NFC North preseason power rankings: Can Packers close the gap on Lions?

The long wait is over, and the NFL is finally back on our TVs. Kind of.

After last week's Hall of Fame game featuring Chicago, the rest of the NFL is finally back in game mode, albeit exhibition season. Speculation season has finally come to an end, and we get to see how each team's offseason moves will come to life.

These are power rankings based on perception, not predictions of division standings.

Without further ado, let's take a look where each of the NFC North teams stand headed into Week 1 of the NFL preseason.

Packers and Lions compete for top spot in NFC North power rankings

4. Minnesota Vikings

As mentioned above, this is based on where the Vikings stand entering the season, not necessarily a prediction of where they will finish in the NFC North standings in January.

It was a rather blah offseason for Minnesota, with a few ups and downs along the way. The Vikings drafted their apparent quarterback of the future and also grabbed Sam Darnold as a veteran mentor, who will likely start the early part of the season, at the very least. The sit-behind-a-veteran-to-develop formula has worked wonders in Green Bay, but they also had two all-time greats at the helm in the meantime, not a career journeyman.

On a positive note, Minnesota did lock up Justin Jefferson to a lucrative deal while adding Jonathan Greenard from Houston and Aaron Jones from Green Bay. The Jefferson deal keeps their best offensive weapon happy and gives Darnold or J.J. McCarthy an incredibly talented WR1 to rely on.

Entering the preseason, this team has a strong 9-8 or 8-9 feel to it and could sneak into a wild-card game. A fall wouldn't be shocking either, which is why Minnesota sits last in the initial power rankings.

3. Chicago Bears

Unlike Minnesota, Chicago has incredible buzz. And they should, having landed Caleb Williams, the top quarterback prospect and No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears are also giving Williams plenty of firepower, drafting Rome Odunze and trading for Keenan Allen to play alongside DJ Moore and Cole Kmet in the passing game.

Defensively, Chicago strengthened its secondary by adding two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, locking up Jaylon Johnson to a massive extension, and signing a former Packers player, Jonathan Owens.

The reality for Chicago is that the season rests on the arm of Williams and the minds of head coach Matt Eberflus and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Eberflus is likely in a make-or-break year, entering with a 10-24 record over the past two seasons. He needs to prove himself.

Williams has enough legitimate concerns. He was statistically great at USC individually but showed a lot of cracks down the stretch of the 2023 season, as the Trojans lost five of their last six regular-season games, including three in a row to end Williams' college career.

Chicago does get a tiny boost in scoring of the power rankings due to allowing NFL Films and HBO to come in for Hard Knocks, which debuted this week.

2. Green Bay Packers

The gap from two to one is significantly closer than three to two. Prior to the start of the preseason, one could make a compelling case for the Packers to sit atop the entire NFC, let alone the NFC North.

The Packers finally moved on from Joe Barry, hiring Jeff Halfey as the new defensive coordinator. They massively upgraded the safety position with Xavier McKinney and got younger and perhaps healthier (knock on wood) with Josh Jacobs at running back—all this while extending Jordan Love to be the highest-paid quarterback in NFL history.

So, why are the Packers only No. 2, you may ask?

While all of that is incredibly exciting and definitely could lead to Green Bay making another deep playoff run, if not entering a Super Bowl window, it is still just hype. There is nothing wrong with that, though, considering how young the core of this team really is, with most significant role players still being on rookie contracts.

The sky is the limit in Green Bay, and the Packers have the firepower to climb to the top.

1. Detroit Lions

Detroit finds itself in an odd position, entering the 2024 season as the NFC North champions. It was their first division title since 1993 when it was named the NFC Central. Detroit made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game last season before blowing a 24-7 halftime lead against the San Francisco 49ers.

Detroit is in Super Bowl-or-bust mode, another unusual spot for the franchise, considering it has never played for the Lombardi Trophy. The Lions signed Jared Goff to a four-year, $212 million extension. Goff has played in the Super Bowl, although when he was with the Rams, in what was one of the more lackluster games for the NFL's highest prize.

We have likely seen Goff's ceiling as a quarterback, so it will be up to the surrounding pieces to get Detroit over the hump. The Lions did make some other massive moves in the offseason, extending Penei Sewell and Amon-Ra St. Brown internally, and adding Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler on the offensive line in free agency. This should allow Goff to stay upright and perform at a high enough level to score points, while the tenacious defense continues to impress.

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