5 reasons the Chicago Bears can win the NFC North

Aaron Rodgers is wearing a different shade of green

The truth hurts, and when Aaron Rodgers celebrated a 2021 touchdown in Soldier Field by yelling "I own you" into the crowd, it hit Chicago Bears fans like a Dick Butkus hit to the solar plexus on a frigid December afternoon. The good news? Rodgers has taken his talents to East Rutherford. The boogeyman is gone, and in his place is Jordan Love.

The Packers are hoping to catch the same lightning in a bottle with Love that they did with Rodgers. Both quarterbacks were drafted late in the first round to sit behind Hall of Fame starters, but Rodgers was in contention with Alex Smith to be the first pick in his draft, whereas Love was regarded well below Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, and Justin Herbert in his draft class.

Love has done little to impress in his brief moments on the field for the Packers. He's started only one game for the team since being drafted 26th overall in 2021, a 13-7 loss to the Chiefs in 2021 in which he threw for 190 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He's attempted only 83 passes in three years.

Before that, Love led the nation in interceptions as a junior at Utah State. While his fellow draftmates were excelling in the SEC and Pac-12, he was struggling against the Mountain West. And whereas Burrow, Tua, and Herbert have all found success early in their NFL careers, Love has been riding the bench.

Though it's certainly possible for a quarterback to find success after watching from the bench his first few years, Love hasn't shown the transcendant talent of an Aaron Rodgers or a Patrick Mahomes. With Rodgers now out of town, it's difficult to make the argument that the Packers will be better this year, and they only managed to go 8-9 last season anyway. Now is the perfect time for the Bears to leapfrog their longtime rivals.