Ranking the Bears roster against every NFC North opponent in 8 key categories

Packers fans need to understand a few things about the Chicago Bears.

They no longer suck.

The fan base is not using one game, from 40 years ago, to hang their hats on -- just check the previous two matchups. After all, we're talking about a "what have you done for me lately?" sport, aren't we?

It is okay to cope. It is not okay to pretend like you currently own the Bears. Once more, see the previous two matchups.

Finally, NFL football games are four quarters long.

Now, with all of that out of the way, let's get into the nitty gritty, shall we? With the season upon us, I thought we'd dive into each NFC North roster and get to the bottom of who's really the best team, only in several different categories.

Ranking the Bears against their NFC North foes ahead of the 2026 NFL season

Quarterback Rooms

If I could rank the Vikings any lower, you better believe I would. I think Kyler Murray and J.J. McCarthy are in a tier of their own -- and that's not a good thing.

Listen, you want to know the reason I put the Bears ahead of Green Bay, here? It's simple: because plenty of other NFL experts have done the exact same thing over the past few months. I just have them ahead of the Lions, which is a move some folks still won't make.

The reasoning is two-fold. First, we've already established the nature of this league. What has Caleb Williams done lately? Well, he led the Bears to an NFC North title while setting an NFL record for game-winning drives (6) in a season, and that was only in Year 2.

Jared Goff has had seven game-winning drives in the past two years; not a bad number, just not on the Caleb Williams-level.

Back to the Packers and Jordan Love. I think Love is a good quarterback, but I don't think he has much more of a ceiling to hit. Meanwhile, Williams has captured the sports world as a budding superstar all while barely being able to chew and swallow Ben Johnson's offense in his first year under the former Lions OC.

Now, going into Year 2 with Johnson, how are we to believe anything other than the fact it is going to get better for Williams?

We know who Love is. We know who Goff is.

Williams is only scratching the surface.

Running Backs

Let's point out the elephant in the room: the Packers would be at least no. 3 on this list if Josh Jacobs was playing.

Let's point out another obvious fact: Jahmyr Gibbs may be the best running back in football.

But, the Bears are also a top-5 rushing team as of this past season. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai may not be the sexiest of names, but they are a darn good tandem in this offense.

Between Jordan Mason and Aaron Jones, the Vikings are just slightly above MarShawn Lloyd, Chris Brooks and Kaleb Johnson in Green Bay. But, that could (and probably will) change throughout the season.

Pass Catchers

This is another obvious no. 1 with the Vikings boasting Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison leading the way. It is impossible to argue with their positioning.

But, as we get into the other three, that's where we'll see some arguments take place.

Here's my logic for having the Bears over Detroit: Amon-Ra St. Brown is the best pass catcher from either team. Colston Loveland is another tier above Sam LaPorta, entirely. Rome Odunze and Luther Burden III are far and away better receivers than the one-trick pony, Jameson Williams.

And, you add Cole Kmet, Sam Roush, Kalif Raymond, Jahdae Walker and Zavion Thomas while comparing them to Isaac TeSlaa, Tay Martin, Tyler Conklin and Brock Wright?

That's not close.

The Packers, meanwhile, are depending on Christian Watson to stay healthy (good luck) and Matthew Golden as their WR2 (also good luck). Jayden Reed is a fun and talented player, but also cannot stay on the field.

Tucker Kraft is clearly their top pass catcher, but coming off an ACL tear.

Offensive Line

Most outlets would still agree the Bears have the best offensive line in the division. Losing Drew Dalman was tough and the injury to Ozzy Trapilo forcing Braxton Jones into being the starting left tackle is also less than ideal. However, Joe Thuney and Darnell Wright are two of the best at their positions. Jonah Jackson is more than serviceable.

Garrett Bradbury is about as mid-level a center as you can get, but playing next to Thuney is going to make him look even better. And, when Trapilo is back, the Bears are firmly above the rest of the pack.

The Vikings' strength lies on the outside with their tackle pairing. Brian O'Neill and Christian Darrisaw might be wasting their talents away protecting whichever quarterback gets thrown out there, but they're phenomenal players.

The Lions are still searching for answers now that they're fully in a post-Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow world. It's been rough sledding, but Penei Sewell is arguably the best tackle in the game and adding a first-round tackle in Blake Miller will hopefully continue aiding in the reconstruction up front.

Green Bay has all kinds of issues across their line. If you don't believe me, just take it from the best Packers mind I know, Freddie Boston of Lombardi Ave:

"The Packers have a million problems up front. Zach Bako-Bewele is the only elite starter in the group, but he's still not at 100 percent after a knee injury that ended his 2025 season, and he's uncertain for Week 1. Aaron Banks is dealing with a knee issue and is also a doubt, raising even further questions about whether he should be a long-term starter.

"Green Bay will rely on Sean Rhyan at center and the inexperienced Jacob Monk at right guard. Big problems potentially await the offensive line."

I think Boston said it all.

Front Seven

It isn't hard to put the Lions up top, here, with names like Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeil, Jack Campbell and Tyleik Williams. If all four of those guys stay healthy, the Lions' front seven is a force to be reckoned with.

Plus, they've still got Devin White, D.J. Wonnum and Derrick Barnes in there as well.

If Micah Parsons were healthy for Week 1, it'd be closer. Still, the Packers' are frontloaded with talent like Edgerrin Cooper, Zaire Franklin, Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave. If Lukas Van Ness takes the step Packers fans want to see, and you add in a healthy Parsons later on, this Packers defense could challenge Detroit for the top spot.

Minnesota and Chicago are in a similar boat. It's hard to see these front sevens being anything other than ordinary. The Vikings at least have some hope in their linebacking crew with 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner, Blake Cashman and the beloved Andrew Van Ginkel.

Chicago's linebackers are the strength of their front seven as well, but that front four is one giant question mark.

Secondary

I might shock some people here, but if you look at the Vikings' secondary, they didn't lose any major pieces this offseason -- and they finished 2025 as the league's third-best pass defense, giving up just under 283 yards per game. How can you argue with that?

The Packers are a close second because of their safety tandem in Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams. But, Keisean Nixon, Brandon Cisse and Benjamin St-Juste at cornerback has plenty of worry written all over it.

The Bears could very well work their way into the top spot, but we need to see the healthy Jaylon Johnson first. We need to see how Dillon Thieneman looks in the regular season. Xavier Woods should be serviceable in the place of Coby Bryant Tyrique Stevenson had a great 2025 campaign, so he's the only consistency carrying over from a year ago.

For the Lions, it's all about whether or not Brian Branch can stay on the field, along with Kerby Joseph. They've been looking for answers at cornerback for a while, too, plus the situation with Terrion Arnold didn't help in that area.

Coaching

Let's start at the bottom. Matt LaFleur has been a good coach, not great. There have even been a few times over the last couple of years where we've seen some whispers and rumors of him potentially losing his job. Ridiculous or not, you don't see the same for the other three teams. Green Bay losing Jeff Hafley is a massive loss, too.

The Bears are on top, once more, because this is all about recency bias. Ben Johnson and the Bears won the division. He was the most-coveted coaching candidate in the last several years and Chicago got him. Not only that, but their defensive coordinator is a former head coach and spent years boasting top-10 defenses in New Orleans.

The Vikings somehow stayed relevant last year with their quarterback debacle, and Kevin O'Connell is still viewed as a bright offensive mind. But, the fact that he has Brian Flores as his defensive coordinator is the biggest reason Minnesota comes in at no. 2.

If only they had a quarterback.

Dan Campbell is hard not to like. He's the kind of coach you want to play for. But, his staff has been picked apart the past couple of years and you saw the Lions take a dip last year.

Final standings

It is no surprise the Bears finished atop the final rankings, but what might surprise you is the Vikings checking in at no. 2 overall. I was a little surprised, myself. I'll say it again: imagine if they had a quarterback.

It wouldn't surprise me if either the Lions or the Bears won this division, but what truly stands out here is that the Packers aren't good enough.

They're a good team, in a great division, but not good enough.

Read more: Bears might run for 200 yards on the Panthers with or without Rome Odunze

That feels like a good spot to end on.

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