NFL News

Home

Teams

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Power Rankings

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

NFC North Roundtable: Despite three playoff teams in 2024, there could be regression across the board

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Tyler Forness | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 9:28 AM ET

The NFC North is going to be a fantastic division to watch all season. One of the reasons why it will be so much fun to watch is they return three playoff teams from the 2024 season. Pair them with the Chicago Bears ready to take a step forward and it's a fascinating group of teams.

Despite all the success last season, regression is something that happens to the best of teams. Each team has one thing that could end up cratering their playoff chances, including one former first-round pick.

Minnesota Vikings beat writer Tyler Forness: Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's bet with injuries doesn't pay off

One of the strategies that general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has deployed over the years has been to sign players coming off of injuries, as he believes there is value in that market.

"Old job was connecting the dots and trying to sometimes see what's there that might not be obvious. You know, you don't get a chance to buy the stock or the commodity, whatever I was trading, where it's obvious, where we know why the prices are going to be high, the supply and demand makes it sense, or this company's got all these earnings, like, you don't get the chance to buy Amazon when Amazon's already the biggest company in the world. You already take the chance in them when they're not making any money, right? And that's no different than evaluating a player, we pride ourselves in being glass half full, and trying to see what players can do, and we try and connect the dots."

The idea of bringing in injured players is one that's a big risk, but their medical staff is viewed as a huge advantage. They kept Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel, and Blake Cashman healthy throughout the year when they were players who consistently got injured. If that doesn't happen with Will Fries, Ryan Kelly, Jonathan Allen, and Javon Hargrave this year, it will likely cost the Vikings either a division title or a playoff spot.

Jonathan Allen the HUMP KING legit power rusher. One of the few players who channels his inner Reggie White and tries to get to his hump move. Works the Outside Shoulder hard to be able to hit the HUMP move inside. If he misses, can still bull through you . Great Crasher pic.twitter.com/7Og9v9ixtl
— JJ Pegues Cross Chop (@TheCasualNFLFan) June 9, 2025

Green Bay Packers beat writer Wendell Ferreira: Everybody's job is nobody's job on defense

The Packers had serious problems upfront last year, and hopefully secondary play could help give that extra half second for the edge rushers to get to the quarterback. But the team also has significant questions at cornerback, especially after it released Jaire Alexander, and ideally the pass rush could make life easier for the defensive backs. You see where I'm going with this. If both the pass rush and the cornerback group disappoint at the same time, Jeff Hafley will have to be super creative for things not to implode. Last year, the defensive coordinator did a great job sending extra bodies to create pressure and counted with the safeties to avoid issues in the secondary. But this is a fragile combination that could generate problems throughout the road. It's certainly not a recipe for success.

With this CB room, the Packers will need development from their defensive linemen. Ultimately, that's why they fired defensive line coach Jason Rebrovich and replaced him with former New England Patriots defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington.

Chicago Bears beat writer Kole Noble: QB Caleb Williams

What can absolutely derail the Bears season is Caleb Williams. He is the true make or break player that will determine if this team can compete in 2025 or miss the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Personally, I think Williams has the talent and mentality to be one of the top quarterbacks in the league as soon as 2025. But, can he limit the mistakes that set the offense back last season such as his pocket presence?

Good news is, with all the additions made to the roster and coaching staff, Chicago is almost infallible for any young quarterback. It all depends on how quickly Williams can master this offense and put the 2024 mistakes behind him.

Detroit Lions beat writer Mike Payton: Not staying healthy

The thing that could kill Detroit is the same thing that’s been killing Detroit. They struggle to stay healthy. Injuries are a part of the game, but last year, Detroit suffered an insane amount of them, and they probably cost the Lions a championship. Now you have to worry about the possibility of that happening again in 2025. The sky's the limit for this team when they’re healthy. When they aren’t, that sky can fall really fast. Sadly, they just have a really bad history of not being able to stay healthy, and it goes beyond 2024. They also have to wait for Alim McNeill and Malcolm Rodriguez to get back in November. They need to find a way to work past that.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: