The NFC North will be a tight race to the finish this year as both the Vikings and Packers are co favorites while the Bears and Lions are the longshots. But OTL Sources say that the Lions (+550) may be a great sleeper bet to win it all.
OTL FUTURES BET:
Lions +550
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NFC North Division Winner 2020 Odds
Team | Odds |
Minnesota Vikings | +150 |
Green Bay Packers | +180 |
Chicago Bears | +425 |
Detroit Lions | +550 |
NFC North Win Totals 2020 Odds
Team | Over | Under |
---|---|---|
Minnesota Vikings | 8.5 (-150) | 8.5 (+123) |
Green Bay Packers | 8.5 (-137) | 8.5 (+113) |
Chicago Bears | 7.5 (-130) | 7.5 (-107) |
Detroit Lions | 6.5 (-134) | 6.5 (+110) |
Minnesota Vikings (+150)
2019 W-L Record | Head Coach | Starting QB | Offensive Playmaker | Defensive Playmaker |
10-6 | Mike Zimmer | Kirk Cousins | RB Dalvin Cook | FS Anthony Harris |
Key Offseason Acquisitions
Ameer Abdullah, RB (Re-signed); Dan Bailey, K (new deal); C.J. Ham, FB (Re-signed, four-years, $12.25 million); Anthony Harris, S (franchise tag); Rashod Hill, OT; Sean Mannion, QB (Re-signed); Michael Pierce, DT; Tajae Sharpe, WR; Eric Wilson, LB (second-round tender)
Key offseason loss: Stefon Diggs, WR
For the third time in his six-year reign as the Minnesota Vikings’ head coach, Mike Zimmer and his veteran quarterback, Kirk Cousins, made the postseason after finishing the 2019 season 10-6, good enough for a second-place NFC North finish and a playoff run that ended in the Divisional Playoff round against the San Francisco 49ers, 10-27
After much speculation, Minnesota finally traded away their best receiver, Stefon Diggs, so restocking their receiver room became a high priority, and so the Vikes used their first-round pick to grab LSU’s phenomenal deep thread, Justin Jefferson, with the 22nd pick overall.
The Vikings also lost three cornerbacks from 2019, so adding talent to their secondary became another one of their offseason needs, which is probably why they snagged three cornerbacks in the draft – TCU’s Jeff Gladney (No. 31 overall), Mississippi State’s Cameron Dantzler (No. 89) and Temple’s Harrison Hand (No. 169).
Green Bay Packers (+170)
2019 W-L Record | Head Coach | Starting QB | Offensive Playmaker | Defensive Playmaker |
13-3 | Matt LaFleur | Aaron Rodgers | WR Davante Adams | LB’s Preston Smith & Za’Darius Smith |
Key Offseason Acquisitions
Christian Kirksey, LB; Devin Funchess, WR; Marcedes Lewis, TE (Re-signing, one-year, $2.25 million); Rick Wagner, OT
In his first season as head coach for the Green Bay Packers, Matt LaFleur seemed to connect well with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers as the two led the team to a 13-3 season, a first-place finish in the NFC North and a postseason ride that took them all the way to the NFC Championship, which they lost to the San Francisco 49ers, 20-37.
With the exception of Adams, the Packers really don’t have a huge amount of high-level playmakers at the wide receiver position, so it made sense to bring in free agent Devin Funchess, who sat out most of last season in Indianapolis with a broken collarbone he suffered in the beginning of September.
What didn’t make sense was not using the draft to further bolster Green Bay’s receiver corps, instead choosing to select Rodgers’ future replacement, Utah State’s Jordan Love, a move that reminded every Packer fan of what happened back in 2005 when the front office drafted Rodgers in a similar way.
Chicago Bears (+425)
2019 W-L Record | Head Coach | Starting QB | Offensive Playmaker | Defensive Playmaker |
8-8 | Matt Nagy | Mitch Trubisky | RB Tarik Cohen | LB Khalil Mack |
Key Offseason Acquisitions
Artie Burns, CB; Deon Bush, S (Re-signed, one-year, $1.4 million); Nick Foles, QB; Ted Ginn Jr., WR; Jimmy Graham, TE; Germain Ifedi, OL; Sherrick McManis, DB (Re-signed, one-year); Robert Quinn, Edge; Danny Trevathan, LB (Re-signed, three-year extension $21.75 million)
The Chicago Bears were 8-8 behind the shaky play of Mitch Trubisky in 2019 and failed to reach the postseason for the eighth time in nine seasons, their only playoff appearance in that time under current head coach Matt Nagy in 2018.
Nobody is really sure how the Bears went from 12-4 in 2018 to a .500 record the following season, but most are quick to blame the lack of effectiveness coming from under center, with many Chicagoans ready to bail on Trubisky (who often looked lost on the field) to put their money on the newly acquired Nick Foles.
And the Chicago front office apparently feels the same way, solidifying the Trubisky/Foles competition by refusing to use the draft to find a replacement for Mitch, instead of snagging him a tight end (Notre Dame’s Cole Kmet) and some defensive help, earning them a B+ overall draft grade from the experts.
Detroit Lions (+600)
2019 W-L Record | Head Coach | Starting QB | Offensive Playmaker | Defensive Playmaker |
3-12 | Matt Patricia | Matthew Stafford | RB Kerryon Johnson | DE Trey Flowers |
Key offseason acquisitions
Geronimo Allison, WR; Jamie Collins, LB; Chase Daniel, QB; Duron Harmon, DB; Jayron Kearse, S; Miles Killebrew, S; Reggie Ragland, LB; Darryl Roberts, CB; Danny Shelton, DL; Desmond Trufant, CB; Halapoulivaati Vaitai, OT; Nick Williams, DT
When it comes to reaching the playoffs, Matt Patricia is 0-2 as head coach of the Detroit Lions and while Matthew Stafford is 3-6 in postseason appearances as their quarterback, the team has missed out for three seasons straight, so obviously something has to change.
The only good thing about finishing so poorly is the better draft picks you receive, and the Lions’ front office used theirs to bolster their secondary with the best cornerback in the 2020 draft class, Ohio State University’s Jeff Okudah, who should help Detroit’s passing defense, ranked last in the league in 2019.
The Lions’ 21st ranked rushing attack was improved in the draft with the selection in the second round of Georgia running back D’Andre Swift, who averaged 6.6 yards per carry over three college seasons, with almost 200 attempts last year for 1,218 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns.
Which Team Has Won the Most Divisional Titles?
Team | Division Titles |
Minnesota Vikings | 18 |
Green Bay Packers | 14 |
Chicago Bears | 11 |
Detroit Lions | 3 |
Which NFC North Team Has Won the Most Super Bowls?
Team | Super Bowls |
Green Bay Packers | 4 |
Detroit Lions | 1 |
Minnesota Vikings | 0 |
Chicago Bears | 0 |
The Green Bay Packers, who have won three NFC championships, have turned those (and two of their pre-1970 NFL Championships) into four Super Bowl wins: I in 1966, II in 1967, XXXI in 1996, and XLV in 2010.
The Chicago Bears, who have won two NFC championships, turned those into one Super Bowl win: XX in 1985.
Next are the Minnesota Vikings, who won three NFC championships and an NFL Championship (1969) but couldn’t turn them into any Super Bowl wins.
Last are the Detroit Lions, who have never won an NFC championship and therefore have never been to the Super Bowl.