NFC North Preview- Will the Packers Bounce Back In 2023?

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GREEN BAY- The Packers had a rough year in 2022. For the first time in several years, the Packers had a losing season. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the Detroit Lions had a relatively successful season and the Minnesota Vikings won the division.

This season, the Packers will experience their first year without Aaron Rodgers. However, if the Brett Favre experience should teach the Packers anything, it’s that trusting the process works. If quarterback Jordan Love has the same kind of immediate success as Rodgers, the Packers will be the king of the division again in little to no time at all. However, the Packers don’t have receiver Allen Lazard who signed with the New York Jets. The team will rely on Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson. The Packers defense usually is either one of the top defenses in the NFL or at least consistent enough to give the Packers a chance to win most games.

Will the Minnesota Vikings stand in the way for the second season in a row? The shocking news of Dalvin Cook’s release was a major momentum changer. Was the team concerned about Cook’s legal issues? Was this about clearing cap space? Will the Vikings run the ball effectively? Alexander Mattison is a similar running f back to Cook. When watching the game film, Mattison appears like a slippery back with some power. He has great ball-carrying vision but just needs to be more productive than what he averages.

Mattison averaged 3.8 yards per carry last season. He averaged better numbers in his first two seasons. Perhaps now that Mattison is the starting running back, his numbers will closely mirror his first two seasons.

What about rookie receiver Jordan Addison’s speeding citation? Will the punishment be small or anything? Chances are that Addison Will be available but this a warning sign of potential issues for him down the road. Addison publicly apologized and took ownership of what he did. He showed a lot of maturity by doing that. However, he needs to go through a lot of personal changes.

The Vikings could have one of the top receiving cores in the NFL.

Will losing defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson to the Browns hurt this team? This may be a down year for the Vikings. Only time will tell.

Is the year of the Detroit Lions upon us? The Lions are usually a non-factor in any playoff conversation that trend could end this year. The addition of C.J. Gardner-Johnson was a huge win for the Lions in the off-season. The team drafted Linebacker Jack Campbell out of Iowa, cornerback Brian Branch out of Alabama, and defensive tackle Brodric Martin out of Western Kentucky.

The Lions offense will look different with rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama rather than DeAndre Swift. Gibbs is relatively elusive with great ball-carrying vision. He’s not a power back but he plays similar to San Francisco 49ers and former Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. Gibbs will likely be a part of the Lions passing game too.

What about the Bears? Will quarterback Justin Fields live up to the hype this year? Will the defense be a force to be reckoned with? The vision of a Bears playoff team starts with the defense and that’s a mentality that Bears fans are familiar with. After all, it worked perfectly in the 1980s and that’s what the team needs to get back to. The Bears drafted defensive tackle Gervon Dexter out of Florida, Cornerback Tyler Stephenson out of Miami (who has a lot of experience playing in the Bears defensive system), defensive tackle Zach Pickens out of South Carolina, and linebacker Noah Sewell (brother of Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell). The Bears clearly wanted a younger, more dominant front seven on defense. This defense could wreak havoc in 2023 if these rookies get plenty of chances to showcase their skills right away.

The NFC North looks to be the toughest division to accurately predict the final standings because of so much change with the rosters.

Final Standings Projection

NFC North 2023

Minnesota Vikings 11-6

Detroit Lions 10-7

Chicago Bears 8-9

Green Bay Packers 7-10