Our 2026 NFL Preview continues with a trip to the old NFC North, where the competition figures to be tight until the end! Will Caleb Willams and the cardiac Bears retain their crown? After missing the playoffs, will the Lions recapture their throne atop the division? Can the Packers finally prove to be greater than the sum of their parts? Who will emerge as the undisputed QB1 for the Vikings, and will they vault them back into the postseason? The Oracle has the answers, ladies and gentlemen. All you need to do is read on…
Chicago Bears: Encore!!!
For the first time since 2010, the Bears not only claimed a division crown, but also managed to win a playoff game as (HC) Ben Johnson pressed all the right buttons in his first season in the Windy City. Johsnon, who had been the NFL’s most sought-after leading man for 3 years proved his mettle in Chicago, as Caleb Williams, the no. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, emerged as a legitimate playmaking threat. Indeed, Johnson and (GM) Ryan Poles did a tremendous job of bolstering the supporting cast around him, particularly a vastly improved offensive line that allowed the attack to finally find its footing. With better protection, structure, and playcalling, Williams made quite the leap in his second year as QB1, throwing for 3,942 yards, 27 TD and 7 INT, while rushing for another 388 yards and 3 more scores to boot. However, he was nothing short of a magician in the clutch, leading the league with a grand total of 6 fourth quarter comebacks, along with another in the playoffs, a 31-27 triumph over bitter rival, Green Bay, before very nearly securing another in a narrow 20-17 OT defeat against the Rams. In fact, those 6 regular season comebacks all came within the final two minutes of action, which stands as the most in NFL history. Talk about leaving it late… So, where do they go from here, you ask? Chicago did make plenty of changes in the offseason, replacing the recently retired (Pro-Bowl C) Drew Dalman with Garrett Bradbury, while trading away veteran WR, D.J. Moore and a 5th-round pick to the Bills for a 2nd-rounder that ultimately became (Iowa OL) Logan Jones. However, the biggest changes can be found on a defense that was the most opportunistic in the league a year ago. Chicago forced 33 turnovers in 2026 resulting in a +22 differential (1st Overall), though have nonetheless parted ways with 4 starters from that unit, including (LB) Tremaine Edmunds and (S) Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker. Credit management for recruiting solid direct replacements, with incomings such as (LB) Devin Bush along with (DBs) Coby Bryant and Xavier Woods, while (promising S) Dillon Thieneman was selected in the 1st round of last Spring’s Draft, so we wouldn’t expect this unit to fall off the proverbial cliff.
Our Take: There was no more entertaining team to watch last season than the Bears, who routinely found ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. To put their ledger into perspective, in finishing with 11 victories (12 including the playoffs), over half (58.3%) of those wins were comebacks occurring in the final 2:00 of play! Come December, we almost expected them to do so, which is a testament to the confidence and poise that Johnson and his staff instilled in their troops. However, living on such an edge is dangerously perilous in the NFL. We expect Williams and the attack to continue to develop under Johnson’s tutelage, but our concerns can be found on the opposite side of the football, where that aforementioned defense is all but assured to be less opportunistic than they were in 2025. Traditionally, teams that enjoy a turnover margin of +10 or greater suffer some form of regression in the following campaign. In fact, such teams often experience an average drain of 10 fewer takeaways. If that does indeed happen to Chicago, then they are also unlikely to rack up so many comebacks, which means we have a hard time envisioning them winning 11 games again, particularly in what should be a competitive NFC North. Does that mean that they won’t be a playoff team come January? We’ll have to wait and see…
Detroit Lions: Remember Us?
Since the turn of the century, the NFL has seen no greater rebuild than that of the Lions, who under the guidance of (HC) Dan Quinn and Co completely turned around a habitually floundering franchise, raising them into a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Indeed, Detroit posted just 5 winning seasons from 2000 to his arrival in 2021, advancing to the playoffs on 4 occasions with nary a single postseason victory to show for it. After finishing 3-13-1 in his first year in the Motor City, they went on to go 9-8 in 2022, before taking the league by storm over the following 2 seasons, logging a cumulative 27-7 record along the way, winning back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1954! For the first time in ages, this franchise was the belle of the ball, as Campbell and (GM) Brad Holmes did a sensational job of rebuilding the Lions from the ground up. However, such success only drew more envious eyes from the rest of the league, which led to a mass exodus of the coaching staff prior to last season. Campbell lost both coordinators, the aforementioned Johnson and (DC) Aaron Glenn, who were among the best in the NFL at the respective posts, with the grand total of assistant coaches leaving for greener pastures reaching 8. As a result, a narrative developed that Detroit would be worse for wear with a dramatically altered staff, as Campbell did his best to put together a new group. Initially, it didn’t seem like much of an issue as his troops got off to a strong 5-2 start in which they scored more points through 7 games than ever before in franchise history (215). However, that surge would eventually slow down with Campbell making the decision to demote (OC) John Morton and assume playcalling duties himself. Needless to say, this wasn’t the solution, folks, as the attack logged 198 points (24.7) over the final 8 outings, en route to a disappointing 9-8 finish to the campaign. Stating that he wouldn’t be calling plays in 2026, Campbell hired Drew Petzing to assume that role this season, which on the surface doesn’t appear to be the most inspiring of choices. The 39-year-old spent the last 3 seasons presiding over the Cardinals’ attack, which was far from a juggernaut; under his watch, Arizona ranked no better than 11th overall in points and 12th in total offense, ranking 19th and 23rd in those respective categories last year. With that being said, he did oversee a top-10 rushing attack in both 2023 and 2024, which certainly bodes well for the Lions’ ground game, spearheaded by the explosive Jahmyr Gibbs. Fresh off of his 3rd straight Pro-Bowl campaign, Gibbs amassed 1,839 yards from scrimmage and 18 total TD, which earned him a lucrative 3-year contract extension worth $75.75 million, making him the highest-paid RB in the NFL.
Our Take: In many ways, Detroit’s fate last season felt inevitable after Johnson and Glenn walked away from the Motor City. Those 2 coaches had been the most sought-after leading men for a number of seasons, and the fact that Campbell had managed to keep them in house as long as he did should be viewed as a victory unto itself. Replacing them (along with the many assistants that they took with them) was always going to be a difficult situation that was sure to reverberate down to the roster and their performance on the field. However, with that now out of the way, these Lions look like a contender once again heading into 2026. First and foremost, this remains a team that is loaded with talent on both sides of the football, with plenty of firepower at the skill positions along with size, physicality, and attitude in the trenches. Following a solid first season as DC, Kelvin Sheppard returns to build upon that foundation, while the arrival of Petzing shouldn’t be overlooked. He leaves behind a roster in the desert that can’t hold a candle to the one he inherits in Detroit, which should give him a golden opportunity to prove us all that he was indeed the right choice to direct the attack. Lastly, the schedule is much softer than it had been in recent years, with all these signs pointing to the Lions returning to their position among the NFC’s elite.
Green Bay Packers: Grating Cheese
Coming into 2025, the Packers were expected by many to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender, a notion that was only heightened with the arrival of (All-Pro Edge) Micah Parsons following a complete breakdown in contract negotiations with the Cowboys. Adding such a playmaker via trade or free agency has long been something of a rarity in Green Bay, a franchise that has long championed internal growth and development. However, such moves have directly led to Lombardi trophies in the past, hearkening back to the arrivals of (Hall of Famers) Reggie White and Charles Woodson. Unfortunately, last season nonetheless ended prematurely as the Cheeseheads once again failed to be greater than the total sum of their parts, finishing 9-7-1 with an offense ranking 15th and a defense placing 12th overall. The Packers did sit at a commanding 9-3-1 in early December, though would go on to lose their final 4 contests before blowing a 21-3 halftime lead against bitter rival, Chicago, on Wild Card Weekend. So, what in the name of Curly Lambeau happened, you ask? Injuries to key personnel on both sides of the football certainly played a role in their demise, particularly Parsons, who suffered a torn ACL in mid-December, ultimately kickstarting that late swoon. Reports out of Green Bay indicate that the 27-year-old will be out of action for at least several weeks to begin the campaign, which is a major blow to a unit that will see plenty of change following the arrival of new DC, Jonathan Gannon. While his tenure leading the Cardinals left a lot to be desired, Gannon earned that job on the strength of his time directing the Eagles’ defense from 2021-2022; the birds ranked 2nd in total yards allowed in that latter campaign, racking up an insane 69 sacks along the way, with 4 different players logging 10+, marking the first time in NFL history that has occurred. One of those defenders, Javon Hargrave, reunites with his former coach as a free agent, while the Secondary sees reinforcements in the form of (CB) Benjamin St. Juste and their 2nd-round pick from last Spring’s Draft, Brandon Cisse. On the opposite side of the football, (Emerging TE) Tucker Kraft is returning from a torn ACL of his own, though is reportedly further along than Parsons, which should be a boon to a passing attack that seen a culling of sorts with the departures of (WR) Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks.
Our Take: For a third consecutive campaign, conventional thinking has the Packers listed as a dark horse candidate to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl and potentially bring the Lombardi back home to Lambeau Field. However, we would urge you all not to subscribe to that belief too blindly, folks, for there is a reason that this team continues to be viewed as an under-the-radar contender. Simply put, they have plenty of talent on both sides of the football, along with an experienced coaching staff, though for a variety of reasons have struggled to put it altogether long enough to truly evolve into the contender we all think them to be. As we touched upon earlier, injuries have played a role in this, but in our opinion, their biggest flaw is that they so often find themselves playing to the level of their competition. Last season, (HC) Matt Lafleur’s troops lost games to the lowly Browns (10-13), uneven Panthers (13-16), injury-ravaged Ravens (24-41), and struggling Vikings (3-16), while blowing not 1, but 2 fourth quarter leads against the Bears, the latter of which eliminated them from the playoffs. This disconnect is further outlined in their performance ATS (6-11-1), including an abysmal ledger as a road favorite (1-7), which accurately reflects how the public views them in comparison to the oddsmakers.
Minnesota Vikings: The Grand Northern QB Battle
Remarkably, there are only a small handful of legitimate QB battles currently going on in Training Camps across the league, with by far and away the most notable occurring in Minneapolis. During the reign of (HC) Kevin O’Connell, the Vikings have seen something of a revolving door at the game’s most important position; after Kirk Cousins decided to test free agency in 2024, the franchise opted to draft his replacement, trading up to select J.J. McCarthy 10th overall in the famed QB class of that Draft. However, a knee injury suffered in preseason delayed his debut, giving way to the much-traveled Sam Darnold, who turned in a whirlwind campaign which earned him Most Improved Player of the Year honors. Curiously, management chose to stick with McCarthy and allow Darnold to walk as a FA, proving to be an ill-fated gamble for (former GM) Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. As Darnold went on to lead the Seahawks to Super Bowl glory, McCarthy struggled throughout his first season as the starter, a year that was interrupted by multiple injuries, first a concussion followed by a high-ankle sprain that sidelined him for 5 games. When he was on the field, his performance was uneven at best, compiling a 6-4 record with a poor completion percentage (57.6%), just 163.7 yards per game, and more INT (12) than TD (11). As Minnesota missed the playoffs for the second time in 3 years, Adofo-Mensah lost his job, leading O’Connell to make changes to ensure his own job security, which materialized in the form of Kyler Murray arriving to compete for QB1 alongside McCarthy. Indeed, Murray has enjoyed a rollercoaster of a career thus far; drafted no. 1 overall by the Cardinals in 2019, the 2018 Heisman earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, followed by back-to-back Pro-Bowl nods only to fall victim to a series of injuries, leaving him in a veritable limbo before Arizona ultimately released him in early March. On paper, Murray is the superior passer, though he isn’t without his limitations at this point of his career; after those injuries, the 29-year-old is less willing to beak the pocket and use his lethal speed on the perimeter, while his small stature (5’10”) has long been an issue at the line of scrimmage. With all that being said, O’Connell’s reputation as a QB whisperer is well-earned, while the supporting cast in Minnesota, headlined by (2-time 1st Team All-Pro) Justin Jefferson is much better than the one he left behind in the desert.
Our Take: Another year and it is another QB situation in Minnesota, which is the biggest reason for the Vikings’ fluctuating stock during the O’Connell era. After he got the most out of the aforementioned Cousins and Darnold, we think it speaks more to McCarthy’s shortcomings that he has failed to launch thus far, and thus wholly expect KOC to do the same with Murray, who hasn’t come close to reaching his initial potential since his last Pro-Bowl campaign in 2021. As we stated earlier, the supporting cast in Minneapolis is a sizable leap over Arizona’s, which should have him in line to follow a similar trajectory to Darnold’s. However, if Murray fails to impress and McCarthy does in fact prove to be a bust, then MAJOR changes could be on the way for the Northmen.