Entering the 2026 season, the NFC North has a chance to be the toughest division in the NFL. The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, and Detroit Lions are all believed to be contenders, and the Minnesota Vikings are as well, if they can get the quarterback situation figured out.
Because of the uncertainty at the quarterback position, Minnesota is the team in the division with the lowest expectations.
However, the Vikings do have a different advantage over other NFC North teams. While Minnesota’s value is being attached to the ceiling of Kyler Murray or J.J. McCarthy, it’s actually the defensive side of the ball that could decide the NFC North.
NFL writer Ben Solak made that point in a recent ESPN piece, where he boldly predicted the Vikings will win their division. Solak’s reason was simple: Minnesota has the only defense he trusts in the division.
Minnesota Vikings defense could be their path to reclaiming NFC North
Solak points out that Green Bay will be without Micah Parsons for the first half of the season and also have a new defensive coordinator; the Bears’ defense only survived on takeaways, and Detroit is dealing with significant turnover in the secondary.
That all could result in three teams with strong offenses and concerning defenses.
The Vikings, on the other hand, still have the best defensive coordinator in the league, according to Solak, in Brian Flores. If Flores can keep Minnesota’s defense humming, the analyst argues that the team will only need a functional offense to emerge as the best team in the division.
That may seem like a reach, or a big ask from the defense, but it’s definitely possible. The 2025 season proved that to an extent, because the team was still 9-8.
With all the struggles at quarterback last year, Minnesota found a way to win nine games, and a big reason why is that the defense only gave up 282.6 yards a game (third in the league) and 19.6 points per game (seventh).
If the Vikings can get better quarterback play in 2026, winning the division will definitely be possible. If the team can actually get good quarterback play, Minnesota should be in the mix for a Super Bowl.
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