LogFAQs > #968616713

NFC North

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Chicago Bears
3. Detroit Lions
4. Green Bay Packers

The Vikings became the second consecutive Super Bowl winner to fail the make the playoffs the following season. It's not hard to figure out why. QB Josh Portis, while still a highly effective scrambling, had his worst passing performance of his career, and with the losses of two Hall of Fame members of the secondary, the pass defense slipped mightily. In an attempt to solve their woes, the Vikings traded Portis and signed Jimmy Garoppolo to replace him, signed a touchdown magnet in WR Brandon Marshall, and they drafted a CB in the first round. They will be without OLB Von Miller for the year, but he's the third-best LB on that team, so I don't think it will be too big of a loss. The schedule looks to be pretty easy with three of the more difficult games being played at home (Steelers, Rams, Wildcats). With the rest of the division having iffy offseasons or a devastating preseason, the Vikings look to be heavy favorites in the NFC North.

The Bears used a fantastic turnover differential to mask a bad defense and average offense to lift them to their first playoff appearance. With retirements, trades, and cuts, the team is definitely worse on paper this season. By winning the division last season, they get a rather difficult first place schedule and play most of the tougher teams on the road. Let's be honest, they could easily crash back down to earth, but with enough star players like SS Derek Linde, DE Everson Griffen, and QB Teddy Bridewater, they might have enough to remain a playoff contender.

The Lions sneaked their way into the playoffs last season and even won their opening game, but this offense is rough. QB Jared Goff is whatever, HB Alex Collins is not efficient, and the OL is nothing to write home about. WR Torrey Smith is basically the only true bright spot among skill position players. This could be manageable if the defense was great, but it slipped last season all the way into the mid-20s. They got in with their turnover differential too. There is some reason for improvement with the return of MLB Jerry Mayes, some development elsewhere, and that OLB Willie Williams and FS Tyvon Branch returned for another season instead of retiring. The Lions have one of the lowest floors in the league due to the offense, but they've shown plenty in recent seasons that they can overachieve. I'm just not willing to bet on it.

I'm only putting the Packers here for the time being because of the awful injury situation from the preseason and no official moves have been made (I do have reports that it might be "Tebow Time"). Right now though, I simply see the team having QB Geno Smith, HB Chris Johnson, and two long-time backups along the DL starting for this team for either the entire season or a good chunk of it. Maybe the defense will still be fine, but this offense is completely built around QB Tyrod Taylor. Without him, or another true scrambling QB, it's hard not to imagine this offense finishing near the bottom of the league. They might be underdogs against every non-divisional opponent this season. It might be a very rough season if they don't make the right moves (they have over $17 mil in cap space!) and adjust their strategy accordingly.