[2024] Division Preview: NFC North

[Piercewise1]

NFC NORTH

 

Team: Chicago Bears
Last Year: 10-7 (division winner)
Alexfall ranking: 13/32

Key Progressions:
ILB Jehu Ginn +6 (73/3)
WR Richard Maguire +5 (80/4)
OT Jon Mendenhall +5 (78/4)
TE Jamie Ramirez +4 (79/6)
OLB Jason Gregory +4 (78/6)

Rookie to Watch:
CB Giannis Wright (56/A)

Overview:
The Bears defense led the league last year by allowing only 16.2 points per game, and they’re poised to field another strong unit in 2024. Gregory and Douglas Bingaman (71/11) are a great pair of outside linebackers, and Jehu Ginn is showing why he was one of the first players off the board in the inaugural draft. The offensive prowess starts with an excellent line, led by C Orlando Deberry (82/8).

Strengths:
Offensive line
Linebacker

Weaknesses:
Running back
Defensive line

Prediction:
Division winner

Despite their pedestrian Overall ratings, Ryan Wilson and Pat Flexen combined to carry the rock over 600 times last year for the Bears. With Maguire now topping 80 (and Ramirez not far behind), the Bears offense could be much improved in 2024.  Combined with that offensive line and that defense, it should be enough to power Chicago to another division title.

 

Team: Green Bay Packers
Last Year: 7-10 (2^nd place)
Alexfall ranking: 5/32

Key Progressions:
SS Manish Watson +5 (78/6)
DE Roy Cali +5 (73/4)
TE Ramik Phelps +5 (68/2)
WR Junior Ogbah +5 (64/3)
QB Joseph Garibay +4 (80/6)

Rookie to Watch:
CB Connor Hardison (60/A)

Overview:
If asked to name the league’s eight QBs of 80+ Overall, I’m betting most people would overlook Joseph Garibay. He hasn’t had the supporting cast to help him reach great statistical heights, but Ogbah and Phelps are quickly changing that. And he’s got the league’s best blind-side blocker in OT Oscar Martinez (90/6). The defense is badly in need of playmakers, so expect Hardison to get pushed into the lineup quickly.

Strengths:
Quarterback
Offensive line  

Weaknesses:
Defensive line
Cornerback

Prediction:
2^nd place

I don’t know that there’s another team with as big of a discrepancy between offense and defense as the Packers; I expect a lot of shootouts in their future. But with Garibay and a decent 1-2 punch at running back behind that offensive line, I think they can put up enough points to surprise some teams. And both sides of the ball are young with plenty of development in front of them. I don’t know if it’s enough to outpace the entire NFC East for a wild card spot, but I think they’ll make it interesting.

 

Team: Minnesota Vikings
Last Year: 7-10 (3^rd place)
Alexfall ranking: 14/32

Key Progressions:
OT Herman Knott +6 (81/4)
DT Neil Henry +5 (76/5)
QB Christian Sinnock +5 (75/4)
WR Alex Williams III +5 (70/3)
CB Charles Kling -3 (71/11)

Rookie to Watch:
OLB Rasheed Downs (B/A-)

Overview:
The Vikings are a young team on the way up, with Sinnock raising his game every year alongside his top target Alex Williams III. Ownership has built a stellar line to protect him, starting with the acquisition of Herman Knott, one of the biggest names from free agency this year. The defensive front seven is dicey outside of star ILB Gordon Wilburn (84/7), but the secondary is solid. CB Marcos Maldonado has been an intercepting machine, logging 29 over the last two years.

Strengths:
Offensive line
Cornerback

Weaknesses:
Wide receiver

Prediction:
3^rd place

I think Minnesota has a solid future ahead, they just need time for the players to develop; center Darren Willard is the 3^rd oldest offensive starter at the advanced age of 28, and the defense is about the same. With a razor-thin cap margin this year, the biggest issue might be paying all these players when they develop into bona fide stars. For now, the focus is on competing every game and making sure everyone gets enough snaps to maximize their progressions.

 

Team: Detroit Lions
Last Year: 6-10-1 (4^th place)
Alexfall ranking: 22/32

Key Progressions:
OT Young Pascual +5 (77/5)
DT Bradley Cook +5 (76/5)
QB Randall Hansen +4 (70/4)
CB Christopher Salgado -3 (68/13)
DE Stephen Brouillet -4 (81/10)

Rookie to Watch:
RB Richard Bianchi (59/C-)

Overview:
The Lions added Bianchi to a young committee of running backs including Cooper McGough (62/3) and Tanner Lake (59/3), both fellow Receiving types. They might be considering moving one or more to receiver, as their current WR1 Victor Villamar is 32 and regressing. The defense is battling Father Time as much as their division opponents, with five presumed starters also 32 or older. They need the most help up the middle, with only one DT and no ILBs higher than 65 Overall.

Strengths:
Offensive line
Cornerback

Weaknesses:
Running back
Inside linebacker

Prediction:
4^th place

The Lions are in a tough spot going forward, with an aging roster but a young QB in a contract year who will probably demand a hefty extension to stick around. Whether they do their best to build around him or tear it all down to rebuild, expecting some growing pains in Detroit as the team undergoes a youth movement in the coming years.