NFL Futures: Best Bet to Win the NFC North (2020)
The NFC North is a mixed bag. We have two playoff teams from last season that many people doubt, a Chicago Bears team that could be great or terrible, and a Detroit Lions squad that everyone is writing off — looking at the odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, which team is worth a bet to win the NFC North this year? You can also check out our consensus odds to win the NFC North here.
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Minnesota Vikings
Odds to Win NFC North: +165
The Vikings lost twice to the Packers last season, which stung, but the team rallied to beat the New Orleans Saints on the road in the NFC Wild Card Game. Kirk Cousins made clutch throws and showed he could perform in a big game, and the Vikings needed to see that. Now, the question is whether Cousins can be consistently great. If he can turn the corner, the Vikings have the defense and the wide receivers necessary to make a push for the NFC championship.
Stefon Diggs is gone, but the Vikings still have Adam Thielen. They also think that they’ve gotten a great replacement for Diggs with LSU’s Justin Jefferson. The biggest question mark is Cousins; the other big question mark is the offensive line, which the Packers overpowered last season. If the offensive line holds up, this is a Super Bowl-caliber team.
Green Bay Packers
Odds to Win NFC North: +175
Something just feels off with the Packers. Everything was rosy last season when they went 13-3, but it’s clear that Aaron Rodgers and head coach Matt LaFleur just don’t get along. It’s bizarre to see a team with Rodgers under center get all the way to the NFC Championship and blow a first-round pick on a quarterback. Not only has it rubbed Rodgers the wrong way, but it’s also a bad strategy — they could’ve gotten the talent they needed to take that final leap instead.
I’m looking for this team to revert back to the mean this year. Rodgers won’t look great, the defense won’t shine as well, and it will pave the way for the Packers to start considering a transition to Jordan Love. It’s a shame. Adding one or two wide receivers could have put this team over the top.
Chicago Bears
Odds to Win NFC North: +350
Is Mitch Trubisky is done in Chicago? The Bears gave up a lot to take him early in the NFL Draft a few years ago, and that sacrifice of picks and assets has not paid off. Trubisky played scared last season and took a huge step backward as the Bears’ quarterback under head coach Matt Nagy. Trubisky and Nagy are connected to each other; Nagy’s job as head coach was to develop Trubisky. If the quarterback fails, the coach will get fired.
The Bears brought in Super Bowl hero Nick Foles to battle Trubisky for the starting job and create a culture of competition which — the Bears hope — will make Trubisky better. Foles might have a role on this team, but it may not be as the main starter. Chicago is trying desperately to give Trubisky the right motivation he needs to finally come into his own as the quarterback of the future. It doesn’t seem Trubisky will succeed, but this is what the Bears need to do if they are going to take the next step as a franchise.
The other main concern here is that the team couldn’t run the ball last season, and they had some depth issues at wide receiver beyond Allen Robinson. Trubisky (or Foles) will need more help from the offensive line and running game if this team is to finish above .500.
Detroit Lions
Odds to Win NFC North: +600
The one NFC team that has never made the Super Bowl shows no real signs of developing into a real threat. It’s true that quarterback Matthew Stafford was injured for much of 2019, but the Lions still don’t have an elite running game, and their secondary is a huge question mark after Darius Slay and Quandre Diggs went to other teams within the past year. The Lions have some talent on their roster, but they have limitations and a lack of depth at several different positions. It’s going to be too much for this team to overcome.
Who’ll Win The Division?
Yes, I just ripped the Lions. But I also think that they can win the division. To start, I’m not that impressed with the other three teams. The Vikings and Packers are ahead of the Lions, but if the balls bounce the right way for them, I could see a scenario where they finish ahead.
To start, this was a good team last September. After starting in first place, referees robbed them a win or two and everything went sour. Stafford went down afterward, and then the whole team collapsed. However, this could become the best offense in the division. Stafford looked sharp last year, and he has plenty of weapons to work with. The team should finally be able to run the ball between D’Andre Swift and Kerryon Johnson. On defense, this isn’t a great unit, but they’ve made some additions like Jamie Collins, Danny Shelton, Jeff Okudah, and Julian Okwara, who could make this a decent unit.
I’m not a big Matt Patricia fan by any means, but I could see the Lions winning the NFC North this year – no joke. At +600, it’s worth a flier.
The Pick: Detroit Lions (+600)
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Dave Golokhov is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Dave, check out his archive and follow him @davegolokhov.