The Heating Up Podcast
NFC PREDICTIONS ARE IN! Bears Breakout? Packers Collapse? Seahawks Repeat?
The NFL season preview rolls on, and this week Heating Up is heading to the NFC. We’re breaking down the NFC North, South and West — three divisions that couldn’t look more different heading into 2026. Can Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson turn the Bears’ breakout into something even bigger? Are the Lions ready to bounce back? Can Kevin O’Connell work his quarterback magic again? And are we officially selling our Packers stock? Then we head South, where somebody technically has to win the division, before finishing with an absolutely loaded NFC West featuring the Seahawks, Rams and 49ers battling at the top while Arizona begins another reset. Along the way, we get into preseason injuries, quarterback reclamation projects, breakout candidates, fantasy names, coaching hot seats, division futures and plenty of predictions that may look brilliant — or completely idiotic — by December. Then Heat Check closes the show with Sarah backing Dallas to win the NFC East, Sasha celebrating the return of the Premier League with a Tottenham bet, and Mike putting his money behind Scottie Scheffler. The NFL is almost here. Lock in, and here we go. That framing comes directly from the episode: Chicago enters as defending North champ while Detroit is viewed as a bounce-back candidate, and the West starts from Seattle at 14–3, the Rams and 49ers at 12–5, and Arizona at 3–14. KEY TOPICS / TAKEAWAYS The NFC North may not stay four-deep. Chicago won it at 11–6 last season while all four teams finished above .500, but Mike especially thinks at least one of Green Bay or Minnesota could fall substantially. Detroit is the bounce-back case. Despite finishing last, the Lions scored 481 points and posted a +68 differential, leading to plenty of Gibbs/offensive optimism. The Bears hype gets taken seriously. Caleb Williams’ late-game ability, another year with Ben Johnson and Chicago’s investment up front make them a legitimate repeat contender. Green Bay gets the smoke. Jordan Love skepticism, roster questions and coaching doubts make the Packers one of the episode’s biggest potential disappointments. The NFC South is the “tune-out division.” The hosts have major quarterback questions throughout a division that didn’t produce a winning team last season. The NFC West is the heavyweight division. Seattle’s coming off 14 wins, with the Rams and 49ers both coming off 12, while Arizona is undergoing a major reset. Seattle’s futures price jumps out. The Seahawks at +215 to win the West gets called out as particularly attractive compared with the Rams at -105.
