PFF’s All-Time Single-Season Teams: NFC North

Many current Lions are in their heyday: Jared Goff, Aidan Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs all hold a spot on Detroit's roster.

The 2018 Bears were a memorable team: Chicago lost in the wild-card round but featured an elite defense, with several members churning out position-best seasons.

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Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

In honor of PFF heading into its 20th season of grading and data collection, we’re taking a look back at the best single-season performances for each team according to PFF grading.

As such, we’ve built a series of starting offensive and defensive lineups for all 32 teams using the highest-graded seasons at every position. There are a few rules:

A player must have played at least 500 snaps in a given season
A player can only make one appearance per roster (e.g., Julio Jones can’t take up all three WR slots for Atlanta)
A player who was acquired midseason can still be slotted provided he fulfilled the required snap minimum for that team.

Without further ado, here are PFF’s all-time single-season lineups for the NFC North.

Chicago Bears

QB: Jay Cutler, 82.0 (2013)

RB: Matt Forte, 85.1 (2011)

WR: Alshon Jeffery, 92.0 (2015)

WR: Brandon Marshall, 91.6 (2013)

WR: DJ Moore, 89.3 (2023)

TE: Zach Miller, 86.3 (2015)

LT: Charles Leno Jr., 78.7 (2017)

LG: Matt Slauson, 84.8 (2013)

C: Cody Whitehair, 87.5 (2016)

RG: Teven Jenkins, 80.7 (2022)

RT: Darnell Wright, 79.3 (2024)

EDGE: Khalil Mack, 92.5 (2020)

EDGE: Julius Peppers, 86.8 (2010)

DI: Akiem Hicks, 91.7 (2018)

DI: Eddie Goldman, 87.9 (2018)

LB: Jerrell Freeman, 90.9 (2016)

LB: Brian Urlacher, 90.4 (2006)

CB: Charles Tillman, 92.2 (2012)

CB: Jaylon Johnson, 90.1 (2023)

S: Eddie Jackson, 93.2 (2018)

S: Adrian Amos, 90.9 (2017)

FLEX: Kyle Fuller, 81.4 (2018)

Chicago’s best era of offensive football since PFF’s inception came about when it possessed the dynamic receiving duo of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery. Marshall only spent three seasons in Chicago but recorded at least a 90.0 PFF receiving grade in 2012 and 2013. Meanwhile, Jeffery’s 92.0 PFF grade in 2015 stands as the highest on record by a qualified Bears wide receiver. Unfortunately, that campaign was cut short due to injury, so we didn’t get to see what type of elite production Jeffery could have recorded across 16 games.

The Bears have always had a solid defensive foundation, and that doesn’t change in this exercise. Franchise stalwarts Brian Urlacher and Charles Tillman appear in predictable fashion, but it’s the team’s 2018 lineup that leaves us wondering if they could have won a Super Bowl that season. Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Eddie Jackson and Kyle Fuller all had career-best seasons, while Khalil Mack and Adrian Amos also helped the Bears to a 12-win campaign.

Detroit Lions

QB: Jared Goff, 85.6 (2023)

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, 90.1 (2024)

WR: Calvin Johnson, 91.2 (2011)

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, 91.2 (2023)

WR: Roy Williams, 88.4 (2006)

TE: Dan Campbell, 79.2 (2006)

LT: Jeff Backus, 85.6 (2009)

LG: Edwin Mulitalo, 78.2 (2007)

C: Frank Ragnow, 88.8 (2023)

RG: Kevin Zeitler, 86.5 (2024)

RT: Penei Sewell, 92.8 (2023)

EDGE: Aidan Hutchinson, 91.0 (2023)

EDGE: Trey Flowers, 82.8 (2019)

DI: Shaun Rogers, 89.6 (2007)

DI: Alim McNeill, 86.8 (2023)

LB: Stephen Tulloch, 82.3 (2011)

LB: Jack Campbell, 78.7 (2024)

CB: Darius Slay, 80.6 (2017)

CB: Rashean Mathis, 79.4 (2014)

S: Kerby Joseph, 90.7 (2024)

S: Glover Quin, 90.6 (2017)

FLEX: Brian Branch, 83.7 (2024)

Detroit’s single-season team is littered with players who reside on their current roster. Their explosive offense has been a feature over the past three seasons with Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Kevin Zeitler and Penei Sewell all resetting franchise records for PFF grade at their respective positions.

The same can be said for the other side of the ball, where Aidan Hutchinson, Jack Campbell, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch have already left indelible marks on Detroit’s franchise. Hutchinson was well on his way to resetting his record again in 2024 before he suffered a season-ending leg injury. Detroit has the core of a Super Bowl contender in place; the Lions just need to stay healthy and withstand the loss of their two former coordinators.

Green Bay Packers

QB: Aaron Rodgers, 95.1 (2020)

RB: Josh Jacobs, 92.3 (2024)

WR: Davante Adams, 92.7 (2021)

WR: Jordy Nelson, 86.9 (2014)

WR: Randall Cobb, 84.6 (2014)

TE: Jermichael Finley, 81.9 (2009)

LT: David Bakhtiari, 91.8 (2020)

LG: Josh Sitton, 90.7 (2013)

C: Scott Wells, 86.5 (2008)

RG: T.J. Lang, 89.5 (2015)

RT: Zach Tom, 85.8 (2024)

EDGE: Rashan Gary. 89.8 (2021)

EDGE: Za’Darius Smith, 89.7 (2019)

DI: Mike Daniels, 90.2 (2015)

DI: Kenny Clark, 90.2 (2018)

LB: Desmond Bishop, 89.1 (2010)

LB: Edgerrin Cooper, 85.7 (2024)

CB: Charles Woodson, 91.7 (2009)

CB: Casey Hayward Jr., 91.5 (2012)

S: Adrian Amos, 89.9 (2020)

S: Nick Collins, 88.4 (2006)

FLEX: Jaire Alexander, 90.7 (2020)

Aaron Rodgers’ incredible 2020 season, when he won his third NFL MVP award, stands out because he reset the qualified quarterback record with a 95.1 overall PFF mark. Green Bay’s single-season team is loaded with many of Rodgers’ favorite targets, including Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. Rodgers’ blindside was also protected in 2020 by David Bakhtiari, who allowed just one sack that season and set a career-high with an 86.9 PFF run-blocking grade.

This iteration of the Packers’ defense is headlined by an outstanding group of cornerbacks. Hall of Famer Charles Woodson recorded a career-best 91.7 overall PFF grade in 2009. Underrated star Casey Hayward recorded a similarly excellent performance in his rookie season in 2012, when he earned a 91.5 overall PFF grade and picked off six passes. Also, the recently departed Jaire Alexander recorded an elite 90.7 overall PFF grade in 2020, the second straight year in which he broke up 14 passes.

Minnesota Vikings

QB: Brett Favre, 90.6 (2009)

RB: Adrian Peterson, 92.4 (2012)

WR: Justin Jefferson, 91.1 (2023)

WR: Sidney Rice, 89.6 (2009)

WR: Adam Thielen, 89.4 (2018)

TE: Jim Kelinsasser, 90.4 (2008)

LT: Christian Darrisaw, 90.4 (2022)

LG: Steve Hutchinson, 90.8 (2007)

C: John Sullivan, 86.5 (2013)

RG: Brandon Fusco, 84.1 (2013)

RT: Brian O’Neill, 82.7 (2022)

EDGE: Danielle Hunter, 89.0 (2019)

EDGE: Everson Griffen, 84.7 (2017)

DI: Linval Joseph, 91.0 (2015)

DI: Pat Williams, 90.0 (2006)

LB: Eric Kendricks, 90.1 (2019)

LB: Anthony Barr, 90.0 (2015)

CB: Antoine Winfield, 91.9 (2008)

CB: Terence Newman, 83.0 (2016)

S: Harrison Smith, 91.8 (2017)

S: Anthony Harris, 91.1 (2019)

FLEX: Darren Sharper, 82.6 (2006)

Minnesota’s offensive lineup is loaded with legendary names like Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Justin Jefferson and Steve Hutchinson. Favre nearly led the team to a Super Bowl in 2009 with a 90.9 PFF passing grade and a career-best 1.8% turnover-worthy play rate. Peterson nearly broke the NFL’s rushing record in his incredible 2012 campaign. Jefferson’s 2023 was his fourth straight season with at least a 90.0 overall PFF grade. Lastly, Hall of Fame guard Steve Hutchinson earned an incredible 90.8 PFF grade in 2007 while allowing just two sacks.

This iteration of the Vikings’ secondary would be extremely tough to beat with Antoine Winfield, Terence Newman and Harrison Smith leading the way. Newman’s performance in 2016 may be the most impressive among the group considering he earned a career-high 83.0 overall PFF grade at the age of 38. Perhaps playing alongside Smith was a big factor in that, though Smith didn’t earn his elite 91.8 PFF grade until the following year.