The NFC North heads into the 2026 regular season looking like the deepest division in football, and the gap between first and fourth doesn’t feel especially wide. All four teams finished the 2025 NFL season with winning records, and with actual football back in less than a week, the division deserves one last pass before the games start counting again.
There’s even a real-world path for the North to make history in the seven-team playoff era. If the second-, third-, and fourth-place teams all land one of the three available Wild Card spots, all four NFC North teams could reach the postseason. That’s the kind of setup that makes this group stand out from the rest of the league.
At the bottom, the Minnesota Vikings sit fourth in these final rankings. Their biggest offseason move was adding quarterback Kyler Murray in free agency, and he ended up “winning” the QB competition - though it never really felt like a true battle in the first place, even if that was the way it was presented.
Murray gives Minnesota a clear upgrade in the sense that he has been a good quarterback and has been at least average for much of his career. That matters, especially after the Vikings got bottom-5 quarterback play last season. It’s fair to think they could improve on last year’s 9-8 finish.
Still, Murray is the worst quarterback in the division right now, and that reality leaves Minnesota with a shaky spot at the most important position. If the Vikings can’t keep that room stable, it could eventually wreck the season. For now, that’s enough to leave them in last place.
Green Bay comes in at No. 3 after a 2025 finish that never quite lived up to the early promise. Injuries piled up late in the year, the Packers stumbled down the stretch and won just nine games, then dropped their Wild Card Round matchup after a Chicago Bears comeback victory.
That has left Green Bay stuck in the same familiar territory throughout the Jordan Love era: good, but not great. The roster has plenty of useful pieces, but not enough true difference-makers. And the one player who could tilt that balance is still not fully available, with Micah Parsons close to returning from his torn ACL but not quite back yet.
In Other News...
Kyler Murray Could Change How The Vikings Offense Really Looks
Kyler Murrays rise as Arizonas starting quarterback has a ripple effect in Minnesota, where the Vikings are watching the way his game keeps expanding. General manager Nolan Teasley pointed to Murrays improved anticipation, his ability to fit throws into tight windows and the work he has done at the line of scrimmage, all while still leaning on the mobility that has always made him dangerous. For a Vikings offense under Kevin OConnell that is built on timing and footwork, that kind of growth is the sort of trait that can change how a team has to defend him.
Murray won the starting job on August 11, and the early signs from practices and preseason games suggest there is real progress behind the buzz. The question for Minnesota is whether those flashes become something more dependable once the games count, because the Vikings know how quickly a quarterback who can win from the pocket and off schedule can alter the feel of an offense. For now, the evidence points to a player still adding layers, with the next step likely to say a lot about just how different that attack can look. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Just Sent A Clear Message About Who Leads This Team
The Vikings have set their leadership group for the 2026 season, naming eight team captains as they continue to lean on a core that blends proven veterans with fresh voices. Five of those captains are back from last year, and the group gives head coach Kevin OConnell and his staff a clear snapshot of where the locker rooms authority now sits.
Quarterback Kyler Murray is among the new additions, taking over the offensive captain spot previously held by J.J. McCarthy. He joins Brian ONeill, Justin Jefferson, Aaron Jones Sr., Josh Metellus, Blake Cashman, Andrew Van Ginkel and long snapper Andrew DePaola, all of whom will wear the C and carry added responsibility as the season gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Vikings Quarterback Drama Is Creating An Opening Few Fans Expected
The quarterback conversation in Minnesota has shifted again, and this time it is Kyler Murray who has stepped into the middle of it. General manager Nolan Teasley recently addressed questions about J.J. McCarthys future, making clear that the first-round picks story is still being written after just 10 starts, even as the job has moved elsewhere and the attention around the position keeps building.
Murrays situation looks different from McCarthys in one important way: he has been able to work through training camp with far less media scrutiny. There is a real chance that the noise surrounding McCarthy ends up working in Murrays favor, giving him room to settle in while the debate continues around him, much like some past Vikings teams that found success while the quarterback picture stayed unsettled. [Read more 🡒]