NFC North Won’t All Be Great Again, Lions Excluded

By Dan Salem

Posted on June 11, 2025

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Last year was an anomaly in the NFC North, but not the Lions. Detroit is the only sure thing we have this season.

Prepare for the intense sports debate that only sibling rivalry can conjure. Seesaw Sports, where Dan Salem and Todd Salem throw down on the NFL, MLB, NBA and more. Only on BuzzChomp. Two brothers from New York yell, scream and debate sports.

 

Most NFL divisions are balanced, with a good team, a bad team and two competitive up and comers. Some are top heavy, while others are chock full of dump at the bottom. Where does your favorite division fall in 2025? We answer the most interesting questions about each division heading into the new season.

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Which team(s) has quarterback issues? What coach is on the hot seat, or is there more than one? Who’s the division favorite? How about a dark horse to take the title? Who will be in last place? Finally, the real question and the only one that matters. How many Super Bowl contenders does your division have? We move to the NFC North, which is no longer dominant through and through.

NFC Division Previews: NFC East, NFC North, NFC South, NFC West
AFC Division Previews: AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West

 

NFC North 2025 Preview

 

 

Quarterback Battles:

Minnesota Vikings – Barely (Todd) ; Intriguing (Dan)
Detroit/Green Bay/Chicago – none

Todd Salem: Everyone assumes JJ McCarthy is going to be the guy for the Vikings, but he is still a quarterback with zero career snaps. What if he doesn’t seem ready? Will the team really throw him out there anyway? Working against the theory that McCarthy has to earn the starting gig is the fact that Sam Howell would be his only competition. Kevin O’Connell is known for resurrecting lost QBs; could Howell fit the bill? It feels like a stretch.

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Dan Salem: The Vikings were led by a stud veteran last season and the year prior. This is a loaded team with a red-shirt rookie at quarterback, so all cards are on the table. We don’t know how good McCarthy will be or can be, so this is an intriguing situation. We must hope that he plays well and holds the job, mainly so that Minnesota remains a top tier team in the NFC. But if he stumbles in September how long is his leash? This is a top team, remember. Kirk Cousins is on the bench in Atlanta and was once this team’s starter, a mere two years prior. All options are on the table.

Hot Seat Coach:

Minnesota Vikings – Luke Warm (Dan)
Detroit/Green Bay/Chicago – none

Dan Salem: The only job in question belongs to the man who has done everything right, only to fall horribly short in the playoffs. Minnesota’s head coach should not be on the hot seat, but the New York Knicks just fired their coach after getting to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. A lack of a championship equals a lost season for many teams, no matter how great the year was. If McCarthy does not materialize into the Vikings’ starting quarterback and/or the team stumbles to become mediocre, this job is now in question.

Division Favorite:

Detroit Lions (Todd & Dan)

Todd Salem: This is a fantastic division on paper heading into the 2025 season. Detroit should still be thought of as the favorite, though. The Lions lost both of their coordinators but remain elite offensively. The departure of Ben Johnson could (should) be overcome. More worrying will be how new defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard utilizes a lacking roster.

Dan Salem: Only the Lions hold all of the cards, no matter how much was “lost” during the off season. They remain a complete team without a glaring hole, unlike the rest of the division. If Detroit fails to win the NFC North, it will be an enormous upset that only crazy people saw coming.

 

 

Dark Horse:

None (Todd Salem) – Minnesota has perhaps the best pairing of offensive and defensive lines in the NFL. That is the perfect making for a dark horse…except this team just won 14 games last year and is taking a likely step back at QB. Green Bay is a perennial contender who had the third-best point differential in the NFC last season. They fit no one’s definition of a dark horse.

That only leaves Chicago. You know, the most talked-about, buzziest team in the conference perhaps: famed QB prospect Caleb Williams entering year two; the most sought-after head coaching hire in Ben Johnson; one of the deepest pass-catching corps in the conference; legendary history of defense…and of failure. This organization is nothing approaching a dark horse unless you are simply going by the fact that it finished last a season ago.

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Chicago Bears (Dan Salem) – The Bears would be a dark horse team if I actually believed they could be very good this year. I think they improve, but Chicago is at least a season away from being a competitor in the NFC on the level of its division peers. Every other team in the NFC North made the playoffs last season, so they aren’t surprising anyone. You have to surprise people to be a dark horse.

Last Place Team:

Green Bay Packers (Todd Salem) – None of these teams are clearly bad. Minnesota could be talked into taking a step back just because of the downgrade at quarterback, but the rest of the Viking roster is so good. I expect the Bears to make the massive leap this season that everyone was hoping for last season. I think Johnson is great for Williams, and the offense is elite week in and week out.

You know what has sneakily happened around all that? Green Bay has stagnated. The QB/coach pairing is still there, but have we seen enough from Jordan Love to think he can carry a franchise? The offensive line, once a preeminent group in the NFL, has deteriorated. The same goes for the defense at-large. If this team’s receiver room doesn’t sort itself out, there is not a clear, blue-chip group anywhere on the roster other than head coach.

Chicago Bears (Dan Salem) – While I’d love to see the Bears turn things around quickly, I think they are an eight or nine win team in 2025. Considering how strong this division is, that’s good enough for last place. Minnesota is at least a game ahead of them, but probably out of the playoffs. I personally won’t bet against Green Bay until they actually stumble, so I see them in second place.

Number of Super Bowl Contenders:

One – Detroit Lions (Todd & Dan)

Todd Salem: That number may surprise you. I could hear an argument for any number between one and four, but in my heart, only one truly makes the cut. I already spoke as to why Green Bay falls short. I don’t think JJ McCarthy is going to challenge for a Super Bowl in his first season; that just sounds ridiculous. And Chicago is too many pieces away even if the QB/coach pairing becomes an immediate match made in heaven.

The Lions need to unearth another piece or two on the defensive side to reach the upper echelon of the sport, but that’s about all they need.

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Dan Salem: Detroit is the only serious contender, because everyone else has at least one major hole. It’s become common for the top four of each conference to remain in place from season to season. This year won’t be much different. The Lions are the team to beat and a true contender for the title.

 

 

Meet our Sports Writers:

Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.

Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.

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NFC North Won’t All Be Great Again, Lions Excluded