Aaron Rodgers is back for Green Bay but Kirk Cousins can help Minnesota hold them off in the battle for the NFC North title.
Predicted finish
- Minnesota Vikings
- Green Bay Packers
- Chicago Bears
- Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Last season: 13-3
Coach: Mike Zimmer
Super Bowl odds: 11/1 | Division odds 11/8
2017 was an absolute rollercoaster of emotions for the Vikings, they thought they had a solid quarterback in Sam Bradford, before it seemed history was set to repeat itself for the Vikings with another QB injury taking Bradford out. Step in Case Keenum, the perennial back-up who struggled at the Rams, found himself performing at the best he’s performed in his entire career, armed with Dalvin Cook in the backfield, Thielen, Diggs & Rudolph to throw to.
It wasn’t long after until Dalvin Cook ended his season with a torn ACL. It seemed all doom and gloom in Minnesota, losing their starting QB and RB, yet they still managed to finish 13-3, with a division title and after spectacularly beating the Saints on the last play, they then lost to the eventual champion Eagles.
There’s no surprise the hype that surrounds this team this year is big, when a team can get to the NFC Championship with a back-up QB and RB, they have to feel excited to have Dalvin Cook back. It’s also rare a team that finished so highly is able to improve at QB. They gave Kirk Cousins the fully guaranteed contract he was seeking and became the highest paid player at the time of signing.
The biggest driving force behind Minnesota’s great 2017 was the consistency of their defence, with pass rushers such as Everson Griffin and Danielle Hunter, linebackers Anthony Barr & Eric Kendricks, & defensive backs Xavier Rhodes & Harrison Smith, there are ballers in every unit. This allows them to be one of the stingiest defences in the league and if they can get their offense to repeat or even improve on last year then this team has a real shot at a Lombardi Trophy.
Green Bay Packers
Last season: 7-9
Coach: Mike McCarthy
Super Bowl odds: 11/1 | Division odds 11/8
Last season was a strange one for fans of Green Bay as they endured their first losing season since 2008. Despite this, you’ll find plenty optimism coming out of Wisconsin, mainly due to the fact that they were 4-1 when two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone and missed the remainder of the season. Rodgers is back and he is PAID, signing the biggest contract in NFL history.
Away from money and back on the field, Green Bay will hope their second year running backs Aaron Jones & Jamaal Williams will be able to continue to contribute, though they will be without the suspended Jones for the first two games.
The Packers lost Jordy Nelson in the off-season, but they replace his red zone ability with Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham, who led the league in red zone targets. Davante Adams found himself as the favourite target last season and has caught 22 TD passes in the last two seasons.
On defence, there is a new defensive co-ordinator in town, former Browns head coach Mike Pettine replaces long term DC Dom Capers. Pettine will look to rely on Blake Martinez at the heart of his defence, who led the league in tackles in 2017.
They add former Pro Bowl defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson and finally addressed the lack of talent at cornerback in the draft, taking corners in both rounds one and two, this seemed to be the only glaring hole in their team so it will be interesting to see how the young corners get on as they will likely be asked to contribute from very early on in the season.
Detroit Lions
Last season: 9-7
Coach: Matt Patricia
Super Bowl odds: 50/1 | Division odds 6/1
One of the most intriguing questions for the season is how former Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia performs as head coach in Detroit – surely some of the Bill Belichick magic will rub off?
He’ll surely have an impact in improving a defence that ranked 27th overall last season but it may take a year and another Draft to get them fully into shape to challenge for the play-offs, especially in such a tough division.
LeGarrette Blount should finally give the Lions a running game – he’s won the last two Super Bowls with two different teams but it’d be a minor miracle if he completed the hat-trick with Detroit.
Blount should, however, take the pressure off QB Matt Stafford in a team without a 100-yard rushing game in five years.
They won nine games last season and were unlucky not to bag a wildcard, but with improvement elsewhere in the NFC North it’s hard to see them winning more this time around.
Chicago Bears
Last season: 5-11
Coach: Matt Nagy
Super Bowl odds: 50/1 | Division odds 8/1
There are finally some reasons to be hopeful for beleaguered Bears fans who have been the poor relations in this division for far too long. QB Mitchell Trubisky showed some good signs last season but may be another year away from being the finished article.
Chicago has done some good business in the summer, bringing in Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson and Super Bowl-winning tight end Trey Burton – who famously threw a TD pass in the big game to Eagles QB Nick Foles.
Those weapons added to the excellent Jordan Howard at running back give the offence a far more effective look, while on defence they now have the highest-paid defender in NFL history after splashing out for Khalil Mack.
With three hugely talented QBs in this division Mack was the perfect signing given his appetite for disruption in opposing offences, and he’ll certainly make the Bears a much tougher prospect although they’re still very much a work in progress.
Verdict
It’s a fascinating division to pick the bones out of but Minnesota get the nod as clearly the best all-round team from last season, with the best defence, who’ve also upgraded at quarterback and running back through signing Kirk Cousins and having Dalvin Cook back from injury.
The week two clash between the Packers and Vikings will tell us a lot about how far Aaron Rodgers can take Green Bay this year and with the hint of improvements in the running game and in defence they’re well capable of earning a wild card spot.
It’s hard to figure out how the bears and Lions will work out under new head coaches, but Detroit managed to win nine games last season and Matt Patricia should improve their lowly defence enough to keep them competitive.
Chicago are even more of a question mark although they’ve got far more options on offence and the best-paid defensive player in history now on their books. The rest of the division has also improved so they may have one more year propping up the rest.
