Last season, the NFC North was arguably the most competitive division in the NFL. The four teams — the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears — combined for a 45-23 record. The Bears were the only team in the division to miss the playoffs.
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With the Lions losing much of their coaching staff this offseason, the division appears wide open and is expected to be tightly contested once again.
Former NFL quarterback Kurt Benkert, who has built a strong following on X, stirred debate with his take on the NFC North. He predicted that the division crown will go to either the Packers or the Bears, and that the Lions will finish in third place.
Benkert Tweeted:
I really could see the Packers and Bears fighting for the division title.
Lions fighting for a wild card spot.
Interested in seeing Goff post Ben Johnson.
— Kurt Benkert (@KurtBenkert) June 3, 2025
The Lions put together one of the best seasons last year (15-2 record) and won the division. Yes, they lost their head coach Ben Johnson to the Bears, but Benkert’s opinion had fans livid with many disagreeing with his take.
One fan replied that Benkert said the same thing a year ago with his prediction, suggesting that his take for this season will also be wrong.
“Lol. Said the same s**t las year,” a fan wrote.
That wasn’t the only comment of someone calling out Benkert for making a similar prediction a season ago. Another fan questioned Benkert’s prediction last year after a similar one for this upcoming season.
“Kurt, You said this last year. How’d that end up?” a fan questioned.
Not everyone agreed with Benkert’s take. One fan, echoing a common sentiment, pushed back on the idea of the Bears contending for the division. Instead, they predicted the Lions and Packers would battle for the top spot, while the Bears could be fighting for a top-five draft pick.
“Could see Packer Lions fighting for the North. Could see the Bears fighting for a top 5 draft pick,” another fan responded.
Meanwhile, this user was livid by Benkert’s prediction. He jokingly took a shot at Benkert by questioning how serious he was and by sending his click-bait Tweet.
“Jeez you CANT be serious? Make sure the check clears BEFORE you post your paid tweets,” a fan responded.
Meanwhile, the NFC North is stacked, and could once again see three teams out of the division to make the playoffs. The Lions are one of the most talented teams in the NFL and Dan Campbell has flipped that franchise around.
The Packers have a lot of young talent and good coaching. On the other hand, Chicago will look to flip things around with Ben Johnson and will hope Caleb Williams can have a big sophomore season. The Vikings will be interesting to watch and as their new young quarterback J.J. McCarthy has never taken a snap in the NFL.
In short, the division will be up for grabs in a tight battle.
