Week 16 NFC North Power Rankings and Previews

Here are the latest NFC North power rankings and a look at this week’s matchups, which includes the Packers hosting the Saints on Monday and the Lions visiting the Bears.

Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs breaks a tackle attempt by Seattle Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen for a touchdown. / Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – There’s a tie atop the NFC North standings and there’s a tie atop our weekly NFC North power rankings, as well.

The Detroit Lions, who lost to the Buffalo Bills and lost some more key players in the process, are tied for No. 1 with the Minnesota Vikings.

Here’s a look at this week’s rankings and matchups.

On SI 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.

T-1. Detroit Lions (12-2): The Lions ran out of defensive players in their loss to the Bills. A once-vaunted defense has allowed 72 points the last six quarters. They fell from first to third in our Consensus Power Rankings.

T-1. Minnesota Vikings (12-2): Will the Vikings roll into the playoffs with a 10-game winning streak? They’ll close the regular season at Seattle (with hobbled quarterback Geno Smith), at home against Green Bay (which will be on the road with a 28-hour rest disadvantage) and at Detroit (with half its roster on injured reserve).

3. Green Bay Packers (10-4): After almost upsetting the Lions and then trouncing the Seahawks, no road environment should faze the Packers in the playoffs. Green Bay got all three third-place votes.

4. Chicago Bears (4-10): The Bears have lost all eight games since their bye. In two games since firing Matt Eberflus, they’ve been outscored 68-25. They swept the four last-place votes.

Bill Huber’s NFC North Rankings

1. Minnesota Vikings: The Vikings have won seven in a row following back-to-back blowout home wins over the Falcons and Bears. OK, maybe that’s not impressive, but Sam Darnold is fourth in passer rating, Aaron Jones is 21 yards away from 1,000 and the defense is fourth in points allowed.

2. Detroit Lions: Moving Detroit down to No. 2 is about the current roster. The Lions have been decimated by injuries. The latest was stud defensive tackle Alim McNeill suffering a torn ACL and running back David Montgomery a torn PCL. McNeill is done for the season; Montgomery hopes to return. Detroit has 21 players on injured reserve. It’s a bit reminiscent of the 2010 Packers.

3. Green Bay Packers: Make no mistake about it, Green Bay’s victory over Seattle was a statement. The Seahawks were at home and had won four in a row, and the Packers played the role of tractor-trailer to the Seahawks’ mosquito.

4. Chicago Bears: Remember when Caleb Williams was being fitted for a Gold Jacket? Me, too. Williams might become that legendary quarterback at some point, but his should be a cautionary tale about the next overhyped rookie who’s merely one of 11 players on the field. At least he’s avoided turnovers with zero interceptions the past eight games.

Best team in the NFL: The Philadelphia Eagles have won 10 consecutive games, with five of those games by at least 14 points. They are No. 1 in yardage differential, outgaining their opponents by almost 100 yards per game.

Worst team in the NFL: The New York Giants are 2-12, including 0-8 at home. In the three games since dumping Daniel Jones, they’ve thrown only one touchdown pass – by former Packers backup Tim Boyle.

NFC North Week 16 Games

As written by our NFC North team publishers.

Green Bay Packers

vs. New Orleans Saints (7:20 p.m. Monday)

Impact player to watch this week: Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has been the heartbeat of Green Bay’s offense all season. In a dominating win at Seattle on Sunday, the Packers started the game with a 10-play touchdown drive. Jacobs got the ball on the first eight plays and scored the touchdown on the 10th. Talk about setting the tone. Jacobs is third in the NFL in rushing while the Saints are 30th with 4.94 yards allowed per carry. That unit played well in last week’s near-upset of the Commanders, but this should still be a matchup that tips heavily in Green Bay’s direction.

Key to victory: Pressuring the quarterback. Last week, the Packers knocked out Geno Smith in the third quarter and dominated his backup, Sam Howell. Howell led the NFL in passing attempts last season, so it’s not as if the Packers feasted on some no-name rookie. In 12 under-pressure dropbacks, Howell was 2-of-7 passing for 17 yards. With 21 yards on four sacks, the Seahawks averaged minus-0.24 yards when Howell was under duress. With Derek Carr sidelined by a broken hand, rookie Spencer Rattler will make his fourth start. His under-pressure passer rating this season, according to PFF, is 51.7.

Detroit Lions

at Chicago Bears (noon Sunday)

Impact player to watch this week: DE Za’Darius Smith. The Lions’ defense lost multiple key players to injuries in last week’s loss to Buffalo, including defensive tackle Alim McNeill and cornerback Carlton Davis. With a secondary that will be missing its top cornerback, the pass rush will face more responsibility to put heat on Caleb Williams to make life easier for Terrion Arnold and others. Detroit would benefit greatly if Smith and the rest of the defensive line could replicate their performance from the first time against Chicago.

Key to victory: The Lions need a fast start. They put themselves in an early 14-0 hole against the Bills as the offense punted on its first two drives. Though the Lions were able to make the game a shootout, their slow start put them at a deficit that they couldn’t overcome. As a result, a faster start will allow them to take the pressure off a battered defense. 

Chicago Bears

vs. Detroit Lions (noon Sunday)

Impact player to watch this week: RB D’Andre Swift. Last week, Swift decided to lower his shoulder and run through some tackles, especially in the second half of the game. The Bears haven’t been able to score in the first half of the last three games and the reason is their anemic running attack and poor pass blocking. Swift’s 79 rushing yards last week showed he can get the job done if he gets blocks. Because of the Lions’ depleted state of health on defense, look for the Bears to hit them with Swift so they can buy Caleb Williams time to throw.

Key to victory: Amping up the pass rush on Jared Goff rates No. 1. He’s well known as a QB who doesn’t usually play well in the cold. His passer rating in 12 career games with temperatures in the 30s, based on NFL statistics, is 75.5. That’s almost 20 points lower than his career passer rating.  The Bears must blitz and put on pressure, like they did against Minnesota before that game got out of hand. They need to be prepared to gamble on both sides of the ball because they’re incapable of stopping Detroit’s offense over an extended period like at Soldier Field in last year’s 28-13 win.

Minnesota Vikings

at Seattle Seahawks (3:05 p.m. Sunday)

Impact player to watch this week: I could say Sam Darnold, Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, Blake Cashman, Stephon Gilmore, Jonathan Greenard or a number of other impact Vikings stars, but I got a feeling the biggest impact player this week will be rookie kicker Will “The Thrill” Reichard. The analytics indicate this will be a close game and it could lead to Reichard needing to make a kick in a pressure moment for the first time in his NFL career. Is he up to the task of doing the job when it matters most and helping the Vikings overcome a kicker curse?

Key to victory: Handling crowd noise at Lumen Field is typically a big deal, but the Seahawks are 3-5 at home this season and the “12th Man” in Seattle doesn’t appear to be what it used to be. It’s unusually quiet to the point that DK Metcalf this week basically called out Seahawks fans, saying he wishes “as many 12s didn’t sell as many tickets as they did.” If the Vikings can build an early lead, Seahawks fans might not have the energy to rally the players.

Latest Green Bay Packers News 

The Saints have won three of their last five games and nearly upset the Commanders last week. The #Packers, on the other hand, need just one win to clinch a playoff berth.

Here's the preview, by @hibbard_casey. ⬇️https://t.co/kp4uGuHOzz

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) December 20, 2024

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