Cory's Corner: The NFC North Is The Best By Far
The NFC North has historically been ruled by one different but dominant team, but now it has turned into a buzzsaw that offers no gimmes.
For decades, the NFC North operated under a predictable hierarchy: one heavyweight king, a scrappy challenger, and a cellar-dweller anchoring the bottom. Those days are dead. Entering the 2026 season, the old “Black and Blue” division has morphed into a historical anomaly. Coming off a 2025 campaign where it stood alone as the only division in the NFL to produce four teams with winning records, the North has become a gauntlet. With all four franchises hyper-aggressive in free agency, it has a legitimate chance to become the first division in league history to send every single member to the playoffs.
The match that finally lit this powder keg was struck in Minneapolis. The Minnesota Vikings made the low-risk, high-reward move of the offseason by signing quarterback Kyler Murray. Minnesota desperately needed stability after rookie J.J. McCarthy struggled mightily in 2025, turning in a pathetic 57.6% completion rate and 12 interceptions in just 10 games. Dropping a motivated Murray into a Kevin O’Connell offense featuring Justin Jefferson immediately elevates a roster that still managed a 9-8 finish despite major quarterback volatility.
But Murray’s arrival does more than just rescue Minnesota — it threatens to push a highly talented rival into last place. Look no further than the Green Bay Packers to understand the sheer cruelty of this division. Under Matt LaFleur, Green Bay boasts one of the league's premium young signal-callers in Jordan Love. And on defense, the front office added defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and cornerback Benjamin St. Juste in the offseason. Yet, because a torn ACL sidelines star pass rusher Micah Parsons until October, analysts are openly picking Love and the Packers to finish in the division basement.
The fact that a team led by Love could realistically finish fourth is a testament to the heavyweights at the top and the buzzsaw of a schedule through the upper Midwest. The defending division champion Chicago Bears didn't rest on their 11-6 record. To protect sophomore star Caleb Williams, the Bears traded for veteran center Garrett Bradbury and made the biggest financial splash in the division by signing safety Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions revamped their coaching staff by hiring offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to maximize a terrifying aerial attack where both Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams cracked 1,000 receiving yards last season.
Is it the best division in the NFL? I would easily say yes. Many other people say it’s the NFC West, but while the West does have the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, it also has the flimsy Arizona Cardinals, who will be trying to keep their heads above water this year. There are simply no “scheduled wins” left on the NFC North calendar.
The winner of the NFC North won’t just win a division, it will be a game of Survivor — minus the tribal council.
By the time we get to January, the NFC North will have subjected its teams to football's most unforgiving crucible. Whoever wins that division will be ready to hoist the Lombardi trophy.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (20)
gsd3
July 11, 2026 at 07:21 am
Toughest top to bottom? Yes. Best? I would have to say no. My pick would be the nfc west.
Put any north team in the west. Would they be favorites to win the division? I would say no. Put any of the top 3 from the west in the north and they would probably be favorites to win the division.
West will likely get the 1,5,and 6 playoff seeds.
That is why it is so important to win the division. Without it,looking at a 7th seed at best.
KenEllis
July 11, 2026 at 09:02 am
In the NFC West, Seattle, SF, and LA compete for and play in Super Bowls.
Meanwhile, NFC North teams have only appeared in 2 SBs this century -the last time being the Pack’s glorious run 16 years ago.
Come playoff time, nobody takes NFC North teams seriously.
Collins26
July 11, 2026 at 01:05 pm
Good point Mr. Ellis. The NFC North/Central has won a total of five Super Bowls in sixty years. Pretty pretty pathetic huh?
Coldworld
July 11, 2026 at 07:29 am
You have a high opinion of Kyler Murray. He’s athletic, has a good arm, but he is a very small QB/body. At 5’10”and 207 he might need to break a threshold. Drew Brees was 6’ and 213. Even Russell Wilson is slightly taller and Wilson has significantly bigger hands). Is size related to his up and down play as a result of durability? Wilson also fell off as a QB as he aged, supposedly due to cumulative injuries. Murray is 7 seasons in. Wilson probably lasted 10, but was better starting out.
Size aside, and perhaps even more critically, Murray’s decision making has been at least questionable. Of course he isn’t the only reason the Cardinals didn’t have a winning record with him, but he was sometimes a significant reason.
Sure Murray could have a renaissance like Darnold did, but Darnold is a guy who just needed protection and finally got it. A bit like Goff when he landed behind that Detroit OL. Murray is a much more complex conundrum. I think this whole article is based on the more extreme end of Viking optimism.
It’s also perhaps relevant that Gannon should know Murray in and out and that if the Packers have been good at anything over the last couple of seasons, it’s containing mobile QBs. Overall, I can’t get where this article tries to lead me.
WestCoastPackerBacker
July 13, 2026 at 12:08 am
Didn't Murray lose the starting job in AZ? That wasn't for no reason. Ridiculous hyperbole there. Same with CHI. Ben Johnson said they were winning in spite of their QB and he had one of the lowest completion percentages in the league. They won close games in large part because of an uncanny number of turnovers, which has statistically been shown to be followed by a regression. And Bradbury? He was rated 30th of 40 centers by PFF, so I'm not sure he's an improvement. He doesn't have the strength to move big guys in run blocking. I don't think he made the Bears better. And, they STILL don't have a pass rush. They could sign somebody to help, but they haven't so far. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a Bears regression, somewhat like the Lions last year, who by the way, are struggling to find CBs and Safeties who can stay healthy and stay on the right side of the law.
GBs biggest issue last season was injuries to their top talents: Kraft, Wyatt, Parsons and Tom. Two of the their best guys on each side of the ball were lost to injury. That's tough to overcome. If the injury gods smile a little more on GB this season, they should be able to have a productive offense and a top 5-10 defense. Here's hoping LaFleur entrusts the offense to one of the most efficient QBs in the league. Gannon's D is structured to allow them to play fast and not overthink their roles on any given play.
Murray is a hit or two away from being knocked out; same with Caleb. He's been lucky so far with his scrambling and running, but history shows running QBs get nailed at some point and get hurt.
Time will tell, but putting QB at the bottom of the division is a pretty damning position; they have been competitive every year under MLF. They beat all three teams, beating the Lions twice and losing to the Bears with stupid play and losing to the Vikings by playing their JV squad.
stockholder
July 11, 2026 at 07:34 am
The NFC North is; the Super-Bowl or Bust "Trap".
Gute's roster - turnover didn't do MLF any favors.
It still lacks depth in several positions.
And with Josh Jacobs legal problems.
And Parsons delay.
The analyst aren't on the packers side.
The obvious is the schedule.
Playing 8 games against 7 that made the playoffs.
Is a feat in itself.
If this team can't avoid injuries.
I fear MLF will be riding into the sunset.
TarynsEyes
July 11, 2026 at 08:23 am
"By the time we get to January, the NFC North will have subjected its teams to football's most unforgiving crucible. Whoever wins that division will be ready to hoist the Lombardi trophy."
So, the path to the SB goes through the NFCN.
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Sorry, I tried to type, but I was laughing too hard.
NFLfan
July 11, 2026 at 10:42 am
NFC West-Seahawks and Rams are vastly better than any team in the NFC North though I would not sleep on the Bears
SicSemperTyrannis
July 11, 2026 at 02:41 pm
NFCN could all wind up 3-3 in the division
Oppy
July 12, 2026 at 09:24 am
The Bears can’t beat a healthy Packers team.
Watch and learn.
ricky
July 11, 2026 at 12:20 pm
Caleb Williams had a 57.8% completion record last year. What he could do was make enough big plays in the closing minutes to win games. McCarthy couldn't. The question is, can Williams continue to pull rabbits out of hats?
SicSemperTyrannis
July 11, 2026 at 02:42 pm
Conversely, if he learns to play well in the pocket he'll become scary.
Coldworld
July 12, 2026 at 03:48 pm
On the other hand, if defenses play him aggressively in terms of coverage, he can go to pieces. Playing soft off zone against him with no rush proved to be a recipe for miracle comebacks. Perhaps I’m the only one, but it seemed to me that Hafley post Parsons was doing to him what our D’s consistently did for Kaepernick when no other team was as accommodating.
MTmind
July 11, 2026 at 11:18 pm
I’m curious if people commenting would rather have a top to bottom roster made up of the best players at their position from the NFC North or West Divisions?
HarryHodag
July 12, 2026 at 10:06 am
The NFC West is better than the North. Three teams there are Super Bowl contenders. Arizona is a dud at the moment, but Mike LF certainly has the ability to turn it around with some new talent.
What the NFC North is is competitive. There is no dominant team. Each team is capable of winning against another NFC North opponent both on the road and at home. Conversely, they can also lose either way. That wasn't always the case.
Don't sleep on the Vikings. Murray gives an already hot offense and even hotter touch. Detroit still has an enormous amount of talent.
The Bears(gag) finally appear to have put it together. We all know the Packers pluses and minuses, but we tend of not see the team like others do. The opponents also see a lot of talent from Lambeau Field.
The Josh Jacobs, Tucker Kraft and Micah Parsons and D. Wyatt situations will weigh heavily on the Packers chances this year. I don't forget that the Packers lost a lot of games after Kraft and Parsons were gone and Jacobs was injured.
Boneman
July 12, 2026 at 10:06 am
Sorry but I don't agree. Last year we had a fluke season by the Bears, they will regress. We are witnessing the slow decline of Detroit back towards the bottom of the Division, it is inevitable that organizations are who they are. The Vikings keep making blunder after blunder and desperately hope Murry can be the guy they let walk last year. The window is closing for them, not opening. The Packers are the only team that has all the components to challenge for a SB if they can just be reasonably healthy. They were proving it before their key guys all went down. I think all the North teams are competitive and will challenge for .500 records. If the Pack keeps that crucial bit of health they could realistically get to 12 to 13 wins and win their Division.
Coldworld
July 12, 2026 at 03:53 pm
I don’t see it with Murray or the Vikings roster over all. To me they are starting a period of transition and carrying a lot of baggage from prior seasons.
HarryHodag
July 13, 2026 at 12:48 pm
Not much evidence to back up your position. How you can see the Bears and Lions regressing is interesting. The Vikings have one of the NFL's best defenses.
Leatherhead
July 13, 2026 at 05:34 pm
Lions regressing????
They have sucked throughout eternity. Very few teams that were in the league in the league when the Super Bowl Era began have never made it to the Super Bowl. Very few teams have gone 0-16.
Failure is in their DNA, all the way from the Owner's Box to socks and jocks. They've hired guys like Matt Millen. Despite drafting early every year, their team usually sucks. Then...a MIRACLE. Big Dan Campbell shows up. He's got a jawline, he's fiery, he's a gambler. And for a brief period of time, there is life in Detroit. They win their first playoff game since 1991 and people with no sense of history are ready to crown him. They're in the locker room at halftime with a lead and a chance to go to the Super Bowl and they choke up a Detroit Fur Ball. The next year, they roar through the season, running up the scores when they can, and lose (at home) in the playoffs. Then they finished last in the division.
I, for one, won't be surprised if Detroit misses the playoffs, again, and finishes last in the division, again. Have they done enough to not only offset their losses, but improve more than the other teams in the division? I'm not seeing it at all. They probably have the worst defense in the division.
The Bears regression is just Math. They won a fantastic number of games in the 4th quarter. IF they can continue that, they'll win the division, but if the Law of Averages asserts itself, that won't happen.
The Vikings may have a good defense. It won't make any difference, because Minnesota always finds a way to screw it up. They wouldn't resign Sam Darnold, went with McCarthy, and we know how t hat worked out. Signing Murray makes them better at QB, but it's still the worst in the division. Murray is not as good as Goff, Love, or Williams. He's not.
These franchises in Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago have repeatedly shown they can't put a team together that can win a Super Bowl. ONE, and that was over 40 years. The Packers have won 4 times as many as all three of them combined.
Every year, it's blah blah blah about how other teams in the division have improved. I don't see it this year. I think Chicago could improve without improving their record....or Williams could get hurt and their record would get worse. I definitely believe Detroit will be worse, and I definitely believe that Minnesota will find a way to screw it up.
arthurl
July 12, 2026 at 02:00 pm
I feel the addition of Gannon and Babich will have a huge impact on the defense. Overall the team has better NFL coaching on the defensive side and there is some talent to work with. For me it comes down to a large extent on how well the offensive line performs. We have the offensive playmakers but the OL is the key. They hold up then I feel GB wins the division and will have better success come playoff time.