The NFC North is the crown jewel of the 2024 NFL season, dominating both on the field and on your betting tickets. The Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers, and Chicago Bears have combined to go an NFL best 36-16 SU and 30-21-3 ATS.
Let's dive into the historic numbers that make the NFC North the league's greatest division ever.
Most Dominant Division Ever?
The 2024 NFC North is the most dominant division since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. In simpler terms, they're the Shaquille O'Neal of NFL divisions. Sorry to fans of other quartets, but the Lions, Vikings, Packers and Bears have been throwing it down on the league with more violence than Shaq's poster over Chris Dudley.
The NFC North has a better points per game margin than the 1984 AFC West, that featured John Elway's Broncos and Howie Long's Raiders. They're also better than the 1976 Steel curtain-led AFC Central. The North currently lead the NFL in point differential at a massive +333. For context, no other division boasts a point differential above 72. The AFC East is -34, AFC West is +72, AFC North is +49, and AFC South is a whopping -233! On the NFC side, the East is -9, the West is -20, and the South is -158.
There have been other contenders, last year's AFC North went 43-25 with a 39-30-2 ATS record and a +199 point differential. All four AFC North teams finished above .500, with the Ravens, Browns and Steelers all making the playoffs. However, should they maintain their current pace, the Lions, Vikings, and Packers will also make the playoffs. They'll also crush last year's AFC North in SU and ATS victories.
Crucially, they're even more dominant than the 2013 NFC West - when the Russell Wilson/Legion of Boom Seahawks met Jim Harbaugh's 49ers in the NFC Championship (10-6 Cardinals just missed playoffs). Seattle would go on to win the Super Bowl in a blowout as underdogs against Peyton Manning's Broncos. Will history repeat itself?
NFC North is a bettors' paradise
If you had blindly bet $100 on only the Lions, Packers and Vikings moneylines this season, you'd be up $1,220.29.
The top-three teams in the North are a combined 32-7 SU and 24-14-1 ATS. If you remove their losses against each other, they're an unreal 28-3 versus the rest of the NFL. None of the Lions, Vikings or Packers has lost a game against anyone else since October.
Consequentially, the NFC North is on pace to be the second division in NFL history with three 10+ win teams and a +300 point differential in the last 25 years - joining the 2013 NFC West. They're also a fantastic +35 in turnover differential. Furthermore, it's very likely the North will become the first division since the AFC Central (Jaguars 14-2, Titans 13-3) in 1999 where a 13-game winning team does not win the division.
The NFC North is the first division in NFL history to have 3 teams with 9+ wins by the end of Thanksgiving Day. pic.twitter.com/JD4wrNZu0w
— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) November 29, 2024
If you like defensive football, the Vikings are fourth in the NFL in sacks, and rank second with 27 takeaways. While the Packers, Bears and Lions are all top-seven teams in takeaways created. It will come as no surprise that the North boasts both Xavier McKinney and Kerby Joseph, who lead the NFL with seven interceptions a piece.
Betting on NFC North Futures
All three of the Lions, Packers and Vikings are favorites in Week 15. Due to their historical winning percentage, one can expect to see the three teams as favorites in the majority of contests across the final month of the season. All three are playoff locks, with the Lions and Vikings likely to battle it out for the division crown in their Week 18 matchup.
Intriguingly, the cellar dwellar Chicago Bears are a stellar 5-1-1 ATS at home. Keep Chicago in mind as they wrap up their home schedule with a visit from the Lions in Week 16, and welcome the Seahawks in Week 17 on Boxing Day.
Remember, the last division to perform this well saw its top-two squads end up in the NFC Championship game. You still have time to back the Lions +145, Packers +800, and Vikings +850 to be the NFC Championship winner. All three squads are also among top-six in the latest Super Bowl odds.
Additionally, Jared Goff +1700, Sam Darnold +4000, and Jordan Love +10000 are in the top-seven in NFL MVP betting odds, and McKinney is third in Defensive Player of the Year odds. On top of that, Lions head coach Dan Campbell, and Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell are currently 1-2 in the NFL Coach of the Year odds.
Dan Campbell called out a player for throwing up mid speech 😂
— Odds Shark (@OddsShark) December 6, 2024
(Via: @Lions) pic.twitter.com/HdQLk6uErk
With games against the Bills, Bears, 49ers and Vikings remaining, I love the value on Detroit to finish with the best record in the NFL. At -105 odds, the Lions are excellent value to win out and finish an NFL-best 16-1.
To put the icing on the cake, the Detroit Lions are the favorites to lift the Lombardi Trophy at +250 odds. No NFC North team has won the Super Bowl since Green Bay defeated Pittsburgh in 2010, but if their torrid pace continues, this could be the year the NFC North ends their drought. For the first time in history, the NFC North has a real shot to win the Super Bowl, Defensive Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards while leading the NFL in divisional win percentage and point differential. Historical indeed.
