The NFC North is one of the most hotly contested divisions in football with three teams between +180 and +210 to win the division. The Lions are on the outside looking in at +1200, but the Bears, Packers, and Vikings are all very live to win this division.
Chicago Bears (+180)
The Bears ended up running away with this division at 12-4 last season, but it is viable to expect a bit of regression from all three of these teams. The Bears find themselves with a lot of returning starters, but no sign of Vic Fangio, who darted off to Denver after their wildly successful regular season.
I expect the key to this season to be exactly how dynamic this offense can become. The Bears saw more success early in games and early in the season offensively. This was likely because their young core of players struggle to be prepared for an entire gameplan. The Bears would come out and strike early, but not too often after that by comparison.
There have been reports early in Bears camp that suggested that Mitch Trubisky was still struggling installing new concepts into the offense. This is definitely a concern based on these trends from last season. Recently, there have been more positive reports, but I’m still a bit unsure of how this offense will operate.
That being said, the defensive core on this team is very strong and the odds are too good to pass up. A 12-4 teams being +180 to repeat with most of their best players back is something that I can’t pass up.
Green Bay Packers (+195)
The Packers come into this season with a new head coach and a new system that should be really interesting to watch. Aaron Rodgers is notorious for being skeptical and outspoken in the media, something that has already come to the surface early in the preseason.
The Packers offense should be solid as always this season due to elite play from Aaron Rodgers and Devante Adams. The big question is how can the line and secondary options can perform. Aaron Jones has flashed and is assumed to be the lead back in the system, but we still don’t know just how good this offense can be.
I really give the Packers front office a lot of credit for drafting pretty well after paying Aaron Rodgers and leveraging their overall team talent. That being said, it is still not an elite defense and it will give up points. This is where the Bears should have a distinct advantage on the Packers.
I am much more confident in the Bears offense scoring on the Packers than vice versa. The Packers should be in a lot of close games and their season will likely depend on 4-6 drives at the end of games.
Minnesota Vikings (+210)
The Vikings were very disappointing last season and I expect a rebound offensively with so much talent on that side of the ball. Dalvin Cook, Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, and Kyle Rudolph is a really good group of skill players and Kirk Cousins has done more with less talent before.
The Vikings defense has struggled to return to truly elite form, but they still have plenty of talent to do so this season. I expect a rebound from a slight disappointment last season while their offense is much improved
The line is a bit too short here, but I like the Vikings as a playoff sleeper in the NFC at +120.
Detroit Lions (+1200)
The Lions are not elite on either side of the ball and they just lack the elite playmakers that the other three teams definitely have. Someone like Kenny Golladay has the chance to make a leap with rookie tight end T.J. Hockensen, but I still don’t think they will have the ability to put it all together, especially in a division with three above average football teams in it.
There is a look at the NFC North for the 2019 season. Bet the favorite Bears or the underdog Lions, but whoever you bet, make sure your bookie chooses the best Pay Per Head.
