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The Detroit Lions kicked off the NFL season with a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, making one hell of a first impression for 2023. On Sunday, the rest of the NFC North had their chance, and it’s fair to say each of them made an impression—just not maybe the one they would have liked.
The Minnesota Vikings played a sloppy game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and found themselves on the bad end of a one-score game for the first time in over a year. Losing to the Bucs—a team many had power ranked in the bottom five—is an embarrassing way to open the season at home. There are still concerns about their offensive line, but their defense looks like it has made some strides from last year.
The Chicago Bears had an even more disastrous home debut. Not only were they blown out, but it was to their biggest rival: the Green Bay Packers. Suggestions that Justin Fields was primed for a Year 3 jump appear to be a bit premature, as the Bears offense was held without a touchdown until late in the third quarter, and their defense collapsed completely in the second half.
The Packers are the only other NFC North team that can hold their head high after Week 1. It wasn’t a perfect debut from Jordan Love, but after a slow start, he settled in nicely. The defense looks seriously good, and Aaron Jones—who was injured in this game—is still electric.
All that being said, you never want to overreact to Week 1, so today’s Question of the Day is:
How would you rank the NFC North after Week 1?
My answer: Did I ask this question just to pat myself on the back for my preseason prediction of NFC North standings? You can’t prove that. But I will say that I was very confident in my offseason prediction of:
- Lions
- Packers
- Bears
- Vikings
It’s hard for me to move away from that after Week 1. I’m tempted to drop the Bears back down to last again, but I think they’ll improve as the season goes on. The Vikings didn’t look completely awful on Sunday—their offense still figures to be okay this year—but there’s no defending losing to this Buccaneers team at home. So I’m sticking with my original prediction.
How do you think the NFC North will shake out now? Scroll down to the comment section and share your rankings.
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