The Green Bay Packers enter Week 14 with an 8-3-1 record and right behind the 9-3 Chicago Bears.
The Detroit Lions defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night, 44-30, to move to 8-5.
With the final month of the regular season underway, the NFC North is one of the tightest division races.
The Bears are the No. 1 seed in the NFC as of Week 14, but things can change very quickly depending on how everything else shakes up.
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report picked division winners with December starting. And, although the NFC North is tough, he has the Packers sneaking by and winning the division.
“Who’ll Win It: Green Bay (11-5-1), with Detroit and Chicago both finishing 11-6,” Gagnon predicted.
Why The Packers Will Win The NFC North
A lot can happen in the final month of the season, but there are a lot of reasons why Green Bay should feel good about the NFC North race.
The Bears, with first-year head coach Ben Johnson, have been arguably the best story of the league this year. However, the remaining schedule makes it tough for Chicago.
“The Bears are a great story, but their remaining schedule is just a nightmare,” Gagnon added. “There’s a good chance they relinquish the division lead to the surging Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, and even if they remain in the mix it’s hard to see such a novice team hanging on against the Packers (again), 49ers and Lions in Weeks 16, 17 and 18, respectively. “
As for the Lions, getting a win against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football was encouraging, but they have a big hill to climb.
“The Lions, meanwhile, haven’t won consecutive games since Weeks 4 and 5, and their only remaining game against a team with a losing record is a potential trap in Minnesota,” Gagnon added. “Detroit has the talent to make a push, but the deficit is too large considering its recent play and upcoming schedule.”
The Lions’ win against the Cowboys definitely kept them right in the thick of everything, and they are playing excellent football as of late.
Matt LaFleur’s Team Has a Tough Path
While Gagnon has the Packers winning the NFC North, the schedule going forward isn’t the easiest.
They play the Bears twice in three weeks, with the AFC West-leading Denver Broncos sandwiched in between.
If they can win two or three of those games, they should be feeling good with the final two coming against the Baltimore Ravens and Minnesota Vikings.
Dominique Yates of Packers News also has Green Bay winning, but it’s very close: “This could be a photo finish, but here’s how I think it’ll play out: 1. Packers, 2. Bears, 3. Lions, 4. Vikings.”
In that same piece, Tom Silverstein and Pete Dougherty both had Green Bay finished second with Chicago on top, so it’s going to be a tight finish in a thrilling ending to the year.
At the end of the day, if Green Bay can defeat Chicago at least once in the next three weeks, that will be a big momentum builder in hopes of snagging the NFC North crown.
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