Ranking the best NFC North running back duos

Going into the 2023 NFL season, the Chicago Bears are hoping to repeat their dominance on the ground that we saw them enjoy last year.

As the top rushing team in all of football during the 2022 campaign, the Bears used a trio of rushers to earn that title. Between Khalil Herbert, David Montgomery and Justin Fields, Chicago ran all over the league.

Now looking at a much different back field in 2023, and mostly-different back fields across the division this year, how do the Bears stack up against the rest of the NFC North?

Let's look at the top running back duos across the division and see just where the Bears rank. Warning: you might not love the order.

4. Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings check in last, here, because of one main reason: Dalvin Cook, or the lack thereof. Now that Cook is no longer a Viking, it's easy to call the Minnesota back field the worst in the division. The Vikings will be led by Alexander Mattison, now. The former third-round pick out of Boise State has done a nice job stepping in for Cook whenever he had been injured, and now he gets an opportunity to shine in the lead role.

Behind Cook is a myriad of guys, and we're not quite sure which one will emerge as the strongest compliment to Mattison. As it stands, currently, the Vikings have Ty Chandler, a fifth-round pick out of North Carolina last year. There's also 2021 fourth-round pick Kene Nwangwu and this year's seventh-round pick DeWayne McBride.

Whomever ends up emerging next to Mattison, the Vikings will hopefully have a guy who can pass block and catch the football, at the very least. But, for now, we don't quite know who that is.

3. Chicago Bears

As the number one rushing team in the league last year, it seems strange to put the Bears third out of four teams on this list. But, we're talking strictly about running back duos. If we were talking about rushing teams, as a whole, they would easily take the top spot thanks to the legs of Justin Fields.

But, the Bears have a new lead back this year in Khalil Herbert, who takes over for David Montgomery. Herbert has ran well and proved to have the "juice," as they also call him, during times when he's received opportunity.

Herbert is a faster, quicker-cutting back than Montgomery was and provides a different dynamic. He'll be paired with veteran D'Onta Foreman, who has enjoyed a career resurgence and ran very well for Carolina last year. In nine starts last season with the Panthers, Foreman ran for over 900 yards and five scores, averaging a healthy 4.5 yards per carry.

Herbert, meanwhile, ran 129 times for 731 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry last year. The two of them could be a sneaky duo and wind up out-rushing the rest of the NFC North duos, but right now, they'll check in at no. 3 here.

2. Detroit Lions

The Lions feature a familiar face in the aforementioned David Montgomery, who chose to sign with the division rival in free agency. Montgomery now takes over a role previously held by D'Andre Swift, who was dealt to the Eagles this offseason. Montgomery will likely be the lead back, and give the Lions a lot of what they had in Jamaal Williams last year, who is also no longer with the team.

Montgomery, as we know, is more of a between-the-tackles type of runner who loves himself some contact. That'll be familiar to Lions fans who saw Williams lead the league in rushing touchdowns last season.

Meanwhile, the guy who will be occupying the spot next to Montgomery is rookie first-round pick Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama. Gibbs comes in as a great runner, but overall is going to be used as a weapon. He can catch the football very well, and will be lined up running routes at times, too, from what we've heard out of the Lions' camp.

Between the electricity of Gibbs and the smash-mouth style of Montgomery, the Lions have a perfect lightning and thunder combination at running back, which fits Dan Campbell's tough mentality. They would likely love to run the ball more in establishing their offensive identity, and they'll be able to with these two in the back field.

1. Green Bay Packers

At number one, we have arguably the best running back in the division in Aaron Jones. Speaking of backs who can catch the ball, Jones is one of the best in the business in that aspect of the game. Over his last four seasons with the Packers, Jones has averaged around 50 receptions per year and has caught 16 touchdown passes.

On the ground, Jones is a great mix of quickness, agility and being able to run between the tackles. He's a patient runner who does a little bit of everything well. The Packers will be highly dependent on Jones this year, especially due to the rawness of new starting quarterback Jordan Love.

Next to Jones is the younger, and much bigger, A.J. Dillon. As the "thunder" of this duo, Dillon is a punishing runner who is one of the more lethal goal line threats in the game. He's a short yardage monster, but has also proven to be able to run well when he gets outside. His leg strength allows him to churn through would-be tacklers with ease, making it difficult on defenses to bring him down.

Between Jones and Dillon, the Packers received just under 1,900 rushing yards last season. The two of them are as good as it gets, and will be tough to unseat as the number one duo in the NFC North.