NFL betting: Odds say Packers are now worst team in NFC North, by a healthy margin

The Detroit Lions have had a nice offseason, continuing their momentum from late last season. They're the betting favorites in the NFC North.

That's a surprise, considering the Lions haven't won a division title since 1993. But it's not as surprising as the rest of the odds in the division.

The Green Bay Packers have the worst odds to win the NFC North at BetMGM. Since 1988, the Packers have finished in last place of their division just one time.

Aaron Rodgers is likely gone, but it's still shocking to see the Packers behind the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings. And it's not particularly close.

Lions favored to win NFC North

Here are BetMGM's odds to win the NFC North:

Lions +135

Vikings +300

Bears +300

Packers +450

The gap between +300 and +450 is significant. The Packers are well behind everyone else in the odds.

The real question with those odds is why the Bears are getting so much respect. The trade with the Carolina Panthers that landed receiver D.J. Moore and extra picks was very good, and they have added in free agency, but Chicago was the worst team in the NFL last season and there are still significant roster questions.

The Packers have questions too, but not as many as the odds indicate. We'll get to the quarterback situation in a moment. But the rest of the roster isn't bad. There have been some losses in free agency like receiver Allen Lazard, defensive lineman Jarran Reed and tight end Robert Tonyan, but are those players irreplaceable? Probably not.

The Packers are a team that can run the ball, saw growth from young receivers as the season went on and the defense has a lot of growth potential after a disappointing year. There is a lot of talent on that side of the ball.

The pieces around the quarterback are fine. Better than the Bears. The Vikings are in for some regression after a fortunate season in one-score games. The Lions look good but they still have to shake the stigma of being the Lions. Practically speaking, if Jordan Love is good, Packers +450 to win the division could be a steal.

Packers move on with Jordan Love

The Packers and New York Jets haven't made that Rodgers trade yet, but it's hard to imagine Rodgers is back as the Packers' quarterback after the rhetoric of the past few weeks.

Part of the reason the Packers are ready to move on is they want to give Love a shot. He is a former first-round pick. And the message out of Green Bay has been consistent: There's a lot of confidence in Love taking over.

"The way he walks around the building, his approach, his urgency, his fundamentals, everything that goes into being a quarterback, I think we’ve seen significant growth from him," LaFleur said after the season, via the Wisconsin State Journal.

Rodgers agrees with that.

“Jordan’s going to be a great player,” Rodgers said on "The Pat McAfee Show," via AP. “He’s a ... great kid. He had a really good year this year, getting better on the look team. He’s got a bright future in front of him.”

We don't know what Love is as a quarterback, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. He could struggle, but what if he's a reasonable starter for Green Bay? If you have average or better quarterback play and the defense is what people thought it would be heading into last season, the Packers can be a playoff team. If the Lions from the first half of last season show up, the Vikings' luck turns the other way and the Bears are only a little better than they were last season, there's no reason Green Bay can't be a contender in the NFC North.

The Packers are no sure thing. But it's hard to believe they're the worst team in the NFC North.