2023 NFC North Prediction

By: Garret Kryzanowski

Before I start I want to apologize for being M.I.A the past few months; to paraphrase Rocky, "Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows". Thankfully I am back and wanted to share what will be happening with these blogs the next four weeks.

In the next four weeks starting today and ending September 6th I will be releasing two NFL Division champion predictions for all the NFL divisions, starting with the NFC. These predictions are going to be brief but feel free to use them however you like. Place future bets or respond back to disagree, even though these will all be correct. Pick your poison. Let's jump right in.

I am staring today with the NFC North. For those of you who are new to the NFL I'll give you the four teams in this division. The NFC North consists of the defending division champion Minnesota Vikings, the four time Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers, the Detroit Lions and the Chicago Bears.

As I stated the Vikings are the defending division champions, however, they will not be crowned division champion this season. That honour will bestowed upon the Detroit Lions for the first time since 1993.

Now you may be thinking, "the Detroit Lions? Really?" The answer? Yes really. I believe in the Lions so much it makes me cringe. With that being said the head coach of the Lions, Dan Campbell, has completely changed the culture in Detroit. After a 3-13-1 record in his first season as head coach he and the Lions improved tremendously in year two. After starting 1-6 they finished the season winning eight of the last ten games to finish 9-8. They're trending in the right direction and the NFC North is as wide open as it's been in the last 20 years.

The Lions phenomenal offence is led by starting quarterback jared Goff, who in my opinion is incredibly underappreciated and is coming off throwing for over 4400 yards and 29 touchdowns. He is a top 15 quarterback who makes the right decisions constantly and brings a veteran presence to the offence. At running back they have a two headed monster in David Montgomery and 2023 12th overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs. Not to mention a true number one receiver in Amon-Ra St. Brown. It is also worth mentioning that speedster Jameson Williams will be out the first six games of the season but once he returns her will provide elite speed that will allow the Lions to spread opposing defences out.

On the defensive side of the ball look no further then former second overall pick Aidan Hutchinson to lead this Lions defence. After a rookie season where Hutchinson compiled 9.5 sacks and snagged three interceptions the pressure will be on him to produce. Anyone who has seen Hutchinson play knows he will not only compile great statistics but also motivate his teammates to force turnovers and create opportunities. One of those teammates is veteran safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Now with Gardner-Johnson he brings that winning attitude and playoff experience to the defence, which he gained during previous stints with the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles. This defence is hungry and ready to take on any team in the NFL.

I know that this prediction may seem crazy but as stated early I believe in the Detroit Lions. We won't have to wait long to see how real the Lions hype is as they open up the season on September 7th against the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs in the first game of the NFL season.

The Detroit Lions are good but can they be great? I think so.