The Detroit Lions won 12 games last year and went to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991. They improved this roster this offseason and not surprisingly – they were a lot of peoples preseason pick to go to the Super Bowl – myself included. And while the Green Bay Packers struggled through the first half of the 2023 season as they started off the year with a 3-6 record – they won 6 of their final 8 games and even beat the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round of the playoffs. Both of those teams were expected to seriously compete in 2024 – and they are each off to a relatively good start – Detroit especially. And while the Packers and Lions were expected to compete – it was always a toss up with the Bears and Vikings – could Chicago win 8 or 9 games with a rookie quarterback, and could Minnesota even compete with Sam Darnold as their starting quarterback? Could Minnesota even win 6 games – and how would star receiver Justin Jefferson feel about potentially wasting a year in his prime? Well, they can win 6 games – and they will. And the Bears will be fine too. All of this to say – the NFC North quickly became the best division in football. Each of these 4 franchises has a very bright future ahead of them and in today’s video we’re going to breakdown the ceiling for each team, and what they can do moving forward to further improve their roster. Now let’s begin
And we are starting today’s video by discussing the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are 2-2 after a week 4 loss to the Vikings – and while that was a frustrating loss for Green Bay – they are going to be fine and they will absolutely get back on track. Their next 4 games are at the Rams, home against the Cardinals, home against the Texans, and at the Jags. Just being honest – i would be pretty surprised if they’re not at least 5-3 through 8 games. The Packers are a very well run organization and it starts with their head coach Matt Lafleur. After Jordan Love went down during the final minute in the Eagles game – and once it was confirmed Jordan would be back this season – the Packers never panicked. Pretty much everyone outside the organization said well it’s going to be tough with Malik Willis and essentially good luck. And funny enough – the Packers went 2-0 with Malik Willis is as their starting quarterback and with the resurrection of quarterbacks playing good on their second or even third teams in some players cases – there’s legitimate questions about Malik Willis – and if he can be a guy somewhere else. Obviously he wouldn’t be in Green Bay because of Jordan Love, but he will be an interesting player in the future.
During the time between the end of the Eagles game in week 1 – and the start of the Colts game in week 2 – there were people worried about the Packers starting 0-4 or even 0-5 and worrying about this team having to go something like 10-2 to finish the year – just to make the playoffs. But Jeff Hafley and the defense stepped up against the Colts and Titans as they allowed 24 total points in the ensuing two games – and the Packers offense – led by Malik Willis – looked competent – and this can all be attributed to how well run of an organization Green Bay is. And for what it’s worth – the impact of Joe Barry no longer being the defensive coordinator has already paid massive dividends. The Packers have forced 3 turnovers in each of the first 4 games and their 12 turnovers defensively are the most in the league – with the Vikings at number 2 with 10 forced turnovers.
Green Bay is going to be a serious threat all year long because as simple as this sounds – they can create turnovers and they can run the hell out of the football. I would personally argue that in the ensuing weeks while Jordan Love is getting back to full speed – I would prefer them to place an emphasis on running the football – like with the emphasis they did against Indy and Tennessee when Malik Willis started – and the Josh Jacobs signing is already paying off. Jacobs is currently top 10 in the NFL in rushing yards and the Packers as a team are top 5 in rushing attempts as a team, rushing yards, and yards per carry. When push comes to shove – they’re going to be a very difficult team to beat – just like they were last year. While they have forced 12 turnovers defensively, I still think the best is yet to come for the Packers defense because they haven’t been consistently getting after the quarterback the way you’d like. They are just one of two teams that doesn’t have a player with double digit pressures through the first 4 games – and the other is the Arizona Cardinals. The Packers got through what you would hope is the most adversity they’ll face all season just fine – and they’re going to be a problem all year long.
The Chicago Bears are also off to a 2-2 start and out of the 4 teams in the North – they are the team I worry about most – but I also think they’re going to be fine and I think a couple of things would go a long way for this franchise. On the surface a 2-2 start is fine – but Caleb Williams throwing just 3 touchdowns to 4 interceptions while being sacked 16 times is not good. And it’s really not good when you realize Caleb is just 14/36 for 135 yards, and has 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while under pressure. If you were wondering he also has a passer rating of just 33.9 when under pressure through the first 4 games of the year. Chicago has allowed just 20 points in one game which was against the Colts in week 3. I know the Bears offense has been frustrating through the first 4 games – and we will dive more into that in a minute – but the Bears defense has been spectacular. They haven’t allowed 400 yards in a game and have forced at least one turnover in each of their first 4 games – while forcing multiple turnovers in 3 of their first 4 games.
They currently rank 8th in points allowed and are also 10th in defensive yards allowed. Admittedly I am not a fan of Matt Eberflus as a head coach and I thought it was a mistake to bring him back and to let him be the head coach during Caleb’s rookie year – but he is a great defensive play caller and the results speak for themselves. Opposing quarterbacks have thrown just 2 touchdowns to 5 interceptions and with players on the defense like Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, and Gervon Dexter – they are set up to be a good defense now – and for the next few years too. Now my concerns with the Bears lie within the offense – and Bears fans are already fed up with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron just a few games into the season. Out of the 4 teams in the North – and based on the first 4 games of the season – I do think the Bears will finish last in the division – but this roster is very talented and I very much think they are set up for success for the next few years. DJ Moore is only 27 years old and obviously the future is bright with Caleb Williams and first round receiver Rome Odunze.
And despite the jokes people want to make about Caleb Williams saying to Tory Taylor – that he wouldn’t have to punt much – being able to set your opponents up for – not just one long drive in a game – but multiple like we saw against the Rams – is a weapon to have too. I think the worst thing that could happen for the Bears this year would be to keep Matt Eberflus around for another year and to effectively waste another year of Caleb’s development. I don’t think he is the long term answer at the coaching position and I think he will be replaced sooner rather than later. Regardless of the coaching situation, and the offensive line situation for that matter too – the Bears floor is higher than a lot of teams because of how good their defense is. 4 of Chicago’s next 5 games are against Carolina, Jacksonville, Arizona, and New England and all 4 of those teams are going to struggle to put up points against Chicago. And if they can simply not turn the ball over – I wouldn’t be surprised at all if the Bears are 6-3 through 9 games. The schedule after that is particularly brutal, but the Bears are very much set up for future success.
The Lions are 3-1 after a 42-29 win over the Seahawks on Monday night football and they are without a doubt one of the best teams in all of football. And for any Seahawks fans watching – yes it is worth noting how many defensive players they were down in this game – but it was nice seeing Detroit get back to the team we know they can be. They lost back in week 2 to Tampa and that was a very frustrating loss for the Lions based on how that game was played.
The Lions will have two big tests coming off of their week 5 bye as they go to Dallas in week 6, and go to Minnesota in week 7. There’s really no easy stretch of games for the Lions for the remainder of their season – and the lone 3 game stretch I would argue is between weeks 11-13 in which they play Jacksonville, Indy, and Chicago – two of which are at home. Even that’s not an easy span but the reality is – this team is loaded. And they – like everyone has dealt with injury and we wish everyone the best and that’s the only thing truly worries me with the Lions in 2024. When healthy – I think this team is the best in the conference. Seattle ran 90 total plays against the Lions in week 4 which is insane – but during the second half of that game it seemed like Seattle would construct a 8 or 9 or 10 play drive – and Detroit would basically respond and say that’s cute – and here’s a quick 5 play drive, or even the one play drive in which Jameson Williams had a 70 yard touchdown to put the Lions back up double digits.
Now just because I think the Lions are the best team in the NFC – doesn’t mean they don’t have their faults either. Terrion Arnold was their first round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and he’s played like a rookie corner through the first 4 games. The phrase growing pains applies to Terrion as he’s been tested countless times early on – and he’s accrued 8 penalties on the year. Terrion is only 21 years old and I don’t see anyway how this should’t be a glass half full approach. He’s going to be battle tested when the playoffs roll around and he’s going to have a full season under his belt at that point. Aidan Hutchinson is having an unworldly start as he has 40 pressures on the year and to give you an idea of how dominant he’s been – Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa combined – have 39 pressures.
Hutchinson is leading the league in pressures by 17 as Zach Allen is second and has 23 in 4 games. Aidan alone had 15 pressures against the Seahawks and he is playing defensive player of the year caliber football. If there is a concern for the Lions it’s that they don’t have a legit number two pass rusher and their secondary is young and inexperienced – outside of Carlton Davis – but those are the two main weaknesses on the Lions roster. Detroit’s rushing attack is going to cause problems all year long by the thunder and lightning duo in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and now that their out of their little funk offensively – they’re going to continue to prove they are one of the best teams in all of football. It also helps when Jared Goff goes 18/18 in a game and the offense puts up 42 points in the process. Detroit will wear teams down defensively over the course of a game – and as long as they don’t commit multiple turnovers and as long as the defense plays average – not great – but average – they’re going to win 12 games. And as of now – they are my pick to go to the Super Bowl
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