.
The NFC North will be a very tough division again this year. But I can see the Lions and vikes taking a step back from their incredible 2024 campaigns

For the lions, folks are talking about losing both coordinators - but its actually a much bigger brain drain than that.
All of these guys are gone:

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn
Pass game coordinator Tanner Engstrand
Assistant QB coach J.T. Barrett
WR coach Antwaan Randle El
TE coach Steve Heiden
DL coach Terrell Williams
Assistant DL coach Cameron Davis


That is a massive turnover !
Many of them shuffled off to CHI, so not only do the lions lose them, they have to compete against them and their in-depth knowledge of the lions

This is going to be a very challenging year for Goff and the offense because not only did they lose the brains of their operation, they also lost their All Pro Center and glue guy, OC Ragnow. Goff is very reliant on his coaches and OC to get him into favorable situations and handling the blitz adjustments. Goff is not an off- script creator and losing his OC, Passing game coordinator and asst QB coach along with Ragnow is gonna put a lot more on his anemic shoulders.

I think the lions take a step back and the Packers getting them in the opener is actually fortuitous as they will still be figuring things out. Even the process of playcalling from coach to QB will be different... and its a fair guess there will be some fuck-ups early on. I think the lions will still compete for Division title, but they aren't winning 15 games in 2025. Their early schedule is rough with Packers-Ravens-Bengals-Chiefs and Bucs awaiting them. I'd guess 11-12 wins for them

Meanwhile over in choker-town, they'll be breaking in a new QB and that's always a challenge. KOC is an excellent HC and QB whisperer but JJ will still struggle in his first NFL action, same as most young QBs. Will his skill players be patient ?
On the defensive side of the coin, Brian Flores still doesn't have the CBs he needs to run his system and teams have done a good job of neutering his attack the 2nd time they've faced it in a season. This was true for both AR and JL in 2022, 2023 and 2024. I think the vikes take a step back too, I'm guessing they'll be in the 9-11 win range this year.

CHI - I don't think I've ever witnessed the level of helium that's been pumped into this squad. They won 5 games last year. A big part of coming up short were the shortcomings of Caleb Williams. He took eleventy million sacks because he does not know how to read a defense. He has not yet learned how to play from under center, his footwork is abysmal. Ben Johnson will help him immensely, but he really has a long way to go to become a competent NFL QB.
When Ben Johnson got his hands on Goff, Goff had already been in the league for 5 years, tutored by Sean McVay and made it to a Super Bowl with the Rams.
By comparison, Williams hasn't done anything and doesn't know squat. The bears did everything wrong in developing a 1st year QB. A complete waste

Its going to take some time and so I don't see that team challenging for the North in 2025. They'll be better than they were last year, but still not good enough. Hopefully they can finally knock off some of our NFC competition as they roll though their schedule. I'm guessing 8-9 wins is their apex.

So, still a very talented division in 2025, but not quite the win totals they put up last year vs the AFC South and NFC West.

For a quick comparison, the vikes and lions combined for 29 wins last season.That was more wins than all 4 teams in the AFC South or NFC South divisions pulled off. 2024 was an amazing year for the NFC North - but the 2025 North Title is there for the taking.

Go Packers