Week 13 NFC North Power Rankings and Previews

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers remain No. 3 in our NFC North Power Rankings but have a chance to make a move over the next eight days if they can beat the Miami Dolphins on Thanksgiving and upset the Detroit Lions the following Thursday.

Until then, here are this week’s NFC North power rankings.

As selected by the On SI team publishers: Bill Huber from Green Bay, John Maakaron from Detroit, Gene Chamberlain from Chicago and Joe Nelson from Minnesota.

1. Detroit Lions (10-1): The Lions look unbeatable. Everyone in the NFC North is playing for second place. Is everyone in the NFC, period, also playing for second? They are No. 1 in our Consensus Power Rankings, as well.

2. Minnesota Vikings (9-2): The Vikings received all four second-place votes and are No. 5 in our Consensus Power Rankings. Of their nine wins, six have been by one-score margins.

3. Green Bay Packers (8-3): The Packers received all four third-place votes and are No. 7 in the Consensus. The Packers are 8-3 and in third place through Week 12, a first since the 1970 merger.

4. Chicago Bears (4-6): The Bears received all four last-place votes. They have lost five in a row, but teams should enjoy beating them now before it’s too late.

Bill Huber’s NFC North Rankings

1. Detroit Lions: The Lions only beat the Colts by 18 and Jared Goff didn’t throw a touchdown pass. The sky is falling in Detroit.

2. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings, just like the Packers a week earlier, were fortunate to escape Chicago with a victory. Minnesota has won four in a row; given the schedule, it could be eight in a row when Green Bay visits in Week 17.

3. Green Bay Packers: The Packers walloped the 49ers’ JV team, 38-10. After a second-quarter lull, the defense led the charge as Green Bay pulled away for a blowout victory.

4. Chicago Bears: The Bears have lost five in a row headed into a three-game road trip against the Lions, 49ers and Vikings and a home date against Detroit.

Best team in the NFL: The Lions have won nine in a row, with six of those games by double digits.

Worst team in the NFL: To review, the Giants signed quarterback Daniel Jones to a $40 million-per-season contract, decided they didn’t need Saquon Barkley or Xavier McKinney, then released Jones. Bravo.

As written by our NFC North team publishers.

Green Bay Packers

vs. Miami Dolphins (7:20 p.m. Thursday)

Player the Packers are most thankful for: Aaron Jones is one of the best running backs in Packers history and a true face-of-the-franchise player. But where would the Packers be without Josh Jacobs? Coach Matt LaFleur always seemed reluctant to give Jones a heavy workload. He has no such issues with Jacobs, who had 19 carries in the first half alone and 26 for the game against San Francisco, even knowing the Packers would have to face the Dolphins on a short week. Jacobs is third in the NFL in rushing, oftentimes gaining 3, 4 or 5 yards on his own.

Keys to victory: Since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for four games, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is second in the NFL with a 116.2 passer rating, fifth with 1,277 yards and second with plus-10 touchdowns vs. interceptions. Dealing with Tagovailoa and receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle would be a challenge under any circumstances. Doing it without Jaire Alexander? Somehow, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has to take away the big play without allowing Tagovailoa to simply pick apart soft zone defenses.

Detroit Lions

vs. Chicago Bears (11:30 a.m. Thursday)

Player the Lions are most thankful for: The Lions have plenty to be thankful for with their early-season success, and it’s hard to single out just one player with how good the team has been as a whole. Still, the anchor has been quarterback Jared Goff. The fan base expresses their appreciation for the passer each and every week with chants of his name, both at home and on the road. His story of bouncing back from adversity resonates with the fans, and the success he has delivered to them is uncommon for the organization.

Keys to victory: Dominate early. The Bears have enough firepower to compete in a shootout, so stifling them early before they get a chance to get going will be paramount for the defense. If the Lions can start fast, they can employ their trademark ball-control style in the second half. However, if they come out of the gates slowly and allow the Bears to gain confidence, this game could become difficult down the stretch.

Chicago Bears

at Detroit Lions (11:30 a.m. Thursday)

Player the Bears are most thankful for: Caleb Williams. While some doubters remained as recently as two weeks ago, it had become apparent long ago he had the arm and was reading defenses well. After two strong efforts against better defenses, Williams has made it clear he is the player everyone hoped on draft day. He hasn’t thrown an interception in 193 passes and three times led late drives to set the Bears up for victory or overtime, only to see it all come tumbling down in defeat due to the rest of the team or coaching decisions. Williams is about all the Bears can be thankful for this season, although Rome Odunze has shown promise for the future, as well.

Keys to victory: One key is taken care of with the schedule. The Lions haven’t won on Thanksgiving since 2016 and the Bears have won four straight on Turkey Day. Seriously, the only way the Bears will win this game is by reigniting the pass rush like they had earlier in the season. When Jared Goff gets pressured up the middle, he tends to panic and throw interceptions. He threw five against the Texans but Detroit still won. So, all the Bears will need is a strong pass rush against the best offensive line in the NFL and then six interceptions.

Minnesota Vikings

vs. Arizona Cardinals (noon Sunday)

Player the Vikings are most thankful for: Justin Jefferson. Imagine a world where Jefferson isn’t dressed in purple and gold. Minnesota would be a wasteland, “Mad Max” style. Sam Darnold wouldn’t be putting up the respectable numbers he is with Jefferson, and defenses would be able to shut down Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson because they wouldn’t have to use two or three defenders to cover the best receiver in the world. Without Jefferson, the Vikings might be 2-9 instead of 9-2. He’s that good.

Keys to victory: Score points. It sounds silly, but Arizona has allowed just one offensive touchdown in the past 12 quarters. Of course, playing Bears during peak offensive struggles followed by a date with the hapless Jets is a recipe for defensive success, and the Cardinals took full advantage of those opportunities. But they also held Seattle to 16 points at home last week. The Cardinals are a sneaky team capable of leaving Minnesota with a win. The Vikings cannot turn the ball over in the red zone and get away with it like they have in wins over the Jaguars, Titans and Bears.

Latest Green Bay Packers News

A total of five starters out (three for Green Bay) for #Packers-Dolphins tomorrow. ⬇️https://t.co/OqYqkdoTXX

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) November 27, 2024