No Longer Lowly Detroit Lions Are NFC North Favorites In 2023

The NFC North has been one of the most predictable divisions in the NFL for decades. Perhaps the most notable aspect for the last three decades is that oddsmakers could pencil the Green Bay Packers at the top of the division and the Detroit Lions would be at the bottom.

That changes in 2023, as the Lions are favored by multiple outlets to be the division champions, while the Packers will be floundering near the bottom.

These prognostications have nothing to do with reality and how the season will play out, but it’s clear the Lions improved greatly in the second half of last season, while the Packers no longer have Aaron Rodgers under center. The future Hall of Famer with diva-like tendencies has traded in his Green and Gold for the Gotham green and White of the New York Jets.

Training camp is less than a week away, and here’s a look at each team’s overarching strength as season preparations get serious, as well as their odds to win the division title, per VegasInsider.

Chicago Bears

Location: PNC Center at Halas Hall, Lake Forest, Illinois

Start dates: July 22 (rookies), July 25 (veterans)

Odds to win NFC North: +380 (Bet $100 to win $380)

The Bears are coming off a 3-14 season that saw them gain the rights to the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. General manager Ryan Poles traded those rights to the Carolina Panthers, and the Bears received high-level wide receiver D.J. Moore as part of the return.

Moore is entering his sixth season in the NFL, and he has exceeded 1,157 receiving yards three times. He combines size (6-0 and 210), speed, route running and excellent hands, and he gives quarterback Justin Fields the big-time receiving threat that was missing in Chicago.

Fields is one of the NFL’s best athletes at his position, and that came across in his ability to make big plays with his feet. Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens may argue, but Fields is the premier running quarterback in the league. The key to the season for the Bears will be how much Fields improves as a passer, and the presence of Moore should give him an excellent chance to make that happen.

Detroit Lions

Location: Detroit Lions Training Facility, Allen Park, Michigan

Start dates: July 19 (rookies), July 22 (veterans)

Odds to win NFC North: +145 (Bet $100 to win $145)

After years of floundering at the bottom of the division, the Lions are suddenly the division favorites because they closed the season by winning 8 of their final 10 games and compiling a 5-1 record within the division.

Head coach Dan Campbell is fiery and emotional, and he clearly reached his players as the 2022 season progressed. The Lions are a work in progress on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense appears to have remarkable balance.

The combination of quarterback Jared Goff, running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown appears to be the best QB-RB-WR trio in the division. Goff is coming off a bounce-back season as he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 4,438 yards with 29 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. More than the numbers, Goff’s confidence returned after struggling with the Los Angeles Rams in 2019 and ’20 and getting comfortable in the Detroit environment in ’21.

Montgomery signed with the Lions as a free agent after four seasons with the Bears, and he is a solid ground gainer and receiver. St. Brown is an emerging star who caught 106 passes for 1,161 yards and 6 touchdowns a year ago and could rise even higher this season.

Green Bay Packers

Location: Ray Nitschke Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin

Start dates: July 21 (rookies and quarterbacks), July 25 (veterans)

Odds to win NFC North: +330 (Bet $100 to win $330)

After an 8-9 season that saw the Packers fall to third place in the division, the decision was made to part company with Rodgers.

While he was clearly one of the game’s elite quarterbacks since becoming the team’s QB1 in 2008, he was increasingly difficult to live with based on his attitude and age. It’s difficult to look at the 39-year-old quarterback and believe he can return to glory.

New quarterback Jordan Love is unproven as he enters his fourth season with the team, but he is well-supported in the locker room and that’s a good starting point.

However, the strength of the team is the defense. The Packers are by far the best defensive team in the division, as they finished 17^th in the league in that category, and that compares favorably to the Bears (29^th), Vikings (31^st) and Lions (32^nd).

Linebackers Preston Smith (8.5 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), Quay Walker (team-leading 121 tackles) and De’Vondre Campbell (96 tackles, 3 passes defensed and 2 interceptions) give the Packers consistency on defense that their division rivals are searching to find.

Minnesota Vikings

Location: Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, Eagan, Minnesota

Start dates: July 23 (rookies), July 25 (veterans)

Odds to win NFC North: +310 (Bet $100 to win $310)

The team that rolled to the division title with a 13-4 is largely an afterthought this year because the defense played so poorly in 2022. The Vikings are counting on new defensive coordinator Brian Flores to bring intensity and improvement to the unit, but he may not have the personnel to get the job done.

But the Vikings do have Justin Jefferson, who is arguably the best receiver in the NFL. He was spectacular last year with a receiving line of 128-1,809-8, and the Vikings drafted Jordan Addison of USC to partner with him at the wideout position. They will also have tight end T.J. Hockenson for a full season.

The absence of running back Dalvin Cook is a negative, although Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell has full confidence in Alexander Mattison taking over as the team’s No. 1 running back.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins is often the subject of debate, as he regularly puts impressive stats together while falling short in the biggest games against elite opponents. His performance this year will have a huge impact on his future with the Vikings, in particular, and the NFL, in general.