With the stunning departure of Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers, the NFC North is wide open for the taking. Chicago took notice of that and made a huge trade sending the number one overall draft pick to Charlotte in exchange for an offensive weapon for Justin Fields. The Lions shocked just about everyone last year making a serious run at a playoff spot while Kirk Cousin and the Vikings continue to be the pretenders we all knew they were.
Green Bay Packers
I don’t think Packers ever wanted to think about the day Aaron Rodgers decided he was done in Green Bay, but I don’t think they would have expected him to walk onto the New York Jets with half of the offensive team. In a sick case of deja vu, Packers fans had to watch their quarterback and management’s passive-aggressive feud escalate into a situation where Rodgers decided the Jets were the best option for him.
The Packers are coming off a down year despite controlling their own destiny into the postseason and still not making it. The immense pressure that Jordan Love has on his shoulders in his first season as a starting quarterback is unfair and at the first sign of struggle many will be ready to call him a bust. This season won’t determine that. He is surrounded by some strong talent particularly in the run game.
Green Bay could end the season with the best defense in the NFC North. While the other teams all struggled defensively, this could be Green Bay’s strength. The Packers have a ton of talent upfront and could be one of the best defensive lines in the league. In the backfield the Packers just need their stars Jaire Alexander and Rasul Douglas to stay healthy.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions had a winning record at the end of the season. They may not have made the playoffs, but it had to feel pretty good to also stop the Packers from reaching the postseason. There is a lot of hype surrounding Detroit this season for the first time in what feels like forever.
The team started the season 1-6, and finished 9-8. There’s a lot to be said about this young team that never stopped playing with pride led by head coach Dan Campbell. The team never struggled with scoring, but it’s hard to put a lot of faith in Jared Goff under center to replicate last season’s numbers. However, Amon-Ra St.Brown looks like the real deal and really looked in sync with Goff by the end of the season. They signed some big names on the other side of the ball including C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Cameron Sutton, as well as drafting defensive players. If they are able to fix their defensive woes, Detroit could be a team to watch out for. They have a big test right from the start opening the season against the defending champs.
But it’s still the Lions so something has to go wrong right?
Chicago Bears
Chicago ended the season losing ten straight, but the team remains optimistic. They believe they can compete for a division as early as this season and made the biggest move in the draft. The offense should instantly improve with the addition of DJ Moore. In his limited playing time during preseason Moore already showed flashes of being a game changer. Moore has been very productive since coming into the NFL and his presence should help Fields make that next step as a passer. We know how mobile he is, but it’s time to see his passing ability. It should also help that the team decided to upgrade the offensive line that was nothing short of dreadful last season.
Much attention has been placed on the offense and the improvements made there, but the Bears really need their defense to step up. They were also dreadful, but the team did bring in players like Tremaine Edmunds so there should be immediate improvement.
When you have the worst record things can only go up.
Minnesota Vikings
Kirk Cousins, well he isn’t awful, but is he going to lead a team to a Super Bowl title? The short answer is no. He has Justin Jefferson to make him look good during the regular season. Jefferson is one of the best if not the best receiver in the league. Lining up with Jefferson is rookie Jordan Addison. Addison will definitely get a lot of looks this season with Jefferson commanding double-team coverage. This is the last year Cousins is under contract in Minnesota and if things end the way they did last season it could be his last. He will be without running back Dalvin Cook who decided to team up with Aaron Rodgers in New York. The team does seem content with Alexander Mattison going forward.
Cook is not the only departure from the team. In fact, many players including Adam Thielen, Eric Kendricks, and Za’Darius Smith have all moved on to different teams.
While there’s plenty of blame to put on Cousins’ shoulders it truly was the defense that held the team back from advancing in the playoffs. Minnesota brought in Brian Flores to lead the defense which should help avoid the team slipping any further down the defensive rankings.
