As the Green Bay Packers took a timely early bye week, Packers fans were left without anything to do but cheer against their rivals in the NFC North. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions, the only two teams playing this week, both won their matchups. Entering into their week 6 game against the Bengals, the Packers are 2nd in the division behind the Lions. How likely are the Packers to win their Division and a home playoff game? Here are the records, strengths, and weaknesses of the teams in between the Packers and home field advantage in January.

Detroit Lions: 4-1

Strengths: The reports of the Lions’ death were greatly exaggerated. After only scoring 1 touchdown in their week 1 loss to the Packers, the Lions have gone on to have the top scoring offense in football. Their most recent win against the Packers next opponent Cincinnati Bengals saw the 5 different Lions players score a touchdown. This included a passing touchdown by running back David Montgomery.

On Defense, they are as strong as ever. They have the second most sacks in the league and are tied for the third most turnovers. Although they have only held one team to under 20 points, many of the points scored against the Lions have been in garbage time. They are reasonable favorites to win the NFC North for the 3rd consecutive season

Weaknesses: The Lions entire starting cornerback room is currently injured. D.J. Reed was on IR entering week 5 and now Terrion Arnold is expected to be out “for a long time” according to Lions head coach Dan Campbell. Last year’s second round pick, Ennis Rakestraw Jr., is currently out for the season due to a shoulder injury that required surgery. Although having an excellent safety pair in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, the Lions are vulnerable on the outside and will be for a while. Additionally, the loss to the Packers could be a factor in a tie-breaker for the division.

Minnesota Vikings: 3-2

Strengths: As long as Justin Jefferson is healthy, the Vikings will have a functional passing game. This does not include having other excellent passing options in Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson. Brian Flores continues to put opposing teams in blenders, especially in the win against the Bengals where the Vikings defense scored 2 touchdowns. They have pieces to be a threat to their opponents in the NFC North.

Weaknesses: The Vikings have serious concerns about the current and future state of the quarterback position. They have won 2 games out of 3 starting Carson Wentz while J.J. McCarthy, the former first round pick and expected starter is out with an ankle injury. Despite this, Wentz has not exactly lit up the stat sheet. Additionally, McCarthy’s last game was so shaky that some Vikings fans theorized that his injury was actually a disguised benching.

Chicago Bears: 2-2

Strengths: Caleb Williams has begun to show return on his top draft status in Ben Johnson’s offense. In their first win of the season against the Dallas Cowboys, Williams tied his career best 4 passing touchdowns and almost 300 yards. The Bears defense also has shown flashes, and is tied with the Lions for 3rd most turnovers in the league.

Weaknesses: For as much as the Green Bay Packers have struggled with consistency, it is nothing compared to what the Bears have shown so far this season. They opened with two losses, one frustrating loss to the Vikings and the other absolutely one sided to the Lions. Before this week’s bye, the Bears were saved from a losing record to the struggling Las Vegas Raiders by a last-minute field goal block. Other than the Cowboys game, Williams has not shown much growth from his disappointing rookie season. Although stronger than previous years, the Bears are the clear outlier for winners of the NFC North.

Conclusion

Last year’s NFC North was the most dominant division in football. Although the Packers have improved to second place, this year’s division championship looks to have the same contenders as last year. All of these teams have had excellent performances, but also display clear flaws. As the Packers retake the field in week 6, they enter back into a tight race for a division championship.