ESPN REPORT: A $23.6 million Super Bowl star for the Detroit Lions was lost with….

The NFC North is going to be a battlefield in 2024 — apologies to Pat Benatar. All four of the teams have significant areas of strength and it seems clear that the Detroit Lions have legitimate Super Bowl aspirations and the Green Bay Packers may be dark horses for the same kind of results.

The Chicago Bears are not in that category, but they are substantially stronger than they were either of the last two years. While training camp won’t begin until next month, the Bears will consider the season a failure if they don’t make the playoffs.

The Vikings are clearly going through a transition without last year’s starting quarterback and top defensive player – Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter – but they have a chance to surprise most observers because they have the best wide receiver in the league in Justin Jefferson.

Here are the greatest strengths of each of the NFC North teams, and the area that each must improve in to have fulfill their potential

The Lions have a brilliant and diverse offensive team. The Lions gambled three years ago when they brought in Jared Goff to take over the QB1 role, and it turned out to be a winning move. He had lost confidence in Los Angeles with the Rams, but few quarterbacks can match his efficiency. His teammates clearly believe in him, and the team’s two best offensive attributes include wide out Amon-Ra St. Brown and running back David Montgomery. The supporting cast includes tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs.

The Lions will score, but the defense hast to get better. They showed improvement last year as they went from the No. 32 defense to 19th, but they were just 27th against the pass. The Lions are dependent on Aidan Hutchinson (11.5 sacks) picking up where he left off last year when it comes to pressuring opposing quarterbacks, but the team’s cornerback play must improve.

The Packers were laughed off at the start of last season and a lot of haters thought the team would fall apart with Jordan Love at quarterback instead of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. Love did not set the world on fire at the start of the season, but he did improve steadily as the season progressed.