More Likely: Worst to First or First to Worst?
In this division, the teams could realistically finish in any order and I wouldn’t find myself terribly surprised by the results. Of the two given options, though, I’d say worst to first is more likely. The Vikings are well-coached, have good weapons on both sides of the ball, and with improved play at the most important position they could very easily take a big step forward, especially with a last-place schedule on their hands. The Bears, meanwhile, are an obvious candidate for certain degrees of regression, but they showed enough under Ben Johnson last year to make me believe a slide all the way back to 4th is unlikely without a truly unfortunate rash of injury luck.
Hottest Seat?
I feel safe in assuming all of these head coaches will be back in 2027, and each of their respective general managers seem to have job security as well thanks to some of the rosters they’ve built in recent years. (Or in the case of new Vikings GM Nolan Teasley, the fact that he was hired three months ago.) The hottest seat in this division may belong to a coordinator, and surprisingly, to a newly-hired one at that. New Lions OC Drew Petzing is thought of rather highly in the coaching world, and I fully expect him to do well in Detroit this year. But the Lions fired John Morton after one year because they know better than to waste the cumulative primes of their young stars on that side of the ball. If Petzing’s offense doesn’t reach their standard this year, they could just as easily move on from him.
Likeliest MVP Candidate?
Caleb Williams. If the signature moments we saw from him at times last year are a sign of an even greater ascension coming, this team will win a whole lot of games and he’ll put up numbers in the process. We’ll just have to see how much those do or don’t become the norm.
Fantasy League Winner?
This is just about the most obvious pick in the world, but Jahmyr Gibbs has to be the answer here. He’s ranked first or second on most sites, and for good reason. He’s already averaging roughly 1,700 all-purpose yards and 17 all-purpose touchdowns through three years in the league, and now he’s no longer sharing a backfield with a running mate whose talent absolutely demands touches. This isn’t to say they’ll be running him into the ground, but if he even adopts 10-20% of Montgomery’s departed production before giving the rest to backups, he’ll be putting up career-best numbers for sure. Especially in the red zone.
What To Watch:
- As I alluded to when discussing Caleb Williams’s MVP candidacy, QB development is a non-linear proposition. Just because he had moments of brilliance last year doesn’t mean he’ll have even more this year. But it certainly could. How his third year in the league goes will be fascinating to monitor this year, and will determine how serious of a contender the Bears are. If those moments do become pedestrian for him as, as they have for Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers before him, he’ll have a shot to follow in their footsteps and find his way to a Super Bowl early on in his career.
- Jordan Love has shown some truly exceptional stretches of being “the guy” over the last few years, but as of yet hasn’t done it wire-to-wire over the course of an entire season. Some of this, of course, does stem from circumstances far beyond his control, but it does remain to be seen if he can be the centerpiece of a championship contender as other Packer QB’s have in the past. With a running game whose entire situation is fluid until further notice and a defense that may notice the early absence of Micah Parsons and the permanent absence of Jeff Hafley, his opportunity is now.
- Sometimes you just need a QB, no matter what. That fact is what made it so obvious to all of us that Kyler Murray would be signing with the Vikings as soon as he was officially a free agent. When you need a QB that badly, you get the best one you can find and figure out the rest later. Well, it’s later now. Kevin O’Connell thrives as a playcaller with a several favorite concepts over the middle of the field. Murray’s difficulties reading and throwing over the middle are well-documented. It should be interesting to see how skill set and scheme are (or aren’t) brought together as effectively as possible when the real games start being played.
- Many have noted the steady drop-off in Sam Laporta’s production since his wildly successful rookie career ended. While last year is easily ignored thanks to injuries de-railing him, 2024 was also a relative disappointment, which suggests another problem rather than merely just health. If it’s a schematic problem, then the problem is already solved. Trey McBride went for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns in Petzing’s offense last season.
All-Division Team:
QB – Caleb Williams
RB – Jahmyr Gibbs
RB – D’Andre Swift
WR – Justin Jefferson
WR – Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR – Jordan Addison
TE – Colston Loveland
TE – Tucker Kraft
LT – Penei Sewell
LG – Joe Thuney
C – Garrett Bradbury
RG – Jonah Jackson
RT – Brian O’Neill
DL – Alim McNeill
DL – Levi Onwuzurike
DL – Javon Hargrave
ED – Micah Parsons
ED – Aidan Hutchinson
LB – Jack Campbell
LB – Alex Van Ginkel
LB – Edgerrin Cooper
CB – Jaylon Johnson
CB – DJ Reed
FS – Xavier McKinney
SS – Evan Williams
NB – Brian Branch
K – Will Reichard
P – Tory Taylor
RS – Myles Price
