4. Green Bay Packers
This was a huge win for the Green Bay Packers, as they moved to 9-3-1 on the season and held the fort down at home against the Chicago Bears. The NFC North has turned into the best division in football, and the Packers are in first place for the time being.
With the Packers, they are simply more of a proven commodity than the Bears are, so the result here was not shocking. What the Packers have struggled with in recent years, though, is simply getting over the hump when the playoffs roll around.
Matt LaFleur has not been great in the playoffs, but I guess 2025 could be different. On paper, this team has everything you’d want in a Super Bowl contender, and with Jordan Love playing as well as he has this year, this could be the year.
The Packers are in Chicago in a couple of weeks and could put a dagger in the NFC North race if they can beat the Bears and sweep them. The Packers are now a half game ahead of the Bears in the division and 1.5 games over the Detroit Lions as well.
3. New England Patriots
The New England Patriots were on the bye in Week 14 and are 11-2. It’s hard to believe how quickly this team has turned around, but here we are. Second-year QB Drake Maye has been outstanding this year and could get some MVP voting, perhaps winning the entire thing.
The Pats are running away with the AFC East title and could earn the top seed in the conference, which guarantees them a bye and homefield advantage throughout. It almost feels unfair that the Patriots may have walked into another outstanding franchise QB.
Mike Vrabel is in his first year as the team’s head coach after a very successful run with the Tennessee Titans. Josh McDaniels is also back as the offensive coordinator, and this operation is just smooth from top to bottom.
The main issue I see with the Patriots is the overall roster talent, as it’s not great, but that could change when 2026 rolls around.