The NFC North, in my opinion, is the most wide-open divisional race in the league. Outside of the lowly Minnesota Vikings, the other three teams all have potential for big years. Here are my thoughts on the NFC North squads for the year.
Chicago Bears: My beloved Chicago Bears are coming off a season where they started strong and finished rough and injury-plagued. This year the Bears are retooled and for the most part healthy and could be primed for a huge year. The offseason brought in the huge additions of star wideout Brandon Marshall via a trade with the Dolphins and running back Michael Bush in free agency. Marshall gives the Bears the top wide receiver they have lacked for quite some time and his playing history with Jay Cutler (the two played together in Denver before Cutler was traded to the Bears) could make them an elite quarterback/wide receiver pairing. Bush gives them a viable second running back threat that should take some of the workload off of Matt Forte. Their defense is aging, but they are still damn good and should be a top 5 defense yet again. Of course they also Devin Hester returning kicks and punts who has the potential to be a game-changer every time he touches the ball. I am really high on the Bears chances this year. This is a team that was on the fast track to make the playoffs before the injury bug got them last year and this team has improved substantially going into this season. The playoffs should be attainable this year and hell if they really excel they could be an NFC championship contender.
Detroit Lions: The Lions had a breakout year last year showing how dangerous they can be if Matthew Stafford is healthy. I expect a similarly successful campaign this year if Stafford can stay healthy. Stafford is a top 10 quarterback and he will continue to improve after his first injury-free year in the NFL last year. Of course, Stafford wouldn't have been successful if he didn't have such a great receiving corps anchored by Calvin "Megatron" Johnson. I'm expecting a breakout year from Titus Young after Johnson was given the kiss of death appearing on the cover of Madden 13 (Sorry to sound like a superstitious moron, but the Madden Curse is pretty much always true.) The Lions also have a vastly underrated defense that should continue to improve after having another year playing together. The Lions lone problem is having the lack of a strong running game. That is really the only thing that is keeping from top contenders in the NFC. The Lions are a great team that is just shy of being contenders.
Green Bay Packers: The Packers followed up their Super Bowl campaign with a dominant 15-1 season that ended abruptly after the eventual Super Bowl Champion Giants knocked them out in the divisional round of the playoffs. I expect more of the same from the Packers this year. Their passing offense is in contention for being the most deadly in the entire league. The amount of weapons they have is staggering. Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson, Jemichael Finley, James Jones, Randall Cobb, Tom Crabtree, and Donald Driver along with Aaron Rodgers electric play at quarterback make for an unstoppable passing attack. The Packers even fixed their running back problem by signing veteran Cedric Benson at the start of training camp. Benson has had three straight thousand yard rushing seasons and should give the Packers their first legitmate rushing threat in a long time as well as provide them with a more balanced attack to make their passing attack even more effective. Once again the Packers crutch is their terrible defense. They were only ahead of the Patriots last season in overall defense and I expect more of the same this season. Once again though, just like the Patriots, their passing game is so scary that should guide them to another playoff berth without much of a struggle.
Minnesota Vikings:The Vikings have really fallen apart in the past couple years and the decline should continue this year. The NFC North is stronger than ever and the Vikings have not been in a worse position in recent memory. Star running back Adrian Peterson is coming off a torn ACL that should sideline him for the first few weeks of the season as he continues to rehab and will more than likely bring his production down substantially this year. Peterson's absence will put an additional burden on unproven starting quarterback Christian Ponder. Ponder was awful in his rookie season last year and it looks like he is another for another long year with a banged-up Peterson, a subpar backup running back in Toby Gerhart, and only one healthy offensive weapon in Percy Harvin. The defensive side of the ball is definitely brighter. Jared Allen is still an elite pass rusher and Kevin Williams is an expert run stuffer. Veterans Antoine Winfield, Chad Greenway, and Erin Henderson should make solid contributions as well. The only problem is the defense is going to be incredibly fatigued due to their awful offense. The Vikings will definitely be at the bottom of the heap not only in the NFC North, but the entire NFL.
My predictions for the NFC North standings
1.Green Bay Packers (14-2
2.Chicago Bears (11-5)
3.Detroit Lions (10-6)
4.Minnesota Vikings (3-13)
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