The NFC North is clearly one of the weakest divisions in the NFL. Sure, the Vikings are great and have only improved over the off-season, but take a look at the rest of this sorry division! The Packers are constantly one shoulder injury away from mediocrity. The Lions can never seem to figure it out for more than a few games at a time. And the Bears are consistently sabotaging themselves, setting up their wide-eyed, inexperienced quarterback for certain failure. So, who will win this horrible division?
Minnesota Vikings (Last Season: 13-3)
2018 Prediction: 12-4
The Vikings are very good. Last season they
were very good. This off-season,they got better. In 2017, an early season injury to
Bradford seemed to foreshadow doom for the Vikings. However, instead of
wallowing in their misery, Minnesota established themselves as a defensive
juggernaut, resulting in 13 wins. Even with perennial backup Case Keenum
throwing the ball, Minnesota found themselves dominating games.
Generally, after winning 13 games in a season,
not many changes need to be made. However, Minnesota, recognizing where they
were weak, replaced Keenum with the top player on the free agency market, Kirk
Cousins. Cousins steps into both an excellent and nightmarish situation. The
obvious positive is that few quarterbacks join a team with so much established
talent. Once Cousins masters the offense, he should be able to use his
abilities to maximize offensive productivity. With the confidence of an
incredibly talented defense working on his side, Cousins won’t have to force
anything on offense. The Vikings are so good that even a game manager would be
enough for them to succeed; however, to fully reach their potential,
Cousins must go beyond that.
As for the negatives of this seemingly idyllic
situation… the pressure could not be greater for Cousins. Expectations are
incredibly high. And to make matters worse, three of Minnesota’s first five
games are on the road against the Packers, Rams, and Eagles. Even at their
best, Minnesota could very easily drop all three of those. If the Vikings begin
to doubt whether or not moving on from Keenum was a good idea, things in
Minnesota could unravel quickly. As long as the Vikings remain focused on their long
term goal of a Super Bowl Championship, this team should do just fine.
Green Bay Packers (Last Season: 7-9)
2018 Prediction: 10-6
For the first time in a long time, the Packers
are not the favorites to win the NFC North. While expectations are still high
for Green Bay, their intra-divisional adversary in Minnesota may be the best
team in the NFL. Still, when you have one of the best players in the game
playing quarterback for your team, the expectation is that you will win your
division. So, once again, assuming Rodgers is healthy, that will be the
expectations for this Packers team.
Over the eight seasons where Rodgers was
healthy, only once have the Rodgers-led Packers not won at least 10 games. The
only time they failed to do so was during Rodgers’ first year as a starter in
2008. While a stat like that is sure to stir up some confidence in Packer fans, there is
also plenty to be concerned about with regards to this team. Even though their
quarterback is one of the best in the league, he is a decent bit past his
prime. The defense is one of the softer units in the league, as they finished
26th in scoring last season. And their wide receivers and running backs
form one of the weakest groups in the league, especially after seeing the
departure of one of the franchise’s most reliable wide receiver targets in history, Jordy Nelson. That being said, a healthy Rodgers has the ability to elevate even the most limited teams, so I expect them to challenge Minnesota for the division up until the last couple weeks of the season.
Detroit Lions (Last Season: 9-7)
2018 Prediction: 6-10
I can never figure this team out. Sometimes the
defense is good. Sometimes it is atrocious. Sometimes Stafford seems competent.
Sometimes he is utter garbage. Sometimes there is a running game. Most of the
times there is not. Two things are constant though. This team wants to throw
the ball a lot, and Jim Bob Cooter is the most ridiculous coach’s name in the
league. That being said, you have got to hand it to Cooter, he sure knows how to lead a
good passing game.
While I don’t think that poorly of Detroit, I am
low on them for the simple fact that the two teams at the top of this division
are just so much better. Beyond the 2018 season, I believe that the outlook for the Lions
is positive. They have focused on improving the running game and offensive line
over the past couple of years, and I expect that to pay dividends soon. With that in mind, if the Lions want to make serious strides towards battling for a
playoff spot, they will need to address their defensive weaknesses. Ansah and
Slay are both great; however, as they begin to move past their prime, Detroit
will have to find a way to add talent to their already thin defense. The Lions are not
far away from being good, I just don’t see them making the jump this season.
Chicago Bears (Last Season: 5-11)
2018 Prediction: 6-10
Mitchell Trubisky is trash. In 12 games last
season, Trubisky threw 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. In such a pass-heavy NFL, those numbers are atrocious. Delusional Chicago
fans will laud how well he protected the ball, but don’t be fooled. This guy is
a conservative passer on a nothing offense. Also, thanks to an idiotic 2016
offseason, the Bears have two quarterbacks being paid starter salaries. Of
course, one of those players, Mike Glennon, is not actually on the roster anymore.
Allen Robinson will hope to make Trubisky’s
transition to the NFL a bit smoother. However, I see this as a tall ask,
considering he is the only decent receiver on the roster, which will probably allow defenses
to focus most of their attention on him on every pass play. On the ground, Jordan Howard is a beast, but he
can only do so much on his own. On the defensive side of the ball, this team is
very strong, with lots of young talent on both the defensive line and in the secondary. If the Bears actually begin to improve in the future, it will be through their defense. However, with such limited talent on offense, I don't expect that to happen anytime soon.
On a side not, I heard that the Bears defensive
line saw some small improvements this offseason. That should probably be helpful.
So, as you can see, the NFC North is horrible. I
wonder if the NFC South is any good…
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