Bears remain favorites to win NFC North in 2019, say fans of all four division teams

To be the best, you have to beat the best. That’s the philosophy of the fans of NFC North teams this offseason, at least. In a recent SB Nation FanPulse survey, fans of the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, and Detroit Lions were all asked who they view as the favorites in the division for the 2019 season. Not surprisingly, each team’s fans picked the Bears as the top team after winning the division last fall.

Also not surprisingly, readers of each team’s blog picked their own favorite team as the second-place squad, which had the effect of depressing the totals for each of the non-Chicago teams when all the results across all four fan bases were totaled:

The Packers did earn a few votes from fans of other teams, but they were in the single digits in all other cases. Vikings fans had the Bears ahead of their own team by just one percentage point at 49-48, while Lions fans were more spread out in their assessment, going Bears 41%, Lions 37%, Vikings 14%, and Packers 8%.

As for how Packers fans alone voted, it’s almost an even split. Acme Packing Company readers who participated in the survey also have the Bears as the favorite in the division, but by just a two-percent margin over the Packers at 51% to 49%. Neither the Vikings nor Lions earned any votes from APC readers.

Green Bay’s fans have reason for excitement; after all, the hiring of Matt LaFleur and the team’s big free agent signings in March have pre-draft optimism at a fever pitch. Of course, Packers and Bears fans will not need to wait long to see how their two squads stack up against one another, as the two teams will play in the NFL’s week one opening game on Thursday Night Football.