The race for the NFC North crown is shaping up to be one of the NFL's most intriguing division battles down the stretch of the 2025 regular season. As usual, the quarterback play of each of the division's four teams is going a long way towards determining the fate of each franchise.
Three of the four teams inside the division still have a realistic chance of winning the NFC North heading into Week 13. The Bears led by precocious signal caller Caleb Williams currently occupy the top spot with a record of 8-3. The Packers and Jordan Love lurk just behind them with a mark of 7-3-1 while the Lions sit in third at 7-4. Only the Vikings should truly be considered out of the hunt with just four wins on the campaign.
The division standings might not line up perfectly with the team standings, but they aren't far off. Williams, Love and Jared Goff have all enjoyed excellent seasons, while J.J. McCarthy has struggled in his first season on the field. There's still time for these rankings to change before the playoffs arrive, but here's how the NFC North quarterback race looks at the moment.
4. J.J. McCarthy has taken his rookie lumps
The Vikings hoped that J.J. McCarthy could give them most of what Sam Darnold did during his tenure, but it hasn't worked out that way for Minnesota. Injuries have limited the former first round pick to just six games and he's struggled in those appearances.
Throwing 10 interceptions against just six touchdown passes is the most troubling part of McCarthy's season. He just hasn't shown an ability to produce big plays for a Vikings offense that has plenty of weapons at wide receiver. He'll need to improve his explosive play quotient moving forward if he wants to get Minnesota back to the top of the NFC North standings next season.
It's too early for Vikings fans to panic about McCarthy's long-term status as the team's quarterback, but 2026 is already shaping up to be a big year for him. If he struggles during his second season under center there could be a change of guard coming at the top of Minnesota's offense.
3. Caleb Williams' accuracy is still holding him back
Caleb Williams deserves credit for taking a big step forward under head coach Ben Johnson this season. There were real questions about his qualifications to lead the Bears moving forward when last season ended. He's now clearly their signal-caller of the present and future.
Unlike McCarthy, Williams has demonstrated big play ability this year for Chicago. His issues as a quarterback lie with his inconsistency in the pocket. It's nearly impossible to be a top-tier quarterback in the modern NFL when completing just a shade under 60% of your passes.
Another plus for Williams this year is that he's only thrown four interceptions through his first 11 games. If he continues to protect the football and sprinkles in a few more scrambles down the stretch it could be enough to earn the Bears a surprising division crown.
2. Jordan Love is coming on
Packers fans were down on Love after an ugly performance against the Eagles a few weeks ago but he's started to build some meaningful momentum after that loss. Piloting his team to two comfortable wins against the Giants and Vikings has Green Bay and their franchise quarterback back on track.
Interestingly, Love has not been the same sort of gunslinger he was earlier in his career during his 2025 campaign. That's allowed him to throw 15 touchdown passes against just three interceptions on the year. That kind of efficiency is a big reason why Green Bay is just half a game outside the division lead.
The question for Love and the Packers offense is whether or not they can dial up their explosiveness during the stretch run. Efficiency is great in the regular season, but Green Bay might need their quarterback to win them a game in the playoffs. That will require Love to push the ball further down the field than he has to date.
1. Jared Goff tops his peers by a hair
Ranking Goff over Love for the No. 1 spot was a perilously close call. The Lions star gets the nod because he's completing just under 70% of his passes and leads the division with 23 touchdown throws in 11 games.
There isn't much new to Goff's game this year but that is not a criticism. He pilots the Detroit offense with deadly efficiency. He takes the throws that are their and avoids silly turnovers. He's the very best sort of game manager for head coach Dan Campbell.
The criticisms of Goff's game also remain the same. He excels when he's given a comfortable offensive ecosystem but his ability to make off-platform plays is limited. That weakness tends to show up in big games where the Lions need their quarterback to elevate the players around him.
Goff has the No. 1 spot this week but one superior game from Love could drop him to the No. 2 spot at any moment. The quarterback race in the NFC North is just as tight as the team race inside one of the league's toughest divisions.