NFL teams can usually identify their strengths and weaknesses after five weeks of the season. No team is perfect, but some have much bigger issues than others.
Here is one potentially fatal flaw for every NFC North team:
Chicago Bears: Offensive line
Here’s what legendary NFL coach Bill Belichick said about Chicago on “The Pat McAfee Show” in mid-September:
“Chicago, just in terms of their overall team construction, the way that they decided to do it, you look at teams like Detroit in their division, and Detroit has got three really good linemen with [Penei] Sewell, [Frank] Ragnow and [Taylor] Decker. And those guys give, generally, [Jared] Goff a lot of protection. The Bears have really put their resources into … receivers. But they’ve had problems on their offensive line, and it doesn’t really look like that’s gotten much better.”
He’s right. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has been sacked 17 times, third most of any quarterback. The line isn’t helping Chicago’s run game, either. Even with 166 yards from D’Andre Swift in their past two matchups, the Bears rank 29th with 95.4 rush yards per game.
Right guard Nate Davis has already been benched, and the team may start undrafted free agent Bill Murray over veteran guard Teven Jenkins against Jacksonville in London in Week 6. They better figure things out to keep Williams healthy.
Detroit Lions: First down
It’s not easy finding fault with the defending NFC North champions, who sit at 3-1, but at least one team reporter thinks Detroit’s defense could be stingier when it comes to first downs.
According to Tim Twentyman of the team’s website, the Seahawks picked up 38 first downs against the Lions in Week 4, two shy of the NFL record. Altogether, Detroit entered its bye week allowing 95 first downs, more than any other team.
It shouldn’t be an issue as long as the team continues to gain the third-most yards per game (397) and score the eighth-most points per game (36). But if the offense sputters, Detroit’s 22nd-ranked defense could be in trouble.
Green Bay Packers: Second-quarter scoring
The Packers own the first quarter, outscoring opponents 40-21 in 2024, but they’ve been outscored 44-26 in the second quarter.
Never were the team’s struggles more obvious than in Week 4, when head coach Matt LaFleur failed to get the timeout he was asking for. After the Vikings jumped to a 28-0 lead in the second quarter, LaFleur tried to stop the clock, only to be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, forcing him to use the timeout to avoid a 10-second runoff.