The Green Bay Packers haven’t won the NFC North since 2021, and in the past two years, the Detroit Lions have secured back-to-back division titles. Last season, the Packers did make the playoffs with an 11-6 record, so in Year 3 of Jordan Love, the next step is to win the division finally.
Nonetheless, one FS1 personality isn’t picking Green Bay. In fact, he’s not picking either the Lions or the Minnesota Vikings. On Friday’s edition of “First Things First,” Nick Wright explained why he sees the Chicago Bears, who are in Year 1 with Ben Johnson as head coach, going from worst to first in the 2025 NFL season.
“I don’t know if the NFC North is quite as hard this next year as people think it will be, because I think Minnesota is going to take a significant step back because they’re starting a rookie quarterback,” Wright said.
“I also thought last year, Green Bay was a little smoke-and-mirrorsy, and I’m not as intimidated by them as maybe others are. And I am very curious how back-to-back gut-punch end-of-seasons have landed with the Lions.”
.@getnickwright says the Bears are the true No. 1 worst-to-first candidate:
“The NFC North is not as hard this year. I think they can win the division.” pic.twitter.com/ngZw6b1ZL3
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) July 18, 2025
Furthermore, Wright explained why he sees the Bears taking the AFC North.
“The Bears hired the coach I wanted them to hire, addressed the part of the team I wanted them to address in the offensive line,” Wright added. “And I think Caleb had a better [2024] season than it felt like he was having.”
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Almost every NFL season, one or more teams go from worst to winning the division or at least going from missing the playoffs the previous season to making it the following season. As a result, Wright’s take isn’t all that wild.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the Lions, Packers, and Vikings all take a step back this upcoming season, opening the door for the Bears to take the division.
