We are now at part six of our eight part series looking at hypothetical divisional squads and teams for all eight of the NFL divisions.

In previous articles we have looked at the AFC North, AFC West, AFC East And AFC South.

Plus, yesterday we focused on the very strong NFC East.

So now we move on to one of the weaker divisions in the NFC, if you believe the bookies, and that is the NFC North.

The NFC North teams don’t rank too highly with bet365 Sport when it comes to chances of winning the Super Bowl in 2023/24, but even so, it will be interesting to see how their divisional squad and team shapes up.

BET247

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Bet365 Review   ⊕ Min Deposit: £5    ⊕ Expiry: 30 days    ⊕ Min Odds: 1/5 (1.20) 

GO TO BET365

Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. The bonus code BET247 can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way. Registration Required.

TOP30

Bet £10 and Get £30 In Free Bets

William Hill Review » ⊕ Min £10/€10/$10 stake    ⊕ Expiry: 30 days    ⊕ Min Odds: 1.5

GO TO WILLIAM HILL

18+. New customers using Promo code TOP30 only, Min £10/€10/$10 stake, min odds 1.5, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15/$15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is settled, payment method/player/country restrictions apply.

NEW BONUS

DEPOSIT £10 GET £60 FREE PLAY

GG Poker Review »  ⊕ Min Deposit: £10    ⊕ Limited period    ⊕ $1 for ever $ in Rake

GO TO GG POKER

18+ GGPoker’s game currency is USD ($), other currencies such as GBP (£) are only used for illustrative purposes. Welcome Bonus and Honeymoon promotion for new players only over a limited period. Welcome Bonus only available to new players that make an initial deposit. Minimum deposit is $10/£10. £60 Free Play offer made up of $52.50 in free All-In Or Fold SNG tickets from Welcome Bonus and $2.50 in free tickets from Daily Freebie. Free tickets automatically credited to eligible players’ accounts over a 6 period. A 100% matched deposit bonus worth a maximum of $600 can be claimed by players selecting ‘Match Bonus’ when making their first deposit(s) over a limited period. Bonus cash is released at a rate of $1 for every $5 paid in net rake/tournament fees.

Let’s now take a look at the NFC North teams supplying players to our 53-man NFC North squad.

NFC North

• Chicago Bears
• Detroit Lions
• Green Bay Packers
• Minnesota Vikings

A Recap Of The Rules For Squad Selection

• All players must play at one of the four teams in the division stated.
• All squads will be comprised of 53 players.
• All squads will have their 53 players distributed across all positions with the same number of players picked in each position.
• In addition to the 53 squad players, a starting Offense, Special Teams and Defense will be picked, as will a home stadium and head coach from the four teams in the division.

Each squad will comprise of 53 players distributed as follows:-

Offense (24 players)

• Quarterback – 3
• Running Back – 2
• Full Back – 1
• Wide Receiver – 6
• Tight End – 2
• Left Tackle – 2
• Left Guard – 2
• Center – 2
• Right Guard – 2
• Right Tackle – 2

Defense (25 players)

• Defensive Tackle – 4
• Defensive Ends – 5
• Inside Linebacker – 2
• Outside Linebacker / Edge Rusher – 4
• Strong Safety – 2
• Free Safety – 2
• Cornerbacks – 6

Special Teams (4 players)

• Kicker – 1
• Punter – 1
• Specialist Punt/Kick Off Returner – 1
• Long Snapper – 1

That’s the rules recapped so now let us continue and select our 53-man squad to represent the AFC North!

NFC North – Squad Selection

NFC North Squad Gradings

Offense

• Quarterbacks – B+
• Running/Full Backs –  B+
• Wide Receivers – B+
• Tight Ends – A-
• Offensive Line – A-
• Overall Offense – B+

Defense

• Defensive Line – B
• Edge Rushers – B-
• Linebackers – B
• Safeties – B
• Corners – A-

Special Teams

• Kicker – B
• Punter – B
• Kick Returner – B-
• Long Snapper – B

Team Intangibles

• Experience – B
• Pace – B-
• Physicality – B
• Mental Toughness – B-
• HC Effectiveness – A-

NFC North Starters

NFC North Starting XI Analysis

• Chicago Bears – 6 starters
• Detroit Lions – 9 starters
• Green Bay Packers – 5 starters
• Minnesota Vikings – 6 starters

Strengths

• Outstanding at cornerback
• Very solid across the offensive line, with good back up depth too
• One of the fastest quarterbacks in the league with huge potential to develop
• Hugely talented trio of first choice wide receivers.
• Excellent full back

Weaknesses

• Running back options not the best.
• The NFC North team is markedly weaker in defense, notably on the line and at linebacker.
• Special teams is a bit so-so.

Key Player – Offense

Justin Jefferson (Vikings) WR – Without doubt the most productive WR in the league and looks set to. break new ground in the position. Jefferson’s agility, speed and ability to catch almost any ball will make him a vital outlet for his QB.

Key Player – Defense

Aidan Hutchison (Lions) DE – With the pass rush looking a bit sparse for the NFC North, the Lions star pick from 2022 Aidan Hutchison needs to be the most effective pass rusher on the team to keep the pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

Conclusion

The NFC North has a very talented team as a group of starters, but at certain positions, such as WR and in defense, the strength in depth is not quite there of other divisions. Fields and Cousins give this unit a solid run/pass QB combo that would be interesting to see, but there are a few weaknesses on that defense compared to other teams.

Overall Team Rating – B

There are some outstanding players in this group, including at corner and wide receiver. However,  there is a lack of star quality in other areas of the team. The defense is especially a worry ahead of the secondary in particular, but the offense does have the quality to put up plenty of points.

All contents are ©

18+ Worried about your gambling?   
Gamcare - When the fun stops – STOP!