The Bears might be falling after a post-Super Bowl breakdown, the Lions just might stink again, the Packers are finally without Brett Favre, and the Vikings could be on the rise, again.
Here I'll discuss my quick look at the NFC North for 2008.
Chicago Bears
My prediction: 5-11, misses playoffs
The Bears resemble last year's 7-9 team more than the 2006 Super Bowl squad because of major renovations being undertaken during the offseason. The quarterback, running back, and wide-receiver positions are in flux and the offensive line must be rebuilt.
Rex Grossman and Kyle Orton are going head-to-head, even up at quarterback. Rookie Matt Forte will be given an opportunity to unseat the unproductive running backs that the Bears have, considering the Bears had the NFL's third-worst rushing attack last season.
The receivers are mainly young projects like Devin Hester, Brandon Lloyd, Mark Bradley, and rookie Earl Bennett, who either haven't matured yet or have underachieved. Marty Booker is the most established receiver, and his best days may be behind him.
The offense's strength is at tight end, with young Greg Olsen and seasoned Desmond Clark both legitimate threats in the passing game.
The defense, however, should be outstanding, if it remains healthy, and their special teams are excellent. The defensive line is talented and should be deep enough to withstand at least some injuries, which were largely responsible for that unit's drastic drop-off last season.
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.
Detroit Lions
My prediction: 3-13, misses playoffs
No one is going to believe the Lions this season, not even if they start 6-2. They started 6-2 last year, but fell apart down the stretch to finish 7-9 and post their seventh consecutive losing season. This is a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 1999, and has won only one playoff game since 1957, the year they won the NFL title.
But coach Rod Marinelli is all about mental toughness, and he is methodically trying to build a tough team that can turn the tide. He wants to win the way the New York Giants did last year. The Lions fired pass-happy offensive coordinator Mike Martz, and they added talent to a defense that ranked last in the NFL.
Jon Kitna isn’t Eli Manning, but he’s a veteran quarterback and a leader. As the Giants did, the Lions want to run the ball, control the clock, and protect the defense. They hope the running game will set up the pass for their two towering wideouts (Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson), just as the Giants’ did for Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer.
The Lions don’t have Michael Strahan and company, but they hope their pass rush is good enough to pair with an overhauled secondary. They also had their best draft in recent memory. Times have certainly been tough in Detroit, and few would be so bold as to forecast a quick turnaround. But Marinelli keeps pounding home his message and working toward creating a winning culture in the Motor City.
Green Bay Packers
My prediction: 12-4, loses in Divisional Playoffs
Who the heck knows what to expect from Brett Favre-less Green Bay team this year? The three-time MVP and Super-Bowl-winning gunslinger was so durable, so prolific, and such the embodiment of the franchise that Packer fans have wondered for years what it would be like to head into a single game without No. 4 under center, let alone the entire season.
Heir to the throne, Aaron Rodgers must deal with the unenviable task of replacing one of the most legendary players in the history of the sport. That gargantuan challenge aside, he also has rookie passer Brian Brohm looking over his shoulder.
On the bright side, Rodgers steps into an offense with multiple weapons. The Packers found a running game in the second half of last season with the emergence of Ryan Grant, and an offensive line that was stout enough to keep an aging Favre mostly free from pressure. They should look even better with more agile Rodgers under center.
The Packers’ receiving corps is among the best in the league, with top pick Jordy Nelson joining an explosive group, led by steady veteran Donald Driver and emerging youngsters Greg Jennings and James Jones.
Helping to keep some pressure off Rodgers and the offense is a defense that ranked 11th in the NFL last season. With stars on every level of the defense, this is a group with no glaring weaknesses. Still, there’s no Favre. Who knows what to expect? Nobody.
Minnesota Vikings
My prediction: 10-6, misses playoffs
After winning five of their final seven games in 2007, the Vikings put their rebuilding process into turbo drive and emerged from the offseason with a team they think can compete for the Super Bowl.
The team already has the best run-defense in the NFL, and its pass defense should start catching up. The additions of defensive end Jared Allen and safety Madieu Williams should spark at least some improvement from the team’s last-place finish in pass defense last season.
Running backs Adrian Peterson and Chester Taylor will handle much of the offensive workload, but the Vikings also added a proven big-play receiver in Bernard Berrian. Now, all that remains is for quarterback Tarvaris Jackson to develop into a consistent performer.
The Vikings don’t need Jackson to be a Pro Bowl player in his third season, but he must eliminate the turnovers and poor decisions that plagued him for most of 2007 (a rocket-throwing arm and quick feet among them), and he needs to learn when to attempt a big play and when to check down for a short receiver.
If Jackson can improve to the point where he is an average quarterback, the Vikings should make their first playoff appearance in four seasons. If he makes the leap into the NFL’s top third among quarterbacks, a Super Bowl run is not out of the question.
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3 months ago
Nice preview David. I congratulate you on being the first person to say the Vikings won't make the playoffs. Everyone else seems to nominate them the favorites in the NFC by default. I also agree with your record prediction for the Lions. They stink and 3 wins is exactly where I have them...
3 months ago
Obviously I have issues with this because you said my Vikings won't make the playoffs. You just hurt my ego...:D
Just kidding, way to make bold predictions. I just hope you're wrong. Also, I cannot see Chicago winning that many games. Detroit has a way better team than they do.
from 3 months ago
You read right, i dont have the Vikings making the playoffs. if it makes you feel any better, I cant wait to see Tarvaris Jackson play this year. He is the top quarterback that im looking forward to see grow. Especially with the Vikings and all of their rising stars. Speaking of rising stars, im a die hard Oklahoma Sooners football fan which means ive also been a fan of Adrian Peterson ever since i heard his name on the television. He's my favorite running back in the entire NFL.
When it comes to the Bears, Lions and winning, in order to win you have to have good defense, Chicago has a better defense with more potential then Detroit.
from 3 months ago
To win you also need to score runs, and Chicago has issues with their offensive line, running core, wide receiving core, and obviously quarterback.
from 3 months ago
It's hard to outscore teams when the other team puts up 50, it's hard to score more than your opponents when you put up five. Both teams are in trouble.
3 months ago
I'm confused as to how a team in the NFC will go 10-6 and miss the play-offs. As of now 10-6 looks pretty good for the Vikings, but with a record like that, they'll have a wild-card spot for sure.
from 3 months ago
10-6, in alot of peoples eyes, does look pretty good if they see them making the playoffs. However i picked another team to go 10-6 AND making the playoffs...they are a team in the NFC West division...but i dont want to say who they are until tomorrow when i Preview the NFC West's teams and who i see will be the two top teams in the division (who i think will both be in the playoffs)
3 months ago
great predictions. I find that the packers should easily go 12 AND 4. Also good job of putting a reasonable number of wins too make the playoffs
3 months ago
bears are going to win more than 5 games. I see about 9 or 10 wins
from 3 months ago
These kind of comments stir me up a little bit. While you are obviously a Chicago fan, and that's great. But can you at least keep things in perspective? There is no way on this planet Da Bears win nine games. I doubt they win four games.
Let's run through a checklist of their offense, shall we?
Quarterback - No
Running back - Unproven
Receivers - No - Will have to rely greatly upon tight ends for easy, ten yard gains for whoever is throwing the ball in the Windy City. Hester won't be a good receiver. His transition only shows how desperate things are in Chicago.
Offensive line - No
Defense as a whole - Above average to great.
They say defense wins ballgames, but not if you're Chicago. When you have an offense that will be plagued with three yard Forte gains and five yard completions, you will be lucky to score one touchdown a game.
Sorry for getting so riled up, but anyone who says Chicago can win ten games needs some straightening up.
from 3 months ago
When you get a die-hard fan's prediction, take a few games off the win total. I'm a Bears fan and I also can't see how the Bears are going to finish below .500, but you have to put things into perspective and realize that I am putting things in the way of Rex Grossman becoming the MVP candidate that he has shown in flashes and Forte making moves like he did in college. Are those realistic, no, but that is because I am a biased fan. Take a few games off the 9 or 10 win prediction and you have the real outlook, it works with every bad team.
from 3 months ago
By 'a few games' you obviously mean seven or eight, right? :D
from 3 months ago
I predict 8 games and hopefully they can at least win two!!!
3 months ago
The Pack won't lose in the playoffs.
The rest is right on, althouh I think Detroit will win a couple more here and there.
Nice read, and even nicer to see something dull the Viking roar.
3 months ago
I hate to say it but if the Vikes stay patient and keep running the ball, and if AP stays healthy, they could be very, very good.
No matter who is starting at QB for the Packers, if the Vikings can harass the QB in the first game of the season (MNF), it will be the start for a great season for them.
The Vikings are better on paper than the Packers because the Packers don't have a pass rush from their front four. The ability to rush the passer from the front four is why the Giants beat the Packers in the NFC championship. It is why the Giants won the SB.
The Packers won their last SB because Reggie White sacked Drew Bledsoe three times. Without those sacks, the Packers would have lost that game.
All teams need pass rush from the front four. The Vikings should have that in 2008-09. The Packers might not have it.
3 months ago
Pretty realistic breakdown. Being a Bears fan, I would naturally like to see them do better than 5-11, and it would be my goal to at least see them at .500. They had a strong end to the 2007 season ( whoo, two in a row!) and I would hope that provided some steam to start off strong. Either way, Detroit won't hit 10 wins, no matter what Kitna says. Green Bay has one of the best teams in the NFC, with or without Favre. The Vikings... well, Peterson is going to be hard-pressed to improve on his rookie performance, and if the passing game improves, they will be arguably the strongest team in the NFL. I'm sick of the Viking talk as well, but lets get real: they're looking playoff-bound.
3 months ago
I really do see the Bears will win about 9 or 10 games. I am a diehard bears fan, but i really see them winning that many games. They will surprise alot of people this season.
from 3 months ago
9 to 10 wins is also a great prediction for a die hard Bears fan! Way to stick by your team...good fan! i like that !
3 months ago
if you really think about it is the vikes time to shine even travaris has a ok season the vikes will still make the playoffs and there gonna hurt a lot of qbs in there season face it there defensive line is amazing and i would be shocked if they even lost 6 games really guys they had the best off-season in the nfl and all the other teams are hopeless the packers lost everyone aron rodgers is a big bust in 08 bears just plain out suck.
from 3 months ago
ethan, are you a vikings fan? sounds like it...i do think the Tarvaris Jackson is gonna be a great quarterback in the future. He's actually one of my favorite QBs that ive been looking forward to seeing play this year. I'm also a big fan of Adrian Peterson. I wouldnt say that the Bears suck already when the season hasnt even started. Same thing goes for Aaron Rodgers. The Packers did not lose everybody, the only main key to their team that they lost is obviously Brett Favre. along with Bubba Franks. They added power linebacker in Brandon Chillar.
3 months ago
the bears looked great the last two games of the year and remember injuries are very key to every team and they had alot of them
from 3 months ago
very true, jake! The Bears did play well in the last two games of the season against Green Bay and New Orleans. The Bears did suffer from various number of injuries, and if they keep the injury bug from biting this year, they might get a few more wins than my projected 5...
3 months ago
thanks david
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