2014 NFL futures betting: Breaking down the NFC North

Winning the NFC North was a war of attrition a year ago, with the division race going right down to the final day of the regular season, and the Green Bay Packers taking the title home despite bringing only seven wins into Week 17.

The Packers' ability to fight back and claim the division a year ago really struck a chord with oddsmakers, as seen in the odds comparison below.

Odds courtesy BetOnline, Bovada, Sports Interaction.

Green Bay Packers

The Packers could be in for a special kind of season offensively. A motivated Aaron Rodgers is back at the helm and will have plenty of weapons at his disposal.

Eddie Lacy looks to be a perfect fit as the kind of bruising back Mike McCarthy can rely on, while also contributing in the passing game. Randall Cobb returns to join Jordy Nelson as a solid 1-2 duo at wide receiver, with Jarrett Boykin and Davante Adams behind them pushing one another.

Defensive coordinator Dom Capers needs to figure out a way to get the defense to catch up with the offense. There's a fair bit of talent on that side of the ball, with Julius Peppers and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix joining the fold. They'll still struggle at times against both the run and the pass, but this defense's success will be determined by its ability to get to the quarterback and force turnovers.

Chicago Bears

The Bears return 11 starters to an offense that ranked second in the league in points scored a year ago after getting the kick in the pants it needed from Marc Trestman.

A full year of Jay Cutler would be a solid boost to the team, and, frankly, a big surprise. He has arguably the top receiving duo at his disposal in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, and Matt Forte is one of the best at catching the ball out of the backfield.

While the Bears enjoyed an offensive renaissance in 2013, the team's defense was uncharacteristically poor. General manager Phil Emery did what he could to fix that in the offseason, bringing in Jared Allen, Lamarr Houston, and a slew of additional defensive talent through the draft.

Detroit Lions

The Lions' offensive roster is littered with 20-something skill players that are an offensive coordinator's dream. Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson are already one of the most prolific quarterback-wide receiver tandems in league history, but general manager Martin Mayhew added Golden Tate and Eric Ebron to bump up Stafford's ceiling even further. 

The offense sheds defensive-minded Jim Schwartz in favor of Jim Caldwell and Joe Lombardi, which raises questions on the other side of the ball. The Lions do a good job of stopping the run, and their interior linemen can get to the quarterback, but that's where the positives end.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings are expected to open the season with Matt Cassel as their starting quarterback as they waste another year of Adrian Peterson's career. Cordarrelle Patterson looks like he could be something, and there are high hopes for Kyle Rudolph, but it's hard to imagine this unit being especially productive beyond All Day.

On defense, new head coach Mike Zimmer has been known to get the most out of his defensive players, and he'll certainly need to stretch the talent afforded to him in Minnesota. The unit should be able to get to the quarterback with fair regularity, but that's all that can be expected.

Where to put your money

What the Packers accomplished last year was very impressive, but the idea that they are the runaway favorites to repeat as NFC North champions is just plain silly (their status as a public team plays into their unfriendly price). In a divisional race that looks like it will come down to a toss-up again this year, being able to get behind the Bears at +300 on BetOnline is too good to pass up.

More 2014 NFL futures betting articles:

AFC East | AFC North
AFC South | AFC West

NFC East | NFC North
NFC South | NFC West

Super Bowl odds | Yardage leaders odds
MVP odds | Win total odds
Super Bowl odds II