Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love. Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Packers have early season edge in NFC North

Originally posted on WI Sports Heroics | By Matt Lombardo | Last updated Sep 15, 2025 2:42 PM ET

The Packers already have a pair of conference victories, including one NFC North win tucked away for safekeeping come postseason and tiebreaker time, but that isn’t the best news Green Bay has received in the NFC North.

After toppling the Detroit Lions and flashing a defense that has the pieces to be consistently dominant at all three levels, the Packers look like the team to beat in the NFC. Green Bay’s path to the division also may have just gotten far easier, more navigable.

Much of NFC North struggled in Week 2

Not only did Caleb Williams, Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears get lambasted in Detroit, 52-21, in a game that wasn’t competitive much beyond midway through the second quarter to fall to 0-2, but the Minnesota Vikings’ feel-good story was derailed by the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday night.

Following Week 1, there was surging optimism that Vikings coordinator Brian Flores’ defense could carry the team and second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy could quickly develop into a franchise quarterback with the help of a dominant offensive line and Justin Jefferson, among other weapons.

However, McCarthy struggled operating head coach Kevin O’Connell’s offense in the Vikings’ 22-6 Sunday night shellacking at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta held McCarthy to just 158 yards while intercepting him twice and forcing him into some atrocious throws.

The Packers have built a defense capable of forcing McCarthy into making some big mistakes, and a prolific offense that can make the Vikings pay for them. For Green Bay, Sunday’s outcomes couldn’t have gone much better within the NFC North, where the Packers currently sit in the driver’s seat.

This article first appeared on WI Sports Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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