The 2024 NFL season isn’t far off, and there might not be a more intriguing division to watch than the NFC North. The reigning champion Detroit Lions are fresh off their best season in decades, coming within one win of a historic Super Bowl appearance. The Green Bay Packers are looking to build off their own playoff promise. And both the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings have brand-new quarterbacks to go with well-rounded supporting casts.
All four have the potential to challenge for the NFC North throne. All four also have hurdles to clear. Here’s one burning question for each of them, going into 2024:
Chicago Bears: Can Caleb Williams‘ talent translate to immediate impact?
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In case you’ve forgotten, Bears general manager Ryan Poles once said the team was “all in” on Justin Fields as the face of the franchise. Except the front office’s actions indicated otherwise, asking Fields to almost single-handedly overcome a so-so setup. Was Fields perfect? No. But he wasn’t exactly positioned to excel. Williams, on the other hand, enters the NFL with not only a superior scouting report as a laser-armed gunslinger but genuine investment from Poles and Co. in the form of a savvy supporting cast. What, then, can we expect from Williams with weapons like D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Keenan Allen and D’Andre Swift at his disposal? It depends how quickly the USC product adapts to NFL speed. Will his freestyling mirror the roller-coaster ride of, say, Josh Allen? Will he restrain himself for the benefit of Matt Eberflus’ defense? The spectrum of debut possibilities is broad.
Detroit Lions: Did they do enough to sustain momentum?
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The Lions didn’t just live up to the hype in 2023; they exceeded it, restoring Motor City’s belief in a gridiron contender. And much of their ultra-balanced core remains: Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown are locked up for the long haul, David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs remain a thunder-and-lightning combo in the backfield, and the secondary has lots of fresh talent, namely rookie cornerbacks Terrion Arnold and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. There’s also little doubting that Dan…
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