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It’s finally here. The final installment of our division predictions, the NFC North. That means, we’re only days away from the regular season. I could talk all day about how excited I am to watch the Packers and Bears kick off the new campaign, but for now, let’s focus on breaking down the Packers and the rest of the NFC North.
1.Packers
There are high expectations surrounding the defending NFC North champs. It has almost become expected that the Packers win the division as they have done it 5 seasons in a row now. The preseason loss of Jordy Nelson due to a torn ACL, and the questionable durability of Randall Cobb, have scared Packer fans this preseason. But the Packers have a very deep offensive roster, and a group of receivers that, even without Nelson, most teams would love to have. Look for the Pack to lead the NFC with a powerhouse offense behind a balanced runing game and a potent aerial assault. The Packers defense looks young and has been a bit shaky this preseason (the Eagles game) but there’s reason to believe that, with all their young and explosive talent, the defense could improve by a lot.
2.Vikings
The future looks bright for the Vikings, who the potential to pose a serious threat to the defending divisional champion Green Bay Packers this season. The return of All Pro running back Adrian Peterson is sure to be the highlight of the conversation, and his ability to pick up where he left off having only played in one game last season will determine just how far the Vikings go this year. The solid, young, second year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looks to the start of a new era for the Vikings franchise. Adding a new offensive weapon in Mike Wallace, Bridgewater will look to throw the ball deep more often. Their defense is solid, but young and will need to develop a bit. Expect some growing pains, but overall improvement from the Vikings this year.
3.Lions
The Lions have made some dramatic changes. The release of Ndamokung Suh is impossible to ignore, Suh’s impact on the defensive line one made it one of the most feared units in the league. They were able to acquire Haloti Ngata in a trade with the Ravens. That should help to shore up the defensive line, but Ngata is not what he used to be. The defensive line has been the Lions strength for years, but given their free agecny losses, expect them to struggle with run stopping and pass rush. With Reggie Bush gone, running duties are on Joique Bell and rookie Ameer Abdullah. The Calvin Johnson – Matt Stafford connection will be the focal point of this offense yet again, so expect a lot of flash, but little substance this year.
4.Bears
The Bears are hurting. The rotating cast of coaches over the past several years has been this franchise’s greatest challenge. The ability to develop a culture of winning is diminished significantly when leadership is not focused and committed. To add to Chicago’s woes, their 1st round draft pick Kevin White suffered a season-ending injury less than than a month into training camp. 33 year-old defensive end Jared Allen is being asked to change positions to accommodate the team’s switch to a 3-4 defense. Given his low production last year, the team should be concerned with how much he’s able to contribute. All these problems and we haven’t even gotten to Jay Cutler yet. It’s going to be a long year for the Chicago Bears, who may just end up with the #1 pick in next year’s draft.
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1.Packers
There are high expectations surrounding the defending NFC North champs. It has almost become expected that the Packers win the division as they have done it 5 seasons in a row now. The preseason loss of Jordy Nelson due to a torn ACL, and the questionable durability of Randall Cobb, have scared Packer fans this preseason. But the Packers have a very deep offensive roster, and a group of receivers that, even without Nelson, most teams would love to have. Look for the Pack to lead the NFC with a powerhouse offense behind a balanced runing game and a potent aerial assault. The Packers defense looks young and has been a bit shaky this preseason (the Eagles game) but there’s reason to believe that, with all their young and explosive talent, the defense could improve by a lot.
2.Vikings
The future looks bright for the Vikings, who the potential to pose a serious threat to the defending divisional champion Green Bay Packers this season. The return of All Pro running back Adrian Peterson is sure to be the highlight of the conversation, and his ability to pick up where he left off having only played in one game last season will determine just how far the Vikings go this year. The solid, young, second year quarterback Teddy Bridgewater looks to the start of a new era for the Vikings franchise. Adding a new offensive weapon in Mike Wallace, Bridgewater will look to throw the ball deep more often. Their defense is solid, but young and will need to develop a bit. Expect some growing pains, but overall improvement from the Vikings this year.
3.Lions
The Lions have made some dramatic changes. The release of Ndamokung Suh is impossible to ignore, Suh’s impact on the defensive line one made it one of the most feared units in the league. They were able to acquire Haloti Ngata in a trade with the Ravens. That should help to shore up the defensive line, but Ngata is not what he used to be. The defensive line has been the Lions strength for years, but given their free agecny losses, expect them to struggle with run stopping and pass rush. With Reggie Bush gone, running duties are on Joique Bell and rookie Ameer Abdullah. The Calvin Johnson – Matt Stafford connection will be the focal point of this offense yet again, so expect a lot of flash, but little substance this year.
4.Bears
The Bears are hurting. The rotating cast of coaches over the past several years has been this franchise’s greatest challenge. The ability to develop a culture of winning is diminished significantly when leadership is not focused and committed. To add to Chicago’s woes, their 1st round draft pick Kevin White suffered a season-ending injury less than than a month into training camp. 33 year-old defensive end Jared Allen is being asked to change positions to accommodate the team’s switch to a 3-4 defense. Given his low production last year, the team should be concerned with how much he’s able to contribute. All these problems and we haven’t even gotten to Jay Cutler yet. It’s going to be a long year for the Chicago Bears, who may just end up with the #1 pick in next year’s draft.
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