Over the years, the NFC North has been among the most competitive divisions in the National Football League. It’s became such a consistent trait, that it’s a tradition every season for the NFC North to always have some form of two-team or three-team battle. The 2019 campaign isn’t expected to be any different with each the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings all having possibilities for a winning season.
According to online sportsbook Bovada, the Chicago Bears are currently the top favorite to take the NFC North at +160. Following the Bears comes the Green Bay Packers at a very close second place at +195, and then we have the Minnesota Vikings in third with close odds themselves at +240. The Detroit Lions are in dead-last to take the NFC North at a distant +1000.
Let’s go over each team of the Bears, Packers, Vikings and Lions more in depth, their odds, and review their chances of winning the 2019 NFC North division.
You can also read my preview and see my predictions on the AFC East, AFC North, AFC South, AFC West and NFC East as well, and you can also look forward to the NFC South and NFC West in the near future.
The Chicago Bears defense was massively elite last year, bringing back their label of “Monsters of the Midway” in a ‘monstrous way’. Pounding opposition left and right, the Bears were by-far the best team in the NFC North in 2018 and slammed their way to a superior 12-4 regular season record. Unfortunately for Chicago, the success would quickly evaporate in a heartbreaking 16-15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs.
And not only would all of the success from the regular season evaporate, but the 2018 Chicago Bears season will now only be known for one thing, and one thing only: The missed 43-yard field-goal attempt by kicker Cody Parkey that ended their season. It was that frustrating of a loss for Bears fans and the city of Chicago, an organization and a city that’s been craving for a Super Bowl since 1986 — that’s 33 years without a championship for such a proud fan base.
Here’s the good news for Bears fans entering the 2019 campaign, however: Despite the tough end to the season last year, the Chicago Bears are right back in the position as they were in the 2018 regular season: Dominant football, and a possibility for an NFC North crown and a Super Bowl run. Don’t fret, Chicago fans. ‘Da Bears’ will be a top-notch contender yet again this season.
In 2018, starting quarterback Mitchell Trubisky looked like he was for real putting up a solid stat sheet of 3,223 yards and 24 touchdowns, doubling the amount of interceptions he threw at 12. You can expect Trubisky to only get better under Nagy’s system, so expect Chicago’s offense to be a bit more potent this season. To put that along with the Bears extraordinary shut-down defense led by Khalil Mack and his horrifying play, you can expect Chicago to for sure be the team to beat in the NFC North in 2019. With that being said, there’s plenty of value and profitability with the Chicago Bears and their +160 odds.
2017’s 7-9 performance was scratched off the list of history and forgotten in the minds of Green Bay Packers fans, especially considering the losing year was due to an Aaron Rodgers season-ending injury. They would get out to a 4-1 start, and when Rodgers went down, that was it for the Packers as they would drop eight out of their 11 remaining games. It happens, no harm done.
2018, on the other hand, was different. There was no Aaron Rodgers injury to explain why the Packers had declined from 7-9 to 6-9-1. Instead, it was ownership asking head coach Mike McCarthy: “Why on earth are you playing so bad with Rodgers?”
When the losing was too much, it created a midseason firing for Mike McCarthy, which according to many critics was a long time coming. I might have to agree, mainly due to McCarthy and Rodgers not getting along. You can’t have your head coach and franchise quarterback beefin’, and if you do, you’ve got to can the head coach. Good move, Pack. In the offseason, Green Bay would officially make the big change complete with the hiring of Matt LaFleur — a product of Los Angeles Rams’ head coach Sean McVay.
The Packers are currently on a stretch where they’ve missed the playoffs for two consecutive seasons, the first time that this has happened since the 2005 and 2006 seasons. However, 2019 should be a different result. If Aaron Rodgers has a year of full health and the transition to LaFleur goes smoothly, and it should, Green Bay should find themselves right back in the playoffs. Packers ownership has a duty to their shareholders, and they know this, so you can expect them to do everything in their power to make sure the Packers don’t miss the postseason a third straight year.
As far as winning the division, that may be a bit tough considering how dominant the Chicago Bears could be this season. I personally am going to have to side with Chicago to take the NFC North, that defense is just too elite, but I still have the Green Bay Packers in the postseason. A spot in the NFC Wild Card Playoffs is certainly achievable for Aaron Rodgers and company.
In the 2018 offseason, expectations for the Minnesota Vikings were massively increased after they would sign quarterback Kirk Cousins to a three-year, $84 million contract. Unfortunately for the Vikings, their goals weren’t met, and it would result in a missed playoff berth after what was expected to be another year in the postseason for Minnesota.
The main reason for no playoffs: Kirk Cousins non-ability to step up to the stage and the bright lights. Against winning teams last season, Cousins and the Vikings would tally a horrible 1-6 record. In Cousins’ entire career, he has an embarrassing 5-25 losing record against teams with winning records. That’s just horrific, and it has to terrify Vikings fans heading into the future with the 30 year old.
However, Cousins didn’t necessarily have a bad year throwing for 4,298 yards, 30 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions, and the Vikings didn’t necessarily have a bad season either finishing 8-7-1. If they clean up Cousins’ play against winning teams, Minnesota could certainly be in the postseason in 2019, but I wouldn’t bank on them winning the division — maybe over the Green Bay Packers, but certainly not over the Chicago Bears.
Outside of Cousins’ lack of ability to win big games, the Minnesota Vikings are sitting pretty. Their defense remains one of the best in the league, and they also have debatably the best one-two punch at wide receiver in Stefon Diggs and Adam Thielen. If it wasn’t for Cousins’ dismal 5-25 career record against winning teams (I still can’t get over that), I might be able to invest a little bit into a Vikings bet, but I don’t trust Cousins — at all. With that being said, I’m personally staying away from Minnesota and their +240 odds to win the NFC North. They’ll contend for a wild-card spot though.
Shout out to Detroit! Shout out to Mo-Town! Shout out to the 313! My ties to the University of Michigan will always make me have a love for the city of Detroit and their sports teams. Unfortunately for the Detroit Lions, that does nothing for their chances of making the postseason in 2019 after delivering a losing 6-10 record in the 2018 campaign.
From 2000-2010, the Detroit Lions were absolutely dismal compiling a total record of 48-128 over that span and wouldn’t see the playoffs one time in those 11 seasons. From 2011-2016, their luck would change with three postseason appearances in six years, and it had appeared that the Detroit Lions were no longer the embarrassing ‘Detroit Lions’. Well, here in 2019, we have unfortunately gotten back to that point where the Lions are once again at that status. The “other” team, the “last-place” team, whatever you want to refer to them as, it looks like the new campaign holds that fate as well.
However, after their lackluster 6-10 campaign in 2018, the Detroit Lions would get right to work in the offseason to try to improve themselves. General manager Bob Quinn would go out in free agency and pick up talent such as Trey Flowers, Justin Coleman, Jesse James, Rashaan Melvin, Andrew Adams, and C.J. Anderson. It may not be elite power moves, but you have to admire the Lions for trying.
They also improved themselves in the draft selecting tight end T.J. Hockenson out of Iowa, and he will certainly fill a much-needed hole in Detroit’s offense. With that being said though, the Lions still need far more talent in order to compete with the likes of the Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings. And now you see why the Detroit Lions sit in dead-last, and not just dead-last, but way far behind the previously mentioned three with a hefty +1000.
In other words, stay away from the Detroit Lions — like I needed to say that.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
