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NFC North wide open for Bears after Packers dominate Lions in Week 1

Chicago Bears fans got their first look at what the NFC North could look like in 2025 in the Lions-Packers Week 1 game.
Bryan Perez|
Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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The Green Bay Packers put the NFC North and the Chicago Bears on notice in their Week 1 route of last year's division champ, the Detroit Lions, who looked like a neutered team without two critical members of their coaching staff.

Bears coach Ben Johnson served as the Lions' offensive coordinator during their ascent up the NFL's offensive rankings, while Aaron Glenn, the new head coach of the New York Jets, led a defense that was willing to bite kneecaps if it meant winning games.

Meanwhile, the Packers are fresh off a trade for future Hall of Fame edge rusher Micah Parsons, and his impact was felt immediately in Green Bay's 27-13 victory.

Parsons, who was on a pitch count for the game, marked his debut with a big sack of Jared Goff in a rep that showed off his freakish skill set.

Goff managed just 225 passing yards. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for just 44 rushing yards. The Lions' offense only scored one touchdown.

Yep. Ben Johnson mattered in Detroit. A lot.

But let's not take anything away from the Packers. Jordan Love was efficient, completing 16-of-22 passes for 188 yards and two scores. Josh Jacobs ran for 66 yards and a touchdown. And while it wasn't a Herculean effort by Green Bay's offense, it was more than enough to upend a Lions team that looks like it suddenly lost its mojo.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) is tackled by Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt (95)
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What does this all mean for the Chicago Bears?

Assuming the Bears (mainly Caleb Williams) adjust to Johnson's system quickly, there is an incredible opportunity for them to climb the NFC North standings in 2025.

Indeed, the Packers played well in Week 1. But what we don't know yet is whether Green Bay is that good, or the Lions are actually that bad. Of course, the truth can be somewhere in between, but regardless of what that truth is, it's clear that the NFC North won't be dominated by one team the way it was in 2024.

And if the Bears upend the Vikings on Monday Night Football, the narrative in the division could return to where it belongs: A showcase of the NFL's oldest rivalry.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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