Will the Detroit Lions live up to the hype or will the Minnesota Vikings win the NFC North in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2009?
Ever since the Detroit Lions defeated the Green Bay Packers in Week 18 last season to still not qualify for the playoffs, the team that has never won the NFC North since it debuted in 2002 has been the favorite to win the division crown in 2023 instead of the Minnesota Vikings, who won 13 games and the NFC North last season.
But not only have the Lions never won the NFC North, they also haven't won enough games in a season to earn a playoff berth since 2016.
Did Detroit make any monumental changes to their roster this offseason? When compared to every other team in the division, not really. One could argue that the Chicago Bears have added more talent and improved their roster more than the Lions in the last few months.
Look, everyone is anticipating some regression from the Vikings this year, and that's fair. Minnesota has never won at least 12 games in back-to-back seasons since 1970.
But the Vikings are returning 9 of their 11 offensive starters from a unit that scored the eighth-most points in the NFL last year and they've added a dynamic rookie receiver in Jordan Addison to their arsenal. Not to mention, Minnesota's defense should no longer be an end zone valet for opposing offenses following the hiring of Brian Flores as the team's defensive coordinator this offseason.
And why is everyone so sure that the Bears and Green Bay Packers are just going to be total non-factors in the division? Chicago showed some promise last season, and even though it's annoying, the Packers aren't probably going to collapse because their cave-dwelling quarterback left them to follow in Brett Favre's footsteps in New York.
So, how will the NFC North look after the upcoming regular season? Will the Vikings keep their spot at the top of the division, or will they be pushed aside by the Lions, Packers, or Bears?
Let's go ahead and see if we can predict how the NFC will turn out in 2023.