The North is King

For years the NFC North has been viewed as a marginal division. Yes, Green Bay has been a consistent top performer, and Minnesota has had some short bursts of marginal success, but Chicago and Detroit have been perennial bottom feeders in the league. Chicago has only made the playoffs 6 times since 2000 (and hasn't won a playoff game in 14 years). Prior to last year, the Lions hadn't won a playoff game in 32 years and had only qualified for the playoffs 3 times since 2000. Even for the success Minnesota has had, they haven't won more than 1 playoff game in a single postseason since 1987.

It's quite possible the Black and Blue division may be undergoing a perception overhaul. Heading into Week 14, the division had an astounding 34-14 record. Seven of those losses were from when two NFC North teams played each other, leaving the division with a 27-7 record out of division. Fresh off their win against Green Bay, Detroit leads the charge at 12-1 and is largely viewed as a top 3 team in the league.  Minnesota, currently 10-2, doesn't look as formidable as Detroit, but has still found ways to win most of their games.  At the beginning of this week, Green Bay's mark of 9-3 would be good enough for first in 4 of the other 7 divisions. This is the first time since the NFL realigned the divisions in 2002 that three teams have had 9 wins by Week 13 (the last time this happened was way back in 1985). When you look at the high level stats, all four teams in the North are in the top 10 in points allowed per game. On the offensive side of the ball, Detroit (#1), Green Bay (#7), and Minnesota (#9) all crack the top 10.

Regular season success doesn't equate to post-season glory, but from the looks of things the NFC North won't just be a one-trick pony. The Lions appear to have a foundation that will keep them competitive for the near future. Dan Campbell came in and changed the culture of that organization very quickly. The team seems to have taken on his "tough guy" persona (to the chagrin of a few of our readers). Minnesota is also a well coached team.  Kevin O'Connell has turned around the fortunes of journeyman (yet highly touted) Sam Darnold. Boasting a bevy of weapons, the Vikings offense causes problems for opponents through tough match-ups and good schemes.  Even the lowly Bears, who started off at a 4-2 clip but have since hit the skids, look much better on paper than they have in the past. The dynamic #1 pick of the draft, Caleb Williams, has all the tools to be great. Chicago has surrounded him with better offensive talent than they are accustomed to having.  While Matt Eberflus couldn't figure out how to capitalize, Packer fans shouldn't get too confident that the Bears will continue to suck (sorry kids...that's the only time you're allowed to use that word).

It's certainly clear that the NFC North is having a "moment" this year.  Where this goes from here is anyone's guess, but for my money I think the Black and Blue division is still aptly named and could be for quite some time to come.