NFC North Roundup: 3 Coach of the Year Candidates and the Bears

The NFC North is the strongest division in the NFL. Their current record is 34-14. No other division has 30 wins. The AFC West has 29 wins. Third place is the NFC East with 25. In fact, the Lions, Vikings, and Packers alone combine for 30 victories. When you study these three teams, they all share one important thing. They are all well coached.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell is the current favorite to win Coach of the Year. I am not sure how he wins it. That award usually goes to a coach whose team is one of the most improved. The Lions were one game away from the Super Bowl last season. They have one of the best rosters in the league and the majority of NFL analysts picked them to win the NFC North. Plus, Campbell gets a lot of help from coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn.

Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is one of the best offensive minds in the game. The Lions almost always start strong and usually build an early lead. Against the Bears on Thanksgiving, the Lions converted 18 first downs before the Bears got one. The first half was completely dominated by the Lions. The Bears stingy red zone defense was able to force three first half field goals keeping them in the game.

Johnson is expected to be the most sought-after head coaching candidate this offseason. He was Highly coveted in 2023 as well, but it seems he is waiting for the best fit. Lots of coordinators take head coaching jobs with bad franchises and end up being the scapegoat. My guess is Johnson wants a situation with an established franchise quarterback. It’s hard to succeed in the NFL without one. I wouldn’t be surprised if Johnson decides to stay in Detroit for another season if he doesn’t find the right job.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn is another assistant coach who should get head coaching interviews. The former defensive back has the Lions 10th in yards allowed per game and 2nd in points allowed. Glenn is doing this without star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson who is out for the season after a gruesome broken leg. Despite this, the Lion’s defense has only given up 32 points in the last three games combined.

Expectations weren’t high for the Vikings going into the 2024 season. They finished 7-10 in 2023, and quarterback Kirk Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons in free agency. The Vikings signed journeyman Sam Darnold and used the 10th overall pick to select JJ McCarthy out of Michigan. Many people around the league expected this to be a transition year with Darnold holding down the fort until McCarthy was ready.

McCarthy injured his knee in the preseason and is lost for the year. However, Sam Darnold has stepped it up in a big way. Darnold struggled with the Jets, Panthers, and 49ers but is finally living up to expectations as the 3rd overall pick in the 2018 draft. He is a big reason why the Vikings are 10-2. Head coach Kevin O’Connell deserves a ton of credit. The former Rams offensive coordinator has gotten more out of Darnold than anyone thought possible. Right now, my pick for NFL Coach of the Year would be O’Connell.

O’Connell is not the only coach on the team that deserves a ton of credit. Former Miami Dolphin head coach and current defensive coordinator Brian Flores is one of the best defensive minds in the game. His defensive unit consistently disguises coverage causing confusion for opposing defenses. Just like Johnson, I expect Flores to be one of the most sought-after candidates for a 2025 head coaching job.

Head coach Matt LaFleur is a big reason the Packers are 9-3. When star quarterback Jordan Love was out with a knee injury, LaFleur dialed up a run-first game plan and defeated both the Colts and the Titans. Since the bye, the Packers are 3-0 and LaFleur has designed an offense no one else in the league currently runs. Let me give you an example.

The Packers have been running a lot of 21 personnel of late. That means two running backs, one tight end, and two wide receivers are on the field. What LaFleur does with this formation is genius. He has slot WR Jayden Reed run orbit motion behind quarterback Jordan Love, who is in shotgun formation. He then has running back Josh Jacobs run a normal handoff while the other running back, Chris Brooks runs a swing screen to the outside. What does this do? It gives the Packers many options and keeps the defense honest.

Love can hand it off to Reed on a jet sweep. Reed is dangerous in the open field so no matter what, a defender has to run with him. If Love fakes it to Reed he can hand the ball off to Jacobs. If he also fakes that handoff, Love can throw the screen to Brooks, pass it to the TE, or pass it to the other WR. Most of the time in this formation Love hands it off to Jacobs for a successful gain up the middle. A defender has to run with Reed and Brooks just in case they get the ball. This slows down these defender’s reaction time and usually results in a successful gain for Jacobs.

LaFleur isn’t the only coach on the Packers that is doing a great job. New defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has led one of the NFL’s most improved units. Without his best corner Jaire Alexander against the Dolphins, Hafley designed a zone scheme that helped limit the effectiveness of star wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. This led to the Dolphins only having three points at the half. Hafley is a former college coach at Boston College who could be a sleeper to get an NFL head coaching job in the offseason.

I know a lot of Bears fans, and they all wanted head coach Matt Eberflus fired after the 2023 season. But the Bears decided to stick with him and expectations were high after selecting quarterback Caleb Williams first overall. The Bear’s roster looked to be much improved even though they weren’t expected to be contenders. At the very least, they were expected to compete for a playoff spot. After a 4-2 start, it looked like that was the case. But it has been a disaster ever since.

The Bears have lost six straight games, and Matt Eberflus was fired last week. Those losses included a Hail Mary defeat against the Commanders and a blown clock management game against the Lions on Thanksgiving. Eberflus fell to 5-19 in one-score games as the Bears coach. The Bears have actually scored more points than their opponents this season, and there is no doubt they are better than their 4-8 record. The key will be getting the right head coach in place who can get the most out of Williams and their young but talented roster.

You can’t win in the NFL by having an elite roster alone. You have to have coaches who can out-scheme the opponent and get the most out of their roster. The Lions, Vikings, and Packers are doing that this season. The Bears have failed miserably at this and will be looking for a head coach in the offseason yet again. All of these teams have the potential to be contenders for many years to come. These division matchups should be fun to watch going forward.

For More Great Football Content

Follow me on Twitter at @Footballcheez for more great content. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in college and professional football, click here!