My preseason predictions:
1.Green Bay Packers (14-2)
2.Chicago Bears (11-5)
3.Detroit Lions (10-6)
4.Minnesota Vikings (3-13)
Actual Standings
1.Green Bay Packers (11-5)
2.Minnesota Vikings (10-6)
3.Chicago Bears (10-6)
4.Detroit Lions (4-12)
Chicago Bears: 2012 was a year of progress for my beloved Chicago Bears, but it ended unfortunately with them just missing the playoffs and the unjustified firing of head coach Lovie Smith. The Bears six losses this year were all to playoff teams (Packers x2, Seahawks, 49ers, Texans, Vikings) and only two those of were in blowout fashion and the 49ers game backup quarterback Jason Campbell started. It's not like Bears were getting dominated by bad teams, they only lost to the cream of the crop. Lovie Smith is a great guy and coach and did not even remotely deserved to be fired. On the field things were good in Chicago for the most part. Brandon Marshall gave the Bears their first legitimate number receiver and he had a great first year with the team. The chemistry that Marshall and Jay Cutler had in Denver five years ago is still very much alive with Marshall recording 118 receptions for 1,508 yards and 11 TD's this season. This is the quarterback/receiver tandem Chicago has been looking for years now and unless something drastic happens, the damage should continue. Of course, The Bears defense were heavy contributors as well. They had the most takeaways in the league and had a top 10 rush and pass defense. This defense may be old, but they can still play and change the complexion of a game by putting points up on the board. What the Bears need to work on is consistency on offense. They have the tools to win a title on defense, but not enough talent on offense. The biggest need for them is offensive line and a second wide receiver to help take some of the pressure off of Brandon Marshall. Jay Cutler is one of the few quarterbacks in the league that can win games with this poor of an offensive line, but they really need to get a line that can better protect him so he can be more effective throwing the ball and not have to run all over the place like a madman just to make a play. The receiver depth issue is also huge. Earl Bennett is serviceable, but not as a number two wideout. The Devin Hester receiver experiment was a nice idea, but he doesn't really make too many plays. Alshon Jeffery missed a lot of time with injury and made a few plays in his rookie year, but he made a lot of boneheaded decisions with route-running and had a plethora of offensive pass interference problems. Somebody needs to step up from this group and help take some of the reciveing load off of Brandon Marshall. Matt Forte also needs to remain healthy and they need to get more involved with the offense next season. Forte is a weapon and his downplayed involvement this year hurt them a bit as an offensive unit. The Bears are a good, but not great football team that needs to work on offensive consistency before reaching the next level.
Detroit Lions: The Lions followed up their first playoff season in an entirety returning to a place they know all too well: The basement of the NFL. The Lions 4-12 season is puzzling to say the least. Statistically, they were only in the bottom half of the NFL in rushing yards (23rd in the league). Hell, they were even 2nd in the league in passing yards and in the middle of the pack in both passing and rushing defense. There wasn't very many times this year where this team looked absolutely awful (Only 3 of their 12 losses were by 10 points or more) and with the amount of close games they lost, this might me the best 4-12 team in NFL history. Of course, they could be playing better football and making less mistakes, but luck was a big factor in the Lions failed season. It just came out that they had the hardest adjusted strength of schedule in the league this season. They were playing elite opponents and they just couldn't quite stack up. They proved a year ago they have the talent to make the playoffs and with the young talent on this team, I can all but guarantee they will make it back there at some point. It wasn't all doom and gloom for the Lions this season though. Calvin Johnson broke the all-time single-season receiving record with a mind-boggling 1,964 yards. With Johnson's continued excellence and now this record under his belt, we could be looking at a contender for the best wide receiver to ever play the game. The Lions gave the ball away lot and had a lot of unlucky breaks this season, but I fully believe they will recover and return to the playoffs in the near future.
Green Bay Packers: Another year, another playoff bid for the Packers. Their NFC North dominance was once again driven by the play of quarterback Aaron Rodgers and their seemingly endless amount of talented wide receivers. With normal starting wideouts Greg Jennings and Jordy Nelson missing a good amount of time with injury this season, James Jones and Randall Cobb shined. Jones and Cobb stepped in as starters gracefully and both went onto have breakout seasons leading the team in receiving. Most teams would be screwed if their starting receivers missed significant time, but the Packers ridiculous amount of depth and talent show that they undoubtedly have the best receiving corps in the league. The defense was solid all season as well even with Clay Matthews missing a portion of the season and Charles Woodson missing most of the year. As for flaws, they still can't run the ball. Cedric Benson went down early in the year and the Packers have no other quality running backs on the roster. The Packers really need to look for an answer at running back because they haven't had a legitimate running back for years now. The Packers were once again great behind the play of Aaron Rodgers, their receivers, and a scary pass rush anchored by Clay Matthews.
Minnesota Vikings: Is there really anything to say about the 2012 Vikings besides Adrian Peterson? Peterson miraculously returned from a torn ACL to have the best year of his career and came just 7 yards shy of Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record. Peterson carried the team on his back all season and destroyed just about every defense that came in his path. He is the sole reason this team won games and made it to the playoffs. If there was any question about who was the best running back in the league was, Peterson answered it this season. This is a a truly remarkable comeback and he should be a shoo-in for MVP. Outside of Peterson and an excellent season for rookie kicker Blair Walsh (who broke the record for most 50+ yard field goals in a single season), there was really no highlights for the Vikings. This is a team that can not pass the ball and has a decent defense with a few standpoint players (Jared Allen, Chad Greenway, Erin Henderson) that is solid against the run and pretty weak against the pass. Peterson is this football team and without him, they would be one of the worst in the league.
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