Pigskin Doctors NFC North Preview

What do you get when you take two charter franchises and put them in the same division with two other Midwest teams with rich football histories? You get the NFC North. This division has gone through long periods of domination. In the 80’s it was the Bears. The 90’s was the Packers. And this decade it’s been a two horse race between the Packers and the Vikings. Will this season be any different? Let’s take a look at what we know and what we need to know.

1. Minnesota Vikings- Last Season 12-4 (Lost in NFC Championship to New Orleans Saints)

What We Know: They had one of the best offenses in football highlighted by Adrian Peterson as their running back and an ancient Brett Favre as their quarterback. They had a maddening pass rush. Their offensive line got man handled but a confusing Saints defense which pummeled Favre. They also found in that game the increasing problem of Adrian Peterson hanging onto the ball. They passed on drafting a quarterback or competing in the Donovan McNabb sweepstakes.

What We Need to Know: Will Favre be back? Will he be as good as he was last year? Will Adrian Peterson get past the fumbling? Will Jarrod Allen have the kind of season he had in the first half or the second half? The fact is that this whole season comes down to Favre. If he comes back and plays close to the way he did last year this team either wins the division or gets in the Wild Card. If not, they won’t be sniffing the playoffs and could be looking up at the Bears.

Bottom Line: The Vikings will probably have Favre back but with his health always a question expect a dip from last year for the whole team.

2. Green Bay Packers – Last Season 11-5 (Lost in Opening Round to Arizona Cardinals)

What We Know: Aaron Rodgers is for real. Ryan Grant is probably not. Their defense looked much improved until Arizona torched them. This team can score a ton of points with a deep group of wide receivers. Their pass defense is their Achilles heel.

What We Need To Know: Can the Packers offensive line protect Aaron Rodgers better than they did last year? Can Rodgers equal his success from last year? Can the Packers find a legit ground game to compliment their fierce passing attack? The answers to these need to be addressed early in the season as their schedule is tough and they will need a good start. The offensive line should be helped by the draft but they will need more consistent play from their d-line to help that decimated secondary.

Bottom Line: Don’t be so quick to give the Vikings the division crown. The Packers will be tough all season.

3. Chicago Bears – Last Season 7-9 (missed playoffs)

What We Know: Cutler has about 1 more season to prove he can be a consistent top 10 guy. Their offensive line was ugly for most of last year. They brought in Mike Martz to revamp the offense but he’s working with less than good receivers. They signed Julius Peppers to big money to help the defensive line. There secondary got shredded last year by running the Cover 2 which is was missing most of the pieces needed to make it effective.

What We Need To Know: Can Cutler stop throwing the ball to the other teams? Can Peppers be the big sack king the Bears are hoping for? Can the receivers and offensive line really improve? Can Urlacher be effective at all anymore? Can they find some help in the secondary? There are a lot more questions than there are answers. This is the problem the Bears face. Jerry Angelo, Lovie Smith, and the rest of the Bears brain trust should make a quick exit if their season is a disappointment.

Bottom Line: The optimism exists in Chicago, but not a whole lot of realism.

4. Detroit Lions – Last Season 2-14 (missed playoffs)

What We Know: Matthew Stafford appeared at times to be a franchise quarterback. At other times he looked like a rookie. We know Calvin Johnson is for real. They got the best player in the draft in Suh. They had an offense that ranked 27th in points per game. We know that while they only won 2 games, they weren’t nearly the punching bags they were in their winless season.

What We Need To Know: What kind of impact will Suh make in his rookie year? Will Stafford take another step? Will Jahvid Best be the kind of running back that will help take pressure off of Johnson? Will they be able to play consistent defense? There are too many questions that rely on young players for answers. That isn’t a recipe for a great season.

Bottom Line: They will take another step forward to better than 2 wins but they are a long way from being relevant.