It looks set to be another intense battle to see who comes out on top in the NFC North this season, with the Green Bay Packers the early favourites.
The Packers look to be keeping hold of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers for at least one more season, and the playmaker will be determined to go out on a high if it is to be his last year with Green Bay.
Packers the Ones to Top
The speculation about Rodgers’ future over the off-season won’t have helped the teams’ preparations for the new campaign at Green Bay.
It looks like the drama behind the scenes has been settled, and now Rodgers can focus on getting things right on the field.
The experienced QB is adamant he does not want the season to be a “farewell tour”, but there is bound to be talk of his eventual exit from the Packers throughout the campaign.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur will be hoping to get as much out of Rodgers before he moves on to pastures new and Green Bay look the ones to beat at 5/8
to win the NFC North.
Vikings Looking to Spoil the Party
Minnesota will once again be putting their faith in QB Kirk Cousins to help guide them to a divisional title this season.
The Vikings, who are 5/2
for the NFC North title, just missed out on second place in the division last season but now have the experience in the offence to challenge higher.
However, work needs to be done on the other side of the ball after conceding 475 in their 16 regular-season games during the last campaign.
Bears Looking Dangerous
Chicago will certainly want to be in the mix for the title come the final weeks of the regular season this time around.
Second to Green Bay last season, the Bears have brought in exciting quarterback Justin Fields during the NFL Draft, and it will be intriguing to see how much game time the rookie is offered.
Chicago are 11/2
for the NFC North crown, which is a reasonable price for a team that finished second last season.
Too Soon For Lions
It looks like the Detroit Lions will be the also-rans in the division this season, with odds of 28/1
for them to cause a major upset.
The Lions lost 11 of their 16 games last term, and it looks unlikely quarterback Matthew Stafford will be able to take Detriot up the levels needed to compete with the likes of Green Bay, Chicago and Minnesota.
It might well be another rock-bottom finish for a team that are still a couple of seasons away from challenging for the NFC North crown.
*All odds correct at time of writing.