NFC North Odds – Detroit Lions New Kings of the North?

While it may seem strange to see the Green Bay Packers odds of winning the North at PointsBet Sportsbook clocking in as the longest of the four members, it only makes perfect sense with the franchise going through a complete overhaul now that Aaron Rodgers was finally cast away. Regardless of taking home the title three of the last four seasons, much would have to go right in the Land of Cheese for the Packers to reclaim bragging rights. Not even the reigning champion Minnesota Vikings are expected to repeat when going by the current futures odds! While the Chicago Bears look to be drastically improved from a year ago, it’s Dan Campbell’s Detroit Lions that enter the 2023-24 NFL betting season the odds-on favorite to win the division and punch a ticket to the playoffs.

Should that occur, it would mean the Lions won the division for the first time since 1993 and qualified for the postseason for only the third time since the turn of the century with the last time being 2016! Let’s put the NFC North title odds under the microscope and see what they have to offer in the thick of the offseason.

Bet NFC North Title Odds at PointsBet Sportsbook

Detroit Lions +120

Make no mistake about it folks, the 2023-24 Detroit Lions are the cream of the NFC North crop and they just might be biting knee caps for years to come the way GM Brad Holmes has set the franchise up for success. After killing it with last year’s selections of Aidan Hutchinson, Jameson Williams, and Malcolm Rodriguez, Detroit once again knocked it out of the park by acquiring RB Jahmyr Gibbs and LB Jack Campbell in the first round of this past year’s draft. They shored up the tight end position with Sam LaPorta in the third, and then looked to the future under center with the section of Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker who would’ve been in NY for the Heisman Trophy ceremony if not for succumbing to a late season-ending injury.

If still not a believer, just know Detroit kept the pedal to the metal by going out and drastically improving its secondary by landing the services of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Cameron Sutton, and Emmanuel Moseley. With the back-seven drastically improved, it should allow for vast improvement to be achieved up front. Provided the defense is able to take some enormous steps towards improving its pedestrian outputs of a season ago, you can’t help but think this team is set up for success in 2023-24 and beyond as loaded and deep the roster looks to be on the other side of the ball. You got a good thing going here Jared Goff – don’t screw it up!

Minnesota Vikings +300

Along with cashing in as +240 dogs to win the North, the Vikings proved to be one of the best over bets in the league a season ago (11-6). While the offense rated out as one of the league’s best and the defense one of the league’s worst, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah opted to go with the former with his first pick as the Vikings new GM and acquired the services of former PITT and USC WR Jordan Addison with the 23^rd pick of the first round. While he and Justin Jefferson are destined to make sweet music with one another, it was extremely surprising to see him bypass some of the more highly touted secondary players considering only Tennessee surrendered more passing yardage than that of Minnesota.

While the acquisitions of Mekhi Blackmon and Jay Ward were good gets with the next two picks, are we to truly believe the secondary will be dramatically improved by a couple rookies snagged in the third and fourth round? Another Achilles heel unaddressed was the offensive line even though it surrendered 47 sacks throughout the regular season. The unit’s interior rated out as one of the worst in the NFL by PFF, yet next to nothing was done to rectify the situation. It’s extremely telling that the reigning champs win total is below nine for the first time since 2017. Regression incoming!

Chicago Bears +350

Da Bears brought up the rear of the division standings in amassing a poor 3-12 SU record with only two of those wins coming in the comforts of Soldier Field. The offense racked up a division-worst 326 points, while the defense coughed up the most allowed points in the entire NFL (463). Even so, oddsmakers seem to be bullish on the team in the second year of the Matt Eberflus regime with its season win total odds up two full games from last year’s close (7.5), and its odds of winning the North down to +400 after hitting the board 12-1 a season ago.

Justin Fields hasn’t had much to work with since being selected with the 11^th overall pick in the 2021 draft, but that won’t be the case in 2023-24 after Ryan Poles got him a premiere wide receiver in D.J. Moore by unloading the first pick to the Carolina Panthers. Now with a No. 1 to call his own, there won’t be any more excuses especially if Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, and Cole Kmet can avoid the injury bug and contribute at a high level. With Chicago using the tenth pick to select stud OT Darnell Wright and also sign G Nate Davis in free agency to dramatically shore up the offensive line, this is a make or break season for No. 1.

Green Bay Packers +400

What a difference the absence of Aaron Rodgers makes for the Packers! Just a short season ago, the Cheeseheads hit the board -155 chalk to win the NFC North a fourth straight time. After struggling to 8-9 SU and ATS records with the 20-16 loss at home to the rival Lions ultimately shutting the door on any possibility of returning to the second season, upper management finally waved the white flag and decided to blow it all up to build it back better. Rodgers was shipped off to New York paving the way for Jordan Love to finally get his shot of living up to GM Brian Gutekunst trading up to select him late in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Not much was done in free agency to shore up the roster’s weaknesses, but much was done in the draft to build for the future. Keep eyes out for both WR Jayden Reed and TE Luke Musgrave! The former Michigan State and Oregon State pass catchers could become instant contributors for an offense sorely in need of major talent infusions at both positions. Lukas Van Ness, Colby Wooden, and Karl Brooks could all be forces on the defensive side of the ball. It however will take time for all the new faces to adapt to the speed of the NFL, so Green Bay looks to be worthy of possessing the longest odds to win the division going in.

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