NFC North Predictions
June 19, 2008
After winning five of their final seven games with a veteran roster in 2007, the Vikings put their rebuilding process into turbo drive and emerged form the offseason with a team they feel can compete for a Super Bowl title. With the best run defenses in the NFL and one of the best running games in the league, Minnesota will win the battle in the trenches all season which ultimately gives them a shot to do big things.
Pass defense was a problem last year, but the addition of Jared Allen at defensive end will give the Vikings the quarterback pressure they were missing last season. On offense, their passing game got a big boost with the signing of Bernard Berrian from Chicago. He will be hungry to prove that the Bears made a big mistake in letting him go. So as you can see, it looks as if the Vikings got better in almost every aspect of the game in the offseason. We’ll take the Vikings to win the NFC North division in 2008.
The loss of their team leader, Brett Favre, will ultimately be too much for the Packers to overcome in the early going. With 20 returning starters you have to like this team’s chances of overcoming Favre’s departure eventually. Packer fans have wondered for years what it would be like without No. 4 on the field, and now they get to see it. We just don’t think it’s going to be a pretty site to see early on.
On the bright side, Aaron Rodgers steps into an offense with multiple weapons. They found a running back with the emergence of Ryan Grant and an offensive line stout enough to keep Favre off his back. The Packers’ receiving corps is among one of the best in the league as well. A solid defense returns and is one with basically no glaring weaknesses. The Packers didn’t do enough in the offseason to compete with the Minnesota Vikings for this division though.
3.) Chicago Bears
The Bears resemble last year’s 7-9 team more than the 2006 Super Bowl squad because of major renovations being undertaken on the offense, where the quarterback, running back and receiver positions are weak and the offensive line must be rebuilt. Gone is their starting running back in Cedric Benson with multiple alcohol related arrests in the offseason. The Bears are still stuck with Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton to fight for the starting quarterback job. The Bears had the third-worst rushing attack last season, which is surprising considering this was supposed to be their strength.
Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs comprise one of the best linebacker tandems in the NFL, and the secondary has more than enough talent and depth to take a big step forward after last year’s injury-ravaged campaign. But an offense that is in shambles won’t be able to keep this defense off the field long enough to keep them fresh. Their biggest threat in Bernard Berrian is gone and the Bears’ best offensive weapon may be tight end Greg Olsen, who struggles in run-blocking. The Bears’ defense carries them to a 3rd place finish in the NFC North division to fall well short of a playoff berth.
4.) Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions will break out one of these years, it’s just that 2008 won’t be that year. No one is going to believe the Lions this season, even if they start 6-2. They started with that record last season, but won only 1 of their remaining 8 games to finish with a 7-9 mark. That’s a seventh consecutive losing season. You can chalk up No. 8 this season as well.
Getting rid of Mike Martz as offensive coordinator won’t turn out to be a very wise move. The strength of the Lions’ team is their passing game with standout wide receivers Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson on the outside. The Lions will try to get back their running game, but ultimately they will have to utilize these weapons on the outside more often than they planned if they are to be effective on offense this season. One of their best draft classes will help the Lions win in the future, just not in 2008. Detroit fans have to wait in the Motor City at least another year for the Lions to compete in the NFC North.