Packers’ NFC North Sweep Seems Like Ancient History

In 2019, first-year head coach Matt LaFleur led the Green Bay Packers to a 6-0 sweep of the NFC North. As an encore in 2020, the Packers went 5-1.

That combined 11-1 record resulted in a .917 winning percentage, as LaFleur tied Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin for the best first-two-seasons success in the 2000s. Dating to the 1970 merger, only Steve Mariucci (15-1; .938) with the San Francisco 49ers in 1997 and 1998 was better.

Of course, domination can turn into being dominated in short order in the NFL.

Last year, the Packers went 1-5 in the NFC North. Karl Brooks’ blocked field goal saved the Packers’ bacon at Chicago. Who knows if Week 18 would have played out differently had they lost, but the Packers might have been a fingertip away from an embarrassing 0-6 record in the North. Only the Giants, who went 3-14 last season, and the Raiders, who finished 4-13, went 0-6 in division play.

Here’s LaFleur’s NFC North record.

2019: 6-0.

2020: 5-1.

2021: 4-2.

2022: 3-3.

2023: 4-2.

2024: 1-5.

For the Packers to finally win another Super Bowl, chances are they’ll have to get back on top in the NFC North. Winning the division at least ensures one home playoff game.

“No. 1,” is where the Packers rank in the NFC, safety Xavier McKinney said recently. “It’s that simple. I’m just going to put it out there right now. That’s what we aiming for and, obviously, we didn’t do a good enough job last year at all. We got to be a lot better than we were last year in the division, and we know that.

“For us, obviously, it’s going to be competitive and there’s a lot of good teams in our division, obviously, but we feel like we got the best group, and I’m sure they feel like they got the best group as well. So, we’re going to see when it’s time to play.”

At FanDuel Sportsbook, the Packers are +4400 to party like it’s 2019 and sweep the NFC North. The two-time defending division champion Lions, on the other hand, are +1000 to go 6-0 for the second consecutive season.

That was quite a feat by the Lions, considering the historic power of the NFC North last year. The Packers’ 11 wins were tied for the most by a third-place finisher in NFL history. The .662 winning percentage and plus-384 scoring differential were the best for any division ever.

Using sportsbook win totals for 2025, the NFC North and AFC West are projected to be the best divisions in the league.

Offseason changes could open the door for the Packers, with the Lions losing both of their coordinators and the Vikings moving forward with a new starting quarterback. The Packers do have significant questions at corner, which could be exploited by all three opposing NFC North quarterbacks and their talented receivers.

“Every year is a new year (and) every team is different,” running back Josh Jacobs said recently. “But our objective always was to win the North. Win the North first. And that’s something that we still take a lot of pride in, that’s something that’s been a big focus for us.”

At FanDuel, the Bears are +430 to sweep the Packers, the Packers are +430 to sweep the Lions and the Lions are +145 to sweep the Vikings.

The Packers are projected to win 9.5 games, the second-highest total in the division.

“I think resiliency is key, and I think you see it especially in our league or any competitive league,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the draft. “There’s going to be moments of adversity and there’s going to be some struggle. And if you’re not tough-minded, it’s hard to make it through the other side of that.

“I think we’ve seen it with our team over the course of two years, and as painful as it is in the moment from a team standpoint, sometimes you’re better for going through it.”