Packers, NFC North Rivals Endured Friday the 13th-Style Bad Luck in 2025

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. The Green Bay Packers were good in 2025, but they were sabotaged by an abundance of bad luck.

They weren’t alone. In honor of Friday the 13th, Part 3 of our NFC North roundtables (here is Part 1 and Part 2) focus on the impact of injuries in 2025.

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers were hit with a double whammy that not only changed the course of the 2025 season but could have a major impact on the 2026 season.

With a big come-from-behind win at Pittsburgh that was fueled by tight end Tucker Kraft’s run-after-the-catch dominance, the Packers took a three-game winning streak into a home game against the Panthers. During the opening series of the second half, right guard Sean Rhyan was taken out by a defender. Rhyan’s foot extended into the air and collided with Kraft’s knee.

The result was a torn ACL, taking out one of the young stars at the position and Green Bay’s best threat in the passing game.

Green Bay Packers tight end Tucker Kraft (85) runs onto the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers. | Sarah Kloepping/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Packers lost back-to-back games to Carolina and Philadelphia but rebounded to win four in a row headed into a showdown at the Broncos, who had the best record in the AFC. In what seemed like a potential Super Bowl preview, Micah Parsons was chasing Bo Nix when he sustained a noncontact ACL injury.

The Packers lost that game. And every other game.

ACL comebacks are sort of taken for granted because they’re so commonplace. Kraft is aiming for a Week 1 return and Parsons doesn’t think he’ll be far behind. However, there’s a difference between returning to play and returning to peak production.

With Kraft, Jordan Love had a 100-plus passer rating in five of seven games. Without him, Love hit that mark in three of eight games. Without Parsons being the defensive closer, the Packers blew leads against Denver, Chicago and Chicago again.

#NFL Strength of Schedule 2026
(using final records of 2025 regular season)

Toughest schedule: #CHI
Easiest schedule: #CLE pic.twitter.com/cY4h0A6aka
— SFdata9ers🏈📊 (@sfdata9ers) January 5, 2026

The Packers will face a scary schedule in 2026. If Kraft and Parsons aren’t impact players early in the year, a season filled with misfortune could spill into the upcoming season and prematurely end their quest to get back to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2010.

– Bill Huber, Green Bay Packers On SI

Chicago Bears

While all of Caleb Williams’ late-game theatrics and perhaps even divine intervention prevailed throughout Chicago Bears’ NFC North-winning season, they still had some bad luck.

It came in the form of their health.

They not only had injuries, but almost all of them came on the defensive side. A major reason for their defensive problems was injuries. Sports Info Solutions had the Bears’ tally at a league-high 336 regular-season games lost to injuries, including numerous players who went out for the year in training camp.

Losing the top four linebackers at one point, cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon for most of the season, and starting defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo for more than half of a season caused disruption. Backup edge Austin Booker missed the first seven games. Linebacker T.J. Edwards missed seven games and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds four.

Two-time Pro Bowl Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson was limited to seven games in 2025. | David Banks-Imagn Images

Even backups came in and got hurt. Rookie Shemar Turner moved from defensive tackle to edge and impressed, then was lost for the final 12 games.

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen made due with players brought in during the season from off the street to start almost immediately, like D’Marco Jackson and C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The Packers lost the biggest name to injury in Micah Parsons, the Lions lost the second-most games to injuries. But the Bears lost the most and still won the division.

Talk about bad luck: Ben Johnson was offensive coordinator for the Lions in 2024 and lost the most games due to injuries, and then he comes to Chicago and suffers the same poor injury luck.

Some good health needs to come to the good, better, best crowd soon.

– Gene Chamberlain, Chicago Bears On SI

Minnesota Vikings

The 2025 season was a disaster for the Vikings, largely due to bad luck.

The most obvious form of bad luck was when quarterback J.J. McCarthy suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 2 against Atlanta. He didn’t play again until Week 9, and he suffered a concussion and a fractured bone in his hand before the season ended. Brutal.

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy stiff-arms Green Bay Packers linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper to the turf. | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Minnesota spent the second-most money in free agency last offseason, only to see key signees get injured. Most notably, center Ryan Kelly suffered multiple concussions, which put his future in doubt. Wide receiver Rondale Moore destroyed his knee on the opening kickoff of the preseason, instantly stripping away depth at the position. And cornerback Jeff Okudah struggled with injuries.

Even long-term staples in Minnesota, including tackles Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill, were inconsistent as they fought through a myriad of injuries. Blake Cashman and Andrew Van Ginkel, two cornerstone linebackers, spent time on injured reserve.

The Vikings were bitten early and often by the injury bug, which derailed their season out of the starting gate. By the time the Vikings were eliminated from playoff contention, fellow defensive stars Jonathan Greenard and Josh Metellus were placed on season-ending injured reserve.

Remove the bad-luck injuries, and who knows what the Vikings might’ve done. Unfortunately, it’s set them up for a monumental QB decision this offseason, and if they swing and miss again, it could cost head coach Kevin O’Connell his job.

– Joe Nelson, Minnesota Vikings On SI

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have built one of the most skilled offensive units in the National Football League.

Unfortunately, the engine of the operation blew a major gasket in 2025. The offensive line was among the biggest reasons the team struggled to win back-to-back games for months and produced a losing streak at the worst possible time of the season.

It had to be scary for Detroit’s front office to hear the news that center Frank Ragnow was going to retire. It could happen again this offseason, as veteran left tackle Taylor Decker is mulling over if he wants to return for the 2026 season.

Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons (1) fights through a block by Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell. | Tork Mason / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Detroit does not have his clear replacement on the roster, though Penei Sewell could become the left tackle of the future.

Detroit’s offensive line is relatively young at the guard position, but there is hope Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge will continue to develop.

In 2026, it will be another scary ride if the team does not properly address the center position. Graham Glasgow is not expected back and general manager Brad Holmes is expected to tap into free agency to add a center capable of leading the offensive line.

The hope among fans is Holmes will make a strong push for the top free agent center, Tyler Linderbaum. But, if that falls through, there are other realistic options.

Jared Goff has been among the most durable signal-callers the past few seasons. If Detroit does not properly figure out the offensive line, a traditional pocket passer will again be running for his life, and that could mean another scary ending with the Lions missing the playoff again in 2026.

– John Maakaron, Detroit Lions On SI

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