Ranking the Packers against every NFC North roster in 7 key categories

The Green Bay Packers face a tough battle in arguably the most competitive division in football. How do they stack up against their NFC North rivals?

We have ranked all four teams in seven categories: Quarterback rooms, running backs, pass-catchers, offensive lines, front sevens, secondaries, and schedules.

The scoring is simple. The team that ranks No. 1 in a category receives one point, the team that ranks No. 2 receives two points, and so on. The fewer points, the better. At the end, we'll tally them up and see where the Packers stand against their rivals. Shall we?

Ranking the Packers against their NFC North rivals ahead of the 2026 season

Quarterback rooms

The Packers have the advantage here. Each team has talent under center, although we give the edge to Jordan Love.

Love is the division's most balanced quarterback. He was highly efficient last season, throwing 23 touchdowns to five interceptions, while ranking No. 5 in big-time throw rate and No. 9 in turnover-worthy play rate, per PFF.

Jared Goff is elite when kept clean, but far less efficient under pressure. According to Scott Barrett of Fantasy Points Data, Goff led the league in EPA per dropback when given a clean pocket, but fell to 28th when pressured. Love was sixth in both categories.

Caleb Williams ranked 22nd in a clean pocket and 13th under pressure. Kyler Murray was 25th in a clean pocket and 11th under pressure.

Williams' inconsistency hurt him in 2025. Although he had the highlight-reel moments, his adjusted completion percentage of 70.9 percent ranked 38th, per PFF.

Green Bay also boasts better depth than at least Chicago and Detroit.

While Tyrod Taylor struggled in the preseason, he is a proven and capable backup in the NFL. Taylor threw eight touchdown passes to five interceptions during his two-year stay with the New York Jets. He also has 62 career starts to his name.

Tyson Bagent is Williams' backup in Chicago. Bagent has made just four career starts, with three touchdown passes and six interceptions. The Lions signed Joshua Dobbs last month after Teddy Bridgewater's surprise retirement. Dobbs is now on his sixth team since the start of 2023.

The Vikings can turn to the experience of Carson Wentz, although J.J. McCarthy is listed as the QB2 on the depth chart for now.

Running back rooms

This is where it gets a little frightening for the Packers, whose backfield is led by MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson. They have a combined 34 career carries in the NFL. Chris Brooks will offer some solid pass protection, but don't expect him to dominate with the ball in his hands.

Lloyd is finally healthy and offers high upside, but is he ready for a heavy workload? Johnson averaged 2.5 yards per carry as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The bigger concern is that the Steelers were willing to trade Johnson for a 2028 sixth-round pick after using a third-rounder to draft him last year.

The Lions lead the way, and how could they not? Jahmyr Gibbs is a cheat code. While they've lost some depth by trading David Montgomery, expanding Gibbs' role could make their offense even scarier.

The Bears boast solid depth with D'Andre Swift, Kyle Monangai, and Roschon Johnson, although they lack a true star at the position. The Vikings have more questions. Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones will split the workload, but Jones' production is in decline.

His 4.2 yards per carry was a career worst last season, and his two rushing touchdowns tied his lowest output. His 132 attempts were the second-fewest.

Pass-catchers

Tucker Kraft is arguably the best tight end in the NFC North, but Green Bay's receiving corps is still more potential than proven production. The Packers are relying on Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Jayden Reed to reach new heights this season. I'm a huge fan of Watson and Golden, in particular, so there's no doubt they can get there, but it's tough to rank them any higher right now.

Justin Jefferson is the best wide receiver in the NFL. Amon-Ra St. Brown isn't far behind. They each have four Pro Bowls and immediately boost the Vikings' and Lions' rankings.

Minnesota has quality depth with Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Detroit has Jameson Williams coming off his first 1,000-yard campaign, along with tight end Sam LaPorta, who has 2,104 yards and 20 touchdowns to his name in three seasons.

There's an argument to place Green Bay above Chicago, but the latter still has more proven production. Luther Burden looked like a future star in his rookie campaign. He started slowly but caught fire from Week 3 onward, posting 650 yards and two touchdowns in 13 games despite starting only five of them.

Kraft might be the best tight end in the division, but second-year Colston Loveland isn't far behind after posting 597 yards and six touchdowns in the final 10 games of his rookie season, followed by a 137-yard playoff performance against Green Bay.

Offensive lines

The gulf between the Bears and the rest of the division isn't as big following the retirement of Pro Bowl center Drew Dalman, but they still lead the way.

Four-time Pro Bowl guard Joe Thuney is still on top of his game, having allowed zero sacks in his debut season with the Bears, per PFF. Right tackle Darnell Wright earned second-team All-Pro honors last year.

The Vikings boast the division's best tackle pairing in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill, but the Lions have the best individual tackle in Penei Sewell. He's coming off three straight first-team All-Pro selections. Sewell shifts to left tackle out of necessity this year, given the Lions' struggles to replace veteran Taylor Decker. They're also still reeling from the retirement of All-Pro center Frank Ragnow.

The Packers have a million problems up front. Zach Bako-Bewele is the only elite starter in the group, but he's still not at 100 percent after a knee injury that ended his 2025 season, and he's uncertain for Week 1. Aaron Banks is dealing with a knee issue and is also a doubt, raising even further questions about whether he should be a long-term starter.

Green Bay will rely on Sean Rhyan at center and the inexperienced Jacob Monk at right guard. Big problems potentially await the offensive line.

Front sevens

The Lions and Packers both boast an all-world pass-rusher, although Micah Parsons will miss at least four games.

Detroit has solid depth around Aidan Hutchinson with free-agent addition DJ Wonnum and second-round pick Derrick Moore. The defensive line will level up considerably if Alim McNeill can enjoy a bounce-back season. The Lions also win back at linebacker, a group led by first-team All-Pro Jack Campbell.

The Packers have strengthened up front this offseason, but they need Parsons back to reach their full potential. Javon Hargrave and Chris McClellan add quality around Devonte Wyatt at defensive tackle. Linebacker Edgerrin Cooper could reach his Pro Bowl potential in Jonathan Gannon's system, and he's joined by veteran Zaire Franklin.

Expect to see Cooper in more of a pass-rush role this season. He did this in college, registering a ridiculous eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss at Texas A&M in 2023.

Minnesota has an excellent pairing on the edge with Dallas Turner and Andrew Van Ginkel, who combined for 15 sacks last season, as well as a solid linebacker duo of Blake Cashman and Eric Wilson.

But it's the Hutchinson and Parsons factor that gives the Lions and Packers the advantage.

Secondaries

The Packers still have questions in the secondary, but it's fair to say they could have strong play in four of the starting five positions.

Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams give them arguably the league's top safety tandem. McKinney has made the All-Pro first and second teams over the past two years, while Williams is still ascending after being named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2024.

Javon Bullard has become a quality slot corner. Rookie Brandon Cisse has to prove it in real games, but he looks like a potential CB1. That leaves Keisean Nixon as the CB2.

Chicago isn't far behind. Two-time Pro Bowler Jaylon Johnson might be the best cornerback in the NFC North, and the team has upgraded at safety. The only issue is that offseason addition Coby Bryant could be sidelined until December.

The return of Harrison Smith gives Minnesota a boost. Detroit's safety duo of Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch is as good as any in football, but it's unclear how much time they'll miss due to injury. They can't get back soon enough. The Lions' biggest issue comes at cornerback, where D.J. Reed and Rock Ya-Sin will likely start.

Schedule

Football isn't won on paper, and we shouldn't take strength of schedule too seriously, but the Lions appear to have a significant advantage here. Per Sharp Football Analysis, Detroit ranks No. 1 in strength of schedule, which means it has the easiest slate. Minnesota is No. 15, Green Bay No. 24, and Chicago No. 26.

The Bears draw matchups against the Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles, and Jacksonville Jaguars. The Packers get the Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Texans. Compare that to the Lions, who face the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, and Tennessee Titans instead.

A favorable schedule could benefit the Lions in what promises to be an intense contest for the division title.

Final standings

Remember, the fewer points, the better. A first-place finish in a category receives one point, a second-place finish earns two points, and so on. With that in mind, here's how it stands after tallying up the points:

It's close, as expected. The Lions lead the way with 14 points. They ranked in first place for running backs, front sevens, and schedules, while finishing last in only one category.

Perhaps surprisingly, the Vikings finish second with 18 points. They lead the way in just one category (pass-catchers), but had only one last-place finish (quarterback). However, if there's one category you don't want to finish last, it's the quarterback room.

Interestingly, the Packers and Bears finish tied with 19 points.

They both have strengths. Green Bay leads the way in the quarterback and secondary categories, while Chicago tops the offensive line ranking.

Both teams also have some big flaws. The Packers' running back room and offensive line present real concerns. The Bears' pass rush and the entire front seven, for that matter, could hurt them this year, as could their first-place schedule.

Of course, many of these rankings are up for debate. It's close. Really close. The biggest takeaway is one we already knew going in: The NFC North is going to be seriously tough to win.

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