Here's why each team can and can't beat the Packers for the NFC North
I'm sick of writing about how much I despise how this NBA postseason, specifically the Finals, is playing out. I'm tired of all of this LeBron this, LeBron that, and critique over the Warriors. So, I'll temporarily shift gears to the NFL.
Now, I know that the Packers did not win the NFC North last year (even though they sort of won by having to play the Redskins instead of Seattle), but I still believe that the Packers should be the favorites again this year to win the division, and most people outside of Minnesota think that it's at least Packers-1, Vikings-1A, if not being a clear favorite. As long as you have that baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad man in Aaron Rodgers, a solid defense, a returning Jordy Nelson, and Mike McCarthy calling the plays, you have a shot at the Super Bowl. But here's my view on how the divisional foes could knock off the Pack.
Calvin Johnson, now retired, puts a dent into Lions' plans
I'm going to go least likely to most likely here, mostly because the reasons the Lions' can knock off the Packers if each team is at full strength is highly unlikely. To start, the offensive line overachieves, thus causing Ameer Abdullah to appear as though he is a Pro-Bowl caliber player. The receiving corps proves not to solely be about Calvin Johnson, as Marvin Jones and Golden Tate each provide, at minimum, 1000 yards and 6 touchdowns apiece, and Eric Ebron catches 8 touchdowns and about 500 yards. Matt Stafford keeps the same amount of passing yards, and throws less than 10 interceptions for the first time in his career. Defensive, especially without Calvin, is the Lions' strength, and defensive line is its' deepest position. Ziggy Ansah has a phenomenal year again, and Devin Taylor, Wallace Gilberry and Haloti Ngata provide solid pass rush depth. A'Shawn Robinson was a steal, too. The linebackers all return to form, and DeAndre Levy shows why he is a Pro-Bowl caliber player. The secondary lost some pieces, but Rafael Bush and Nevin Lawson have outstanding years alongside starters Darius Slay and Glover Quin.
That's a lot of people that need to outperform themselves, and to be honest, the Lions have a lot of holes that need to be filled. The offensive line is not very good, and without Calvin Johnson to distract the rest of the passing game it will be interesting to see how well Stafford performs. The front seven is improved, but the secondary is worse and relies on aging players like Haloti Ngata and unproven players like A'Shawn Robinson. This is really a 6-10 team in my mind.
Jay Cutler
That's probably the look a lot of Bears fans have when Jay Cutler makes some of the decisions he makes. It's pretty simple on how the Bears can start to overtake the Packers, and it's with Jay Cutler not making bonehead plays. He has decent offensive talent around him, and if Kevin White can play like Amari Cooper did last year, he has two great receivers. Zach Miller is not Martellus Bennett, but he is a solid stand in for the future. Jeremy Langford had a breakout year last year, and he combines with Jordan Howard for 2000 all purpose yards. Defensively, there is no denying the Bears have improved, and the front seven proves to be one of the best in the league. Tracy Porter plays like he did in 2009 with the Saints the whole season, and the secondary proves to be better than the consensus.
But, there's a good chance that either Kevin White or Jeremy Langford will struggle, and Zach Miller has bounced around for a reason. The secondary really is not that good, and with the Packers in the division it's not easy to stop them with a good secondary. The front seven is improved, but meshing a whole bunch of random parts together doesn't always work, but the front seven is most likely going to be really good. And then there is Jay Cutler, and without Adam Gase, will lose focus and prove to be the same Jay Cutler.
Teddy Bridgewater
I'm sorry, I just don't buy into the Teddy Bridgewater being a great quarterback hype. That said, all that really needs to happen for the Vikings to beat the Packers in the divisional race is for him to be an elite quarterback, and for Adrian Peterson to not regress with his age. It would also be nice if Laquon Treadwell proves to be the best receiver in the draft class.
Not a lot needs to go better than expected for the Vikings to dethrone the Packers yet again. They just haven't proven themselves as legitimate contenders yet, and most likely Teddy is not an elite QB. Adrian Peterson is also likely to take a 1-200 yard step back, and Stefon Diggs may just prove to be what Charles Johnson was the year before. Notice I have not said anything about the defense, and that is because this defense has all of its bases covered. It's down to how well they perform, and if anyone underachieves on their own merit.
I think everyone will agree, though, that the Packers have not become a worse team during the offseason. If this team shows that it truly knows what it is doing in regards to the defensive line and inside linebacker, then Ted Thompson might just be the best GM of all time. However, it's likely that that is the weakness of the Packers, but the OLB and secondary should mask some of those flaws. And if Aaron Rodgers plays like MVP Aaron Rodgers, the Packers always have a shot (just a shot) at running the table to being 19-0. More likely, they'll go 13-3, win the North, and lose to Carolina, Arizona or Seattle in the playoffs. But I like being optimistic...
