Where is the Love for Love? (2026 NFC North Preview)

Oh, where do I start with this madhouse known as the National Football Conference's North Division? This division has changed the least since the 1970 merger, because remember, this was the original NFC Central for the first seven post-merger seasons (1970-76). It was in 1977 that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (in their second season) joined the NFC Central, and the 2002 realignment only required removing the Bucs. That's the NFC North. It's grizzled, it's grouchy, it's bitter. It's basically similar to that one relative you invite to your place for the holidays, but you can't discuss politics with them, or let them have too much to drink.

That's my NFC North, and I love that division to death.

There's a lot to really dive into regarding this wild division. So much needs to be out in the open, so let's get this party started.

Detroit Lions (9-8)

There's really no way to truly improve from a 15-2 season. Without ties, only two records are better than that. There are ways to improve from getting trounced in the Divisional Playoff, though. I remember the comments after the Lions lost in Week One to the Packers. "They're in trouble," "Lions are going to suck." It's Week One. A season doesn't end in the first week of the season. On the flip side, I also remember what Lions fans said: "Wait 'til Thanksgiving." First thing's first. After that loss, four wins out of their next five, resulting in a 5-2 start entering their bye. The rumors of the Lions' demise? Greatly exaggerated.

Then the next 10 games happened. Oh boy.

Spent the next six games trading wins and losses, and one of those three losses in that stretch: that Thanksgiving rematch that Lions fans were so sure would be the ultimate payback. After that, Detroit lost three straight, and the third of those three losses eliminated them from playoff contention with a week to go. They won the finale to finish at 9-8, but via tiebreaker, the Lions ended up in the bottom of the North. They went from the penthouse to the outhouse, and they lost David Montgomery during the offseason. Oh man, the Lions have a hell of a climb to make this season.

Minnesota Vikings (9-8)

The Minnesota Vikings--the perennial punching bag in the division. Among the many reasons why I was excited for last season is because I knew the Vikings would suck after that miracle 14-3 season. I know the Vikings like I know the back of my own hand. When they have a chance to be good and consistent, the Vikings take the Zonk every time. Last year was no different. A five game decline from the year before. Granted, it's one game less than the Lions' six game decline, but still. Plus, they did end the regular season winning five straight, so there's that.

The Vikings did get a huge upgrade at QB, in the form of Kyler Murray. And he's their QB1, proof that the Vikings (for once) actually have a brain. Even so, Kyler doesn't have much around him. They have an absolute beast at WR in Justin Jefferson, but that's about it. This will be another bad year for the Vikings. If I'm a sports fan in Minnesota, I'd wait for the end of September: when the Wild are back in season.

Green Bay Packers (9-7-1)

In actual time, the Packers' season ended on enemy territory: Soldier Field. In reality, our season ended on December 14, 2025. What happened on that day? Micah Parsons, the golden goose we traded for one year ago today, got injured and his season was over. We Packers fans did the worst job in coping with that injury; hell, a lot of us were in denial. But we knew the writing was on the wall. We did get in, only because the Lions sucked, but we turned a 21-3 lead into a bunch of nothing. And who gets the blame? Our battered defense, who blew the lead (seriously, a healthy Parsons results in a Lombardi)? Our idiot kicker for missing seven points? No. Sadly, everyone wants to blame Jordan Love, who did everything to win that game.

This is why I have the graphic shown above. Look at Love's numbers compared to the two QBs who preceded him. Nearly identical, and Love has better numbers than them in some cases. Yet he still gets disrespected. I truly think it's anti-Packers bias, because if Love was doing this anywhere else, he'd get MVP talk. And of course, it's racially motivated as well, because they see the numbers, and still say Love isn't good. As for this year, Parsons will still be out for a few games, with the return target being Week 6 against Dallas (of course). We need to get Josh Jacobs off this team for clearly obvious reasons. But we have a good crop of WRs, we added some TE depth in Jonnu Smith, and we have a new kicker now. The North is ours. Hell, it always was.

Chicago Bears (11-6)

It's been seven months, yet Bears fans are still celebrating winning their version of the Super Bowl. I remember when the Bears drafted Caleb Williams, and my first thought: "They have a QB now." Sure enough, Caleb's done a lot of the heavy lifting and carried the Bears to this point, and all with very little around him to work with. Running game wasn't much, receiving core was minimal, but Caleb put on his proverbial cape and saved the day. Yet who do people want to give the flowers to? Their head coach, Ben Johnson.

I swear, we live in a society that refuses to give Black QBs any credit. Let's get one thing straight, and it took me awhile to figure this out. You know why Bears fans are treating Johnson like he's the second coming of Halas or Ditka? It's simple: it's because he's not Matt Eberflus. Regarding the Steelers, I've said anyone would be a downgrade after Mike Tomlin. In the Bears' case, anyone would be an upgrade after Eberflus. Ben Johnson is not a good coach. The fact that he was swept by his old team proves it. And the Bears lost DJ Moore during the offseason as well. I smell regression for the Bears this year.

The NFC North will be delicious and captivating, because it always is. No matter what the matchup is, it'll be epic! 12 divisional matchups; the first one happening in Week 1 (Packers/Vikings)! This will be a very thrilling and bumpy ride, and I'm here for it as usual!