Ben Johnson's departure for Bears from champ Lions keeps NFC North rivalries roaring

None of the seven other divisions in the NFL's current alignment can stake claim to rivalries richer or stronger than in the NFC North, where the quartet representing four proud heartland states will have more than 370 combined seasons in the league after this year.

The Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions are three of the NFL's five oldest franchises. The relative newbie Minnesota Vikings entered in 1961, long before the Super Bowl existed or man landed on the moon.

The Bears and Packers were essentially the league's original archenemies. The Vikings have made a 21st century pattern of picking up former Packers, from Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre to current starting running back Aaron Jones. The long-languishing Lions have recently upped the intensity of their rivalries with all three foes, too, with consecutive division titles suddenly making them a circled game on the schedule.

Ben Johnson made the latest move to stir up big feelings within the NFC North.

The former Lions offensive coordinator, who designed and directed the playbook for the highest-scoring team in the NFL last season, crossed Lake Michigan in January to become coach of the Bears.

“I’ve always admired what this place could be," Johnson said at his introductory news conference, “because I’ve faced them twice a year over the last six years and I’ve really felt like it’s close to going over the hump.”

Buckle up, Ben.

For all the potential he has inherited on his new roster, this first-timer on the job will lead a squad that finished last in 2024 behind three teams that went a combined 30-11 during the regular season. The Lions, Vikings and Packers all lost their first playoff game, further stoking their fires to improve and prompting several targeted additions for all three clubs to address particular weaknesses.

While losing the intelligence and leadership of Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who became head coach of the New York Jets, from the staff that oversaw the Lions go 15-2 last season has been a hardship, coach Dan Campbell has said this is the best roster he's had in five years.

“There’s going to be nothing easy about it. But every year you do this and you just realize, ‘Hey man, just get in,'” Campbell said. “Win this division: That's always going to be the goal.”

Call this the reboot for J.J. McCarthy. With Sam Darnold ably stepping in as the Vikings went 14-3, the 10th-overall pick in the 2024 draft was limited to meetings and rehabilitation during his rookie year after a preseason knee injury. McCarthy has a bulked-up offensive line in front of him, a fierce defense behind him and a locker room full of admirers despite not having taken a snap in a regular-season game.

“The whole organization holds him to a high standard," said new center Ryan Kelly. "But it’s not nearly the standard he holds on himself."

The Packers were the best third-place team in the league last year at 11-6, bringing back a young core led by quarterback Jordan Love that has a clear path for continued ascension. They've got championship aspirations, too, particularly after acquiring two-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons from Dallas on Thursday.

“You’ve got to understand what’s in front of us," general manager Brian Gutekunst said earlier in training camp. "We’ve got a really good football team, the capability of being there, and you’ve got to take advantage of that.”

One of the attractions with the Bears that Johnson cited in describing his eagerness to take the job is the presence of 2024 first-overall draft pick Caleb Williams, whose rookie year was a rocky ride. The Bears had several fourth-quarter stumbles and lost seven times by six points or less. They also had a habit of sluggish starts to games that factored into a 5-12 finish, a pattern that was still apparent during the preseason.

“We’re on a mission right now to make sure that doesn’t become a constant recurring theme,” Johnson said.

The division rivalries will be reactivated right away. The Lions, who have won six of the last seven matchups with the Packers, open at Green Bay on Sept. 7. The following night, McCarthy makes his debut for the Vikings against the Bears in Chicago.

The Lions have seven nationally televised games, including at home against Green Bay on Thanksgiving and at Minnesota on Christmas. The Vikings get their last two games at home, finishing against the Packers. They also play back-to-back road games on a neutral field, the first team to play two international games in two different countries in consecutive weeks: against Pittsburgh in Dublin on Sept. 28 and against Cleveland in London on Oct. 5.

Defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia appears on every NFC North schedule, including at Green Bay on Monday night, Nov. 10. The Bears visit the Eagles in the Black Friday game on Amazon Prime Video.

Packers, Vikings, Lions, Bears

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Green Bay Packers' Jordan Love warms uyp before a preseason NFL football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Mike Roemer)

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) on the sidelines during the second half of a preseason NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/John Amis)

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell watches from the sideline during the first half of an NFL preseason football game against the Miami Dolphins Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson speaks during a news conference following a preseason NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.

Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.

The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.

In Friday's case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting.

Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.

Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.

Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when the independent counsel demanded a 10-year prison term in the case, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.

Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.

Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.

South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)