned the benefit of the doubt. The Vikings are still really weak at corner overall. Their main addition in the draft was a 25 year old developmental guy in round 4.

1. Bears
2. Lions
3. Packers
4. Vikings

Safety: Much like the Lions at cornerback, the Packers went hard at this position. They added the best overall safety in the division in Xavier McKinney and then spent three draft picks on some interesting talents. The Bears have a quality starter in Jaquan Brisker, but will be trying to get by next to him with a declining Kevin Byard. The depth lacks youth/upside (they actually have two GB cast-offs in Owens and Moore). The Detroit mix at safety is pretty boom/bust. Melfionwu is going to be asked to play a much bigger role. Both he and Joseph can take the ball away, but they can also allow their shares of big plays. Minnesota is still trying to make things work with a declining Harrison Smith and Camryn Bynum after Lewis Cine has proven to be a total bust.

1. Packers
2. Bears
3. Lions
4. Vikings

Totals (lower is better):

1. Packers: 17
2. Lions: 19
2. Bears: 21
4. Vikings: 33

Conclusion: After working through this exercise at each spot, it yielded a conclusion that matches my overall expectations for the season. I think Green Bay has the best roster in the North, top to bottom, but that Detroit is right there. Given that 2024 shouldn't find Jordan Love trying to find his way for the first half of the season, I would expect the Packers to take the division, but the Lions will be a challenge to hold off and will certainly be a wildcard team if they can't win the title outright. The Bears are feisty and have some legit talent on the roster. They will go as far as their rookie QB can take them, but they are a clear 3rd place to me and I am not quite as bullish on Caleb Williams as the public. I think there's a real chance that he struggles personally given his oddities and personality. That's not PC to say, so it hasn't come up a lot in the media. The Vikings are in trouble. They are a nice landing spot for a rookie QB, but they will be chasing points all year. Flores got deep in his bag last season and had the defense way outplaying their talent level, but it was smoke and mirrors. By the end of the season, they were found out and were allowing 30 ppg. The talent level is dreadful and I simply don't believe that Flores will pull the rabbit out of the hat again.

It's amazing how much difference it makes when they hit the field. A few breaks here and there, and one or two guys stepping up, and all of a sudden, a team that appears to be a doormat in the division is out front, and undefeated after 6 games.

This isn't intended as a put down on your analysis, because it isn't. It's intended to show how subjective everything is, and how a few new pieces added to the puzzle makes it clearer than anyone thought. In football, no matter what anyone tries to say, there's an intensity level you can't see, or analyze, but it's there for winners, and lacking in losers. Right now, every team in our division is an alpha dog, and the way things are going, it's going to be between them towards the end of the season who moves forward.

Fantastic season to date. Look at Sam Darnold. Who would have thought he'd have a minimum 103 QB rating for each of the first 4 weeks of the season? Amazing.

 

[Voyageur]

I think Caleb Williams is starting to put a sock in the mouth of all the Bears haters who thought he was a Momma's boy. If he is, there is a lot of teams out there that wish they had a Momma's boy at QB at this point. He shows all the tools of being a top competitor for the next decade, and he never got the opportunity to spend one game on the bench, learning how the NFL worked.

In a way, it's kind of nice seeing players who have the kind of respect for family that Williams has for his Mother. I'd hope everyone has as much for their own. Alas, my Mom passed away over 25 years ago, and there are so many things I wish I had done better with her while she was alive. Caleb isn't making those mistakes.

 

[OldSchool101]

It's intended to show how subjective everything is, and how a few new pieces added to the puzzle makes it clearer than anyone thought.

I was just going to offer that one major factor will be which team remains healthiest. We dodged a bullet with Jordan and had he been out 6-8 weeks it’s highly likely we’d fall behind. Same goes with other teams. Detroit just lost their best Defensive player for the season. That’s going to impact their season even with all the other players they have. Hutchinson demanded attention from OC’s that can be directed elsewhere.
One thing that will help GB. Devonte Wyatt seems to be ascending. If we can get him back he’s really going to help our DL in both Pass/Run

This was Wyatt’s 17 game pace and it doesn’t factor he missed time in game 4 due to injury. I’ll just count that as a full game. Pacing Across a 17 game season

42 Combined/34 Solo Tackles
13 Sacks
25 TFL (60% TFL rate)
21 QB Hits

I know how it’s smaller 4 game sample, but in those 4 games he was on a rampage. Aaron Donald hovers around a 35% TFL rate. Even if Devonte leveled off across a bigger sample? He’d easily be in contention for a ProBowl invite. First portion of last year Wyatt was getting pushed around, kinda like Karl n the Run game. Then Devonte elevate down the 2023 stretch. He seems to either have found his groove or he just excels in a 4-3? I said early on his specialty is not eating blocks as a “Double Eater”. That is not his niche. Posters laughed at that and basically told him to go home then. Now Hafley is getting him more 1-1 opportunities and he’s flourishing inside. He’s very quick and disruptive for a 305lb man

 

[DoURant]

This is a pretty crazy stat.

x.com

x.com

 

[Voyageur]

This is a pretty crazy stat.

x.com

x.com

Considering that most prognosticators considered our division less than average before the whistle sounded. Quite an eye opener. I wonder how long it will last. I still think there's a chance we land 3 teams in the playoffs from the division, but I could be wrong. You just don't know if and when the wheels will come off the bus. It only takes one injury to a key player, like a franchise QB. We almost found out how that works, with Love.

 

[Voyageur]

I was just going to offer that one major factor will be which team remains healthiest. We dodged a bullet with Jordan and had he been out 6-8 weeks it’s highly likely we’d fall behind. Same goes with other teams. Detroit just lost their best Defensive player for the season. That’s going to impact their season even with all the other players they have. Hutchinson demanded attention from OC’s that can be directed elsewhere.
One thing that will help GB. Devonte Wyatt seems to be ascending. If we can get him back he’s really going to help our DL in both Pass/Run

This was Wyatt’s 17 game pace and it doesn’t factor he missed time in game 4 due to injury. I’ll just count that as a full game. Pacing Across a 17 game season

42 Combined/34 Solo Tackles
13 Sacks
25 TFL (60% TFL rate)
21 QB Hits

I know how it’s smaller 4 game sample, but in those 4 games he was on a rampage. Aaron Donald hovers around a 35% TFL rate. Even if Devonte leveled off across a bigger sample? He’d easily be in contention for a ProBowl invite. First portion of last year Wyatt was getting pushed around, kinda like Karl n the Run game. Then Devonte elevate down the 2023 stretch. He seems to either have found his groove or he just excels in a 4-3? I said early on his specialty is not eating blocks as a “Double Eater”. That is not his niche. Posters laughed at that and basically told him to go home then. Now Hafley is getting him more 1-1 opportunities and he’s flourishing inside. He’s very quick and disruptive for a 305lb man

Wyatt kind of quietly, and sneakily creeps up on the charts, without a lot of notoriety. I hope his game keeps on growing.

 

[Calebs Revenge]

I think Caleb Williams is starting to put a sock in the mouth of all the Bears haters who thought he was a Momma's boy. If he is, there is a lot of teams out there that wish they had a Momma's boy at QB at this point. He shows all the tools of being a top competitor for the next decade, and he never got the opportunity to spend one game on the bench, learning how the NFL worked.

In a way, it's kind of nice seeing players who have the kind of respect for family that Williams has for his Mother. I'd hope everyone has as much for their own. Alas, my Mom passed away over 25 years ago, and there are so many things I wish I had done better with her while she was alive. Caleb isn't making those mistakes.

Even though it was 25 years ago I'm sorry for your loss.
My parents are older but both still with me. I've been blessed with parents that were exceptional and loving.
I can't imagine not being able to pick up the phone and talk to either one of them ever again.
I will be like the Bears quarterback room of old......a complete freaking mess....when it's time to part with my parents.
A toast to all our loved ones here and in the hereafter!!!!!

 

[Voyageur]

Even though it was 25 years ago I'm sorry for your loss.
My parents are older but both still with me. I've been blessed with parents that were exceptional and loving.
I can't imagine not being able to pick up the phone and talk to either one of them ever again.
I will be like the Bears quarterback room of old......a complete freaking mess....when it's time to part with my parents.
A toast to all our loved ones here and in the hereafter!!!!!

You must be logged in to see this image or video!

 

[Calebs Revenge]

And might I say......what a effing division da North is!!!!!!

The rest of y'all forgot.........
but...Da North Remembers..... and winter is coming for House NFL......

 

[OldSchool101]

It’s early. However after 6 Weeks we know for a fact that the North is Superior. Historically Superior.

The Minnesota Vikings are in first place at 5–0, followed by the Detroit Lions at 4-1 and the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears at 4–2. That makes the NFC North the first division since the NFL adopted the current four-team division format in 2002 to have every team win at least four games through the first six weeks of the season.

 

[milani]

One year, I think it was 1963, we finished 11-2-1 and was only good enough for 2nd place. This got us into a consolation game for runner ups in Miami. Lombardi was asked about playing a game at such a nice venue to which he grumpily replied, it's a hinkydink game for hinkydink players, coached by hinkydink coaches in a hinkydink town.

We could find ourselves with a pretty good team, with a pretty good record lounging on a hinkydink couch in a hinkydink house watching important games.

Bears were good that year but also lucky. They had 2 ties that would have been losses if the opponents would have had more incentive to win.

 

[OldSchool101]

Arguably the most impressive performance of the week came from the entire NFC North division, with three of the four teams earning wins while the Vikings were on a bye.

This marks the first time that all four teams in a division have each recorded four or more wins through the first six weeks of a season since the 1970 merger. No division has ever had each team make the playoffs in the same season, but it's not impossible. The teams have a combined record of 17-5, which is the best record through six weeks for the division since it was formed in 2002.

 

[OldSchool101]

It’s not just record breaker week. It’s a total domination by a Division when doing so. The team that sat out is obviously the Undefeated (Vikings)
The 3 others outscored their opponents
116-38

It didn’t just break the strongest NFL’s Division record since the merger and 2002 realignment. All 3 dismantled their opponents while doing so.

 

[OldSchool101]

I’d like to see Detroit beat The Vikings this Sunday. Then the Packers and Bears both Win.
We’d press the Division Win record another level by having all teams have at least 5 Wins by Week 7.

The best Level we can achieve is to finish with all 4 NFC North teams qualify for Postseason. THAT would be impressive. It would also be quite the story line.
#1 Seed
#5 Seed
#6 Seed
#7 Seed

Ok I’ll Stop!!

 

[milani]

I’d like to see Detroit beat The Vikings this Sunday. Then the Packers and Bears both Win.
We’d press the Division Win record another level by having all teams have at least 5 Wins by Week 7.

The best Level we can achieve is to finish with all 4 NFC North teams qualify for Postseason. THAT would be impressive. It would also be quite the story line.
#1 Seed
#5 Seed
#6 Seed
#7 Seed

Ok I’ll Stop!!

That Lion-Viking matchup will be brutal. Vikings had to face them without Cousins twice last year. It will be a battle. Hard to pick.

 

[Poppa San]

I’d like to see Detroit beat The Vikings this Sunday. Then the Packers and Bears both Win.
We’d press the Division Win record another level by having all teams have at least 5 Wins by Week 7.

The best Level we can achieve is to finish with all 4 NFC North teams qualify for Postseason. THAT would be impressive. It would also be quite the story line.
#1 Seed
#5 Seed
#6 Seed
#7 Seed

Ok I’ll Stop!!

1994 Playoffs had Minn, GB, Detroit and Chicago as the #3-6 seeds. Tampa Bay stayed home with a 6-10 record.