NFC North
This off season Matthew Stafford became the highest paid player in the NFL with his new contract extension but this division still belongs to Aaron Rodgers. The Packers will go as far as Rodgers takes them because while they have a top 10 offense they need some improvement on defense. The Vikings look like their defense will be formidable and it’s their offense that needs to show some consistency. An improved offensive line along with more time with Sam Bradford and an improved run game will go a long way towards making the Vikings better. Detroit was a playoff team last season but they face an uphill battle this year with other teams improving in the conference. They were hoping to have an improved offensive line but losing LT Taylor Decker makes that unlikely. The Bears can’t quite decide if they are looking to compete (signing free agent QB Mike Glennon) or rebuilding (trading up for QB Mitchell Trubisky). They are in no man’s land with middling veterans surrounding not enough young talent. I’m expecting a hard reboot by next year with a new coach, for their sake hopefully one that likes Trubisky.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers are a team that is greater than the sum of their individual parts. Essentially Aaron Rodgers makes their offense better than it should be. They have a converted WR playing RB in Ty Montgomery and while he’s not a traditional back they find ways to make it work. WR Jordy Nelson is great but they need to keep him healthy like last year. The offensive line has had loss after loss over the last few years on the interior but they just keep plugging guys in and getting it done. It would be good if their starting five (I’m looking at you Bryan Bulaga) would stay healthy because it’s not the deepest group on the team. New TE Martellus Bennett is probably just as big of an enigma as Jared Cook was last year. He’s talented but not always consistent.
At times, the defense still feels like Clay Matthews and ten other guys but some of those guys are stepping up. OLB Nick Perry took some time to develop but he played well last year. DE Mike Daniels is an unsung hero keeping the linebackers clean and collapsing the pocket more often than he gets credit for. They are hoping 3rd year CBs Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins step up this year or they will really have to count on rookie Kevin King and veteran Davon House. They are the best overall team in the division and they have the X-factor in Aaron Rodgers so they should take the division.
Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings started out well last year especially considering they got Sam Bradford just before the season started to replace the injured Teddy Bridgewater. Their offensive undoing was largely a product of injuries and ineffective play on the offensive line and having no real playmakers outside of Stefon Diggs. The Adrian Peterson era is officially over and rookie RB Dalvin Cook looks like the real deal. The offensive line was addressed with the signings of LT Riley Reiff and RT Mike Remmers along with the drafting of C Pat Elflein. LG Nick Easton gives the Vikings four new starters leaving only part-time veteran Joe Berger as the only returner on the line, that’s really good news for Bradford and Cook. TE Kyle Rudolph and WR Adam Thielen are solid starters that bring consistency. The team could really use a breakout season from 2nd year WR Laquan Treadwell to add another dimension to the passing game.
The defense found a nice pass rusher to pair with Everson Griffin in Danielle Hunter last season and now he’ll be the full-time starter. DT Linval Joseph anchors the middle of the defense and makes life easier on Griffin and Hunter and on the linebackers. Speaking of LBs former UCLA teammates Eric Kendricks (MLB) and Anthony Barr (OLB) are a fantastic pair. The team may miss the leadership of Chad Greenway but Kendricks and Barr are real talents. The secondary has two good young corners in Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes and they are hoping Mackensie Alexander can hold down the nickel spot but if anyone should falter they have the ageless wonder Terrence Newman back again (hey, he’s 39, that’s ancient in NFL years). FS Harrison Smith is one of the least talked about top defenders in the league. Smith covers up many mistakes made in front of him and every offense the Vikings face know where Smith is at all times. A better offensive line and some consistency on that side of the ball could lead the Vikings to a playoff spot this season.
Detroit Lions
Matthew Stafford had an unexpectedly productive year last year without the retired Calvin Johnson around. He spread the ball around and got production from Golden Tate and Marvin Jones at WR and passing game was less predictable. LT Taylor Decker solidified the line last season and the Lions were hoping free agents RT Rick Wagner and OG TJ Lang would continue to improve that group but Decker went down with an injury and that undermines any potential improvement. They are expected to start former Rams bust Greg Robinson at LT and that could spell trouble for Stafford. The running game is still a committee made up of Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner which means consistency is still lacking. TE Eric Ebron finally became a productive member of the offense which gives Stafford a security blanket.
Detroit’s defense hasn’t been a top unit for a very long time and that isn’t going to change this year. They still rely heavily, if not almost exclusively, on Ezekiel Ansah to bring pressure on the QB. DT A’Shawn Robinson was good last year inside and Haloti Ngata is still solid even if he is aging and not as dominant as he once was. They are looking to rookie MLB Jarrad Davis to really step up as their LB corps leaves a lot to be desired, as it has for years. CB Darius Slay is a tough match up for anyone but the rest of the CB group needs to step up to take the pressure off. The defense is good enough to compete when Stafford and the offense are highly productive but they don’t win games for this team. A slight regression from the offense and defense will suffer the consequences.
Chicago Bears
The Bears have to decide if they are looking to compete with Mike Glennon or looking to rebuild around Mitchell Trubisky, being in between those two places means you end up 6-10. Missing the playoffs and not drafting in the top 10 is a bad place to be especially when you’re not that great at drafting. The team signed guys like WRs Kendall Wright and Markus Wheaton and CBs Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara and none of those guys move the needle on offense or defense. Then in the preseason they lost their best WR in Cameron Meredith which means a lot of pressure falls on 3rd year WR Kevin White, he’s basically missed his first two seasons. The best player on offense is 2nd year RB Jordan Howard and it looks like he’ll get a hand in the backfield from rookie Tarik Cohen, this offense can use all the help it can get. The interior of their offensive line; LG Kyle Long, C Cody Whitehair and RG Josh Sitton, is good. They like Charles Leno, Jr. enough to give him a contract extension at LT and while he’s no world beater he’s better than what they have had there for a while. RT Bobby Massie is still a replacement level player and they should really look for an upgrade.
The Bears defense is pretty ho-hum. Playmakers are few and far between and the only guy that really looks like he could become one is OLB Leonard Floyd. They just gave a contract extension to DL Akiem Hicks mostly because he was good last year in John Fox’s defense and they need some consistency up front but Hicks has bounced around in his career for a reason. Cooper and Amukamara might be upgrades from the CBs they were running out on defense last season but they don’t scare Aaron Rodgers, Matthew Stafford or Sam Bradford. Their best defensive back might be FS Eddie Jackson and he’s a rookie that missed last season at Alabama with an injury. Not sure where this team is going and I’m not sure they know either.
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