This year's NFC North battle is going to be one of the best in years. All four teams in the division could realistically finish with a winning record again, making a pathway to a postseason spot even smaller.
While all four squads did finish up 2025 with "winning" records, as well, the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions struggled against the NFC as a whole, and were mathematically eliminated from the postseason before the regular season had wrapped up.
That is unlikely to be the case this year, so monitoring how the rest of the division is doing will be critical to the Lions' playoff chances. Ahead of the Lions' own Week 1 game against the New Orleans Saints at home, we'll take a look at the rest of the NFC North's Week 1 schedule and predict how they'll fare.
Predicting NFC North's Week 1 results ahead of Lions' kickoff
Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings - Sunday, Sept. 13, 4:25pm EST
Prediction: Vikings win
We'll go with the better defense in this one, but this could also end up being a lot closer than folks realize. Minnesota got much better at quarterback this offseason by getting Kyler Murray in the fold, and it did feel like they were just one decent QB away from being menaces to the division. We'll get an immediate test of that theory in this game against Green Bay, who'll be without Micah Parsons.
The Vikings defense should be better than the Packers' unit in this contest, but it's tough to bet against Jordan Love versus Murray. Missing Parsons is tough, though, and Minnesota just feels more rounded out due to health than Green Bay headed into this one.
READ MORE: Predicting Lions starters on both sides of the field ahead of Saints game
Chicago Bears at Carolina Panthers - Sunday, Sept. 13, 1pm EST
Prediction: Bears win
This is no knock on the Panthers, who I've also predicted to lose to the Lions in their matchup in the first half of the season. But, Carolina's offensive line feels just a bit shaky now without Cade Mays, and they'll need to rely on heavy snaps from Chuba Hubbard and continued leaps from Tet McMillan and Jalen Coker. Of course, there's also the question of Bryce Young's viability as their starting, undersized quarterback.
Chicago, on the flip side, is fully expecting a leap from their star quarterback, Caleb Williams. Their offensive line also feels a little questionable, but Williams is a magician in the pocket, so does it really matter?
Additionally, their defense feels more formidable than Carolina's headed into this one, especially on their defensive front. Expect to see Young pressured and forced around the pocket a lot in this one, with likely less positive results than from a scrambling Williams.
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