GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers finished 11-6 last season, tying for the most wins in NFL history for a third-place team.
After free agency and the NFL Draft, are the Packers still the third-best team in the NFC North?
Yes, according to Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano in this NFC North roster rankings.
The Detroit Lions, who went 15-2 last season despite an abundance of high-profile injuries, continue to have the best roster in the NFC, with quarterback Jared Goff surrounded by playmakers at receiver, tight end and running back.
“The Lions have a few roster holes, but the abundance of All-Pros and Pro Bowlers makes these concerns minor,” Manzano wrote as part of a much more extensive analysis.
Detroit’s spot atop the rankings isn’t a surprise. The real intrigue is the rest of the powerhouse division.
The Minnesota Vikings pushed the Lions for the North title before finishing second at 14-3. Their roster is loaded but they have a massive question mark at quarterback with J.J. McCarthy replacing Sam Darnold.
The Packers addressed key needs at receiver in the draft with Matthew Golden and Savion Williams and strengthened the offensive line with veteran Aaron Banks and rookie Anthony Belton. However, because the Packers used their top three draft picks on offense, they came out of the offseason with lingering needs at defensive end, defensive tackle and cornerback.
“Edge rusher Rashan Gary desperately needs help from former first-round picks Lukas Van Ness, Devonte Wyatt and Quay Walker. Even defensive tackle Kenny Clark had a down year for his lofty standards,” Manzano wrote.
The Bears might have solved their biggest weakness, the offensive line, by adding proven veterans Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson and Drew Dalman along with rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo.
“If the line holds up, Williams will have a plethora of pass catchers to target, including rookies Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III,” Manzano wrote. “They join the trio of DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Cole Kmet.”
Ultimately, the pecking order matched last year’s standings, with Detroit leading the charge and followed by Minnesota, Green Bay and Chicago.
“Obviously,” Manzano wrote of the Vikings, “plenty hinges on how McCarthy performs, but he has one of the best supporting casts in the NFL and will be able to enjoy the luxury of throwing to Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. There are playmakers in the backfield, too, with former 49ers running back Jordan Mason teaming with Aaron Jones.”
Meanwhile, the four NFC North teams are inside CBS’s top nine teams in the conference, led by the Lions at No. 2 and the Packers at No. 5.
Tyler Sullivan noted how Green Bay addressed the line with Banks in free agency and Belton in the draft and upgraded the receiver corps. However, “I still have my concerns about Green Bay's cornerback room, even after the Packers signed Nate Hobbs and are reportedly looking to salvage their future with Jaire Alexander. That said, this is still a strong top-to-bottom roster with Jordan Love as the centerpiece.”
One of the worst teams in the NFL last season, the Bears are No. 9 in the conference after fixing the offensive line in free agency and adding Loveland and Burden in the draft.
“The Chicago Bears have done precisely what a team should do when they have a promising young quarterback on his rookie deal,” Sullivan wrote. “First off, they gave him an offensive-minded head coach in Ben Johnson. Then, they crafted a tantalizing offense around him.”
In the latest NFC North odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, the Lions are the favorite to three-peat at +120. After selecting receivers Golden and Williams, the Packers are next at +260, followed by the Vikings at +450 and the Bears at +500.
The odds are similar at DraftKings Sportsbook. Interestingly, by exact place in the standings, the Packers are favored to finish second but there’s almost no difference between the four outcomes, with first place at +260, second place at +225, third place at +270 and last place at +320.