From top to bottom, the NFC North is the toughest division in the NFL entering the 2025 season. A case can be made for several different outcomes once the 17-game schedule is in the books, and a Chicago Bears legend did his former team no favors with his projected order of finish.
Bears legend Devin Hester joined Kay Adams on FanDuel TV's Up & Adams show on Wednesday morning and, naturally, the division he starred in as a player was the topic of conversation. If Ben Johnson hadn't already put a target on the back of the Bears by leaving the Detroit Lions to become head coach in the Windy City, Hester's thoughts on how things will go for the Lions should do the trick.
Hester believes that three teams will emerge from the NFC North to make the playoffs. But he also believes the Lions will not be one of those teams as the legendary returner has the Lions finishing dead last.
Devin Hester on why he has the Detroit Lions finishing LAST in the NFC North this season 🤯@heykayadams | @D_Hest23 | #OnePride #DaBears #SKOL #GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/qQePnhbE6C
— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) September 2, 2025
Devin Hester's NFC North Predictions Just Put a Target on the Bears
"I think three teams make it (to the playoffs) this year," Hester said, via Mike Pendleton of Bears Wire. "Of course, we have to play each other but outside of the division, I feel like Chicago, Green Bay, and I feel like Detroit will finish last, Minnesota will go ahead of Detroit."
To go from a 15-2 season to a dead last finish in the division standings would be quite the drop for any team, let alone one with the talent that Detroit possesses. But Hester isn't just poking the bear here. He truly believes that losing Johnson to Chicago will be a significant blow that the Lions will struggle to overcome.
"I'm telling you with the OC change, Detroit over the last three years was known for their offense if we really want to be honest. If you take away their 28 point per game average, they lose a lot of games," Hester continued. "Their defense was pretty good but it was their offense that kept the defense off the field a lot. I don't see that offense keeping that defense off the field that much now, that offense will struggle in the first few games and it's going to make the defense tired."
There are all reasonable points for Hester to make. While Detroit enters the 2025 campaign in a better spot concerning the overall health of the defense than they ended last season, there are no guarantees that the injury bug doesn't strike the Lions again in a major way over the next four months.
There's also something to be said for the man that is replacing Johnson. While John Morton has plenty of experience stepping into the offensive coordinator role, his last opportunity didn't go well as he was fired after his lone year with the New York Jets in 2017.
Johnson's move to Chicago will have a positive impact on the Bears, just as his departure will negatively impact Detroit. These predictions mean nothing once the players take the field this weekend, though.
Chicago will have to earn whatever success it enjoys this season, much like the rest of the teams in the NFC North. With these comments from Hester, the Bears might have a little extra to prove in their two matchups against the Lions.