Professional football will be played today. The 2024 preseason gets underway with the Chicago Bears of the NFC North taking on the AFC South‘s Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game. The NFC North will be a very interesting division to watch. Is Chicago ready to take that next step forward? Will Jordan Love prove his worth? Will Detroit continue to reign over the division?

Schedule graphics are taken from PlayoffPredictors. The NFC East outlook can be read here.

Chicago Bears (2023-24: 7-10, missed playoffs)

Chicago turned a 1-5 start into a 5-3 second half of the season, effectively saving Matt Eberflus’ job. Thanks to the DJ Moore trade and Carolina’s five-loss regression from 2022 to 2023, Chicago also landed the first overall pick. The Bears landed new franchise face Caleb Williams at quarterback, meaning Justin Fields was headed to the greener pastures of Pittsburgh.

Williams has one of the best possible skill position cores to work himself into the NFL he could have. DJ Moore is now joined by Keenan Allen via trade and Rome Odunze via the draft. D’Andre Swift joins the backfield to lighten Khalil Herbert’s load. Cole Kmet quietly posted a career-high 719 receiving yards. This offense will be fun to watch if anything else.

The defense, however, has questions to answer. Montez Sweat, Jaylon Johnson, Kevin Byard, and Tyrique Stevenson all have promise, but will they live up to the hype? The Bears sacked opposing quarterbacks just 30 times last year, only doing better than Carolina. Montez Sweat compiled more sacks in nine games with Chicago than anyone else on the team did in a full year.

Every game is important for Chicago this season. Should Chicago make the playoffs, small details from certain games will stick out. If the Bears fail to make the playoffs, it may result in a search for a new coach. The eyes of the NFL fanbase will be on Lambeau Field for Week 18. Will Chicago make the playoffs for the first time since the 2021 playoffs? Will Green Bay prove its own rebuild is complete? This year is a leap of faith for the Bears.

Detroit Lions (2023-24: 12-5, lost NFC Championship Game at San Francisco)

The Detroit Lions are here to stay. The Lions finally won the NFC North and made it to the 2024 NFC Championship Game, but ran out of gas. With the “learning experience” year out of the way, expectations are high in Motown.

The offense saw minimal change over the course of the offseason, but if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Detroit’s offense finished third in yards per game (394.8) and fifth in points per game (27.1). Amon-Ra St. Brown finished in the top four in the NFL receptions (119, second), receiving yards (1,515, third), and receiving touchdowns (10, fourth). Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery formed a dynamic duo at running back, combining for 23 touchdowns and 1,960 yards on the ground during the regular season.

The problem point is on defense. The Lions allowed 23.2 points per game, more than 11 of the 16 teams that missed the playoffs. From December until its playoff exit, Detroit allowed 24.1 points a game and allowed fewer than 20 points once. Locking down on defense is critical in the playoffs (just ask the Chiefs), so if this team has one downfall, it would be losing a track meet.

The Lions sit as the current favorite to win the NFC North in 2024. Barring a major injury, there is little to worry about in the regular season. Detroit’s expectations lie in January and beyond, so staying healthy will be key. Will the Lions do what has never been done and bring the Lombardi Trophy home? If they fail, how much leash will Dan Campbell have?

Green Bay Packers (2023-24: 9-8, lost Divisional Round at San Francisco)

The Green Bay Packers are on the clock. Jordan Love is now the $220 million man after his first full season. The Packers showed what they can do by upsetting the Dallas Cowboys and making San Francisco earn a Divisional Round win. Expectations are back to the usual high level at Lambeau Field.

Love is at the helm of a young offense with several players ready to break out. Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs both hauled in eight touchdown passes and Christian Watson finds himself in position to bounce back from an injury-riddled 2024. Running back duties lie in the hands of Josh Jacobs after a committee approach ended with Aaron Jones leading the team with 656 rushing yards. Jacobs gets to work in an offense that isn’t run by Josh McDaniels, which is an automatic upgrade for him.

The defense has promising talent throughout, but more turnovers must be forced this season. Green Bay only intercepted seven passes, second-lowest in the league (shipping Rasul Douglas to Buffalo did not help with that). If the defense is able to jump passes like they did against Dallas in the Wild Card round, though, this defense can stand strong against the best offenses.

Green Bay has several questions it has to answer. It will not win the NFC North barring a disaster in Detroit, but 2024 will still be a proving ground. Is Jordan Love the real deal or was his last season a fluke? Can the receiving core and defense take the next step in order to reach new heights? This team figures to be all over the place. Week 18 will be a moment of truth for Green Bay, as its will try to prevent Chicago from sabotaging its season.

Minnesota Vikings (2023-24: 7-10, missed playoffs)

Just when it seemed like Minnesota had turned its season around, disaster struck. Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury in the middle of a five-game winning streak. The Vikings had turned a 1-4 start into a 6-4 mark rolling into Week 11. From that point on, Minnesota would lose six of seven games (its only win was a 3-0 victory over Las Vegas).

The less said about this offseason, the better. Kirk Cousins left for Atlanta. Bad luck has followed Minnesota since the final week of the season and taken on varyingly tragic forms. Regardless, the Vikings will look to push forward.

First-round pick J.J. McCarthy figures to sit behind Sam Darnold at quarterback for the year. Justin Jefferson will be back at full strength, accompanied by Jordan Addison, (eventually) T.J. Hockenson, Jalen Naelor, and more. Aaron Jones will lead the backfield after several years in Green Bay, also hoping he can parlay a chance at a full season into a successful one.

There is no giving up on a season until the very end, but Minnesota has the odds stacked against it. This season will be about answering questions. Will McCarthy have to step in for Darnold or will the former third-overall pick do fine on his own? What will the defense do without Danielle Hunter? It seems the Lombardi Trophy will have to wait one more year.

Next time: will the NFC South take steps forward?

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