Heading closer to the 2026 season, Chicago Bears fans can't help but look at the rest of the NFC North and debate the biggest threat to defending their division title. While history would point to the Green Bay Packers, it is fair to wonder if the Bears not only have a clear mental advantage but a better roster, leaving another threat ahead of Green Bay.
Chicago has the obvious advantage over the Packers after an epic playoff collapse from Green Bay that will continue to haunt them. This leads us to look at the offensive changes the franchise made with receivers Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs, both departing without the team adding obvious replacements. On top of this, you have the fact that Jordan Love has one long playoff win, a total Caleb Williams has already matched, setting up the Detroit Lions as the biggest NFC North threat.
Dan Campbell knows how Ben Johnson operates and spent the 2026 offseason allowing his roster to get healthy and bringing in key reinforcements on both sides of the ball. The Lions have an incredible cast of playmakers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs. There is also a clear improvement in the offensive line with key additions made at tackle and center.
It also must be noted that Williams has yet to beat the Lions in his career, going 0-4 against Detroit in his first two seasons. While this is a clear outlier for an incredibly talented starter, it adds to the case that it isn't the Packers that should have Chicago's attention.
Why the Lions should concern the Bears more than the Packers
Detroit also has an incredible sense of urgency after missing the playoffs in the 2025 season, and there are questions around Dan Campbell. This was due to the departure of Johnson and a level of expected offensive regression. A struggle that was answered by bringing in new coaching pieces that should push the team back in the right direction.
No question, the Lions are a far more complete and scary team when looking at potential threats in the NFC North. While Green Bay's soft early-season schedule might allow the team to get off to a hot start, the Bears have an advantage of the rival and reason to believe they will fade as the season goes along.
The Lions are the biggest roadblock to the Bears repeating as division champs and are a threat that the Bears cannot afford to take lightly heading into the year. This speaks to the depth of the division and the difficult road ahead for an incredibly talented young team that has the needed pieces to get the job done.
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