With the NFL season set to kick off on Thursday night in Kansas City, there is a lot of speculation about who is going to be coming out on top of each division.
One of the most interesting ones this season will be the NFC North, which might have a new kid in town at the top of the standings.
Let’s take a look at the odds from BetMGM of the four teams in the NFC North.
- Detroit Lions +130
- Green Bay Packers +210
- Chicago Bears +325
- Minnesota Vikings +1000
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With the best odds to come out of the division is last year’s division winner, the Detroit Lions, who made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game, losing to San Francisco in the title game.
The Lions have never won back-to-back division titles, but this is Detroit’s division to lose. They enter the season after ending a 31-year playoff win drought and are looking to keep that same momentum.
The Lions are loaded on offense and with receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, running back Jahmyr Gibbs and maybe the best offensive line in football. On defense, the Lions boost Defensive Player of the Year candidate Aiden Hutchinson, and now have a taste of winning the division and a playoff win to take it to the next level this season.
Detroit is a Top 3 team in the NFC, and barring injuries should be the team to come out of the North on the NFC side.
Don’t count out Green Bay
The team with the second shortest odds in the NFC North, who may have something to say about a Lions repeat are the Green Bay Packers, who had a ton of hype around them this offseason.
The Packers made superstar quarterback Jordan Love the highest-paid player in NFL history, inking him to a four-year, $220 million deal.
The Packers are pretty much putting all of their chips in with Love. The team added former Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, but do they have enough weapons around him and protection in front of Love?
While the Packers impressed during their playoff run, they went 9-8 last season and still have a lot of work to do to pass over Detroit.
What about a longshot play?
If you like to play the long shots, the most interesting team in the division is the Chicago Bears. The Bears had the first overall pick last season, taking USC Quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall. The team also added some weapons for Williams, with veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, and running back D’Andre Swift, and drafted him a stud receiver out of Washington, Rome Odunz. Add in incumbent wideout D.J. Moore and they have set Williams up for some instant success as a rookie.
The Bears are also a pretty good defensive team with T.J. Edwards, Montez Sweat, and Jaylon Johnson giving them a chance to be a pretty solid defense.
Stay away from the Vikings
Then the team with the worst odds to come out of the NFC North is the Minnesota Vikings with +1000 odds. There was some intrigue in Minnesota before a season-ending injury to rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy from Michigan. Now the Vikings will turn to veteran journeyman, Sam Darnold as their starter. An offense with Justin Jefferson will always be dangerous, but there just isn’t enough other weapons around Darnold this season.
The Vikings added edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkle from Miami and still have some nice veteran pieces on their defense, but this division is too competitive for me to lay any money on Minnesota.
The Pick:
You hate to go chalk, and I always looking for value, but the team to beat in the NFC North is the Detroit Lions. They are the most complete team with starting quarterback Jared Goff bringing them to the NFC Championship game, they are poised to make it back-to-back in the North.
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