The NFC North is no doubt one of the toughest divisions in football, and for the Chicago Bears, 2025 could finally mark their return to relevance. While expectations are sky-high for Caleb Williams in his rookie year, two bold predictions surrounding division rivals might open the door for Chicago to compete sooner than expected.
Bears Hall of Famer Devin Hester has openly questioned whether the Detroit Lions will maintain their recent dominance, while CBS Sports predicts that the Minnesota Vikings will tumble to the bottom of the standings. If either, or both, scenarios unfold, the Bears‘ biggest rival for division supremacy could end up being the Green Bay Packers.
Devin Hester’s Bold Take on the Detroit Lions
Few people know NFC North football like Devin Hester. The Hall of Fame return legend recently voiced a striking opinion: he believes the Lions will finish last in the division this season.
Appearing on the Up & Adams show, Hester said the Lions‘ downfall will evidently be the loss of Ben Johnson.
“I feel like Detroit will be last,” Hester said. “I’m telling you with the OC change…Detroit the last three years were known for their offense. You take away them averaging 28 points a game, they lose a lot of games.”
With Johnson leaving Detroit to become the Bears‘ head coach, Hester believes that the loss is significant enough to derail Detroit’s recent dominance. Without Johnson, Jared Goff and the rest of the Lions‘ playmakers may struggle to replicate the efficiency that has defined their success.
For the Bears, Hester’s words hit close to home. Detroit has owned the NFC North recently, but if the Lions regress, it could swing momentum back in Chicago’s favor. A weakened Lions‘ offense could make the road to winning the division less daunting.
CBS Sports Iffy on the Minnesota Vikings
While Hester questions the Lions, CBS Sports has its reservations on the Vikings and believes they will finish last in the NFC North after a 14-win season in 2024.
The Vikings do have an arsenal of offensive weapons, including Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and Aaron Jones. On paper, they remain one of the most talented rosters in football. Yet, the quarterback position may be their undoing.
“The issue is McCarthy’s draft makeup entering his rookie year was that of a bust,” Garrett Podell wrote. “McCarthy tearing his meniscus last preseason halted his football development while on the bench as a rookie. He is also the first first-round quarterback drafted with zero collegiate seasons with either 3,000 passing yards or 500 rushing yards since these same Vikings selected Christian Ponder 12th overall in the 2011 NFL Draft out of Florida State.
If J.J. McCarthy struggles to adapt to the speed and complexity of the NFL, the Vikings‘ offensive firepower could go to waste.
And the Bears have the perfect opportunity to break McCarthy’s confidence in the season opener on Monday Night Football.
What It Means for the Bears
Both predictions paint an optimistic picture for Chicago. If the Lions stumble without their offensive guru calling the shots and the Vikings flounder with an unproven quarterback, the Bears may find themselves with a real chance to leapfrog their rivals in 2025. That would leave the Packers as their biggest obstacle to NFC North supremacy.
There’s the obvious: Micah Parsons will be a handful. And with the youngest roster in football, there’s a lot of optimism in Green Bay.
But for a team that believes they are heading in the right direction, the Bears have a serious chance to make some noise in the NFC North.
Two NFC North Predictions That Would Have Bears Fans Ecstatic