NFC North Preview

The NFC North is a team with only two contenders -- the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings. The Chicago Bears and the Detroit Lions will not be impactful enough to ruin the party and become contenders this upcoming season. Last season, the Vikings won the division with a 12-4 record and made an appearance in the NFC Championship Game. They will be looking to build upon that and advance to the Super Bowl. The Packers finished at 11-5, but lost a heartbreaker in Arizona in the Wild Card Round. They are also looking to build upon their record and hopefully win the division.

The Detroit Lions finished the 2008 season at 0-16, the first for an NFL team since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 0-14 in the first year during the 1970s. There was only one way to go for the Lions, and that was up. They couldn't be worst than a completed defeated season. They improved to 2-14 last season, still a horrible season. The Lions drafted DT Ndamukong Suh with the second overall pick, and they also signed DE Kyle Vanden Bosch. They drafted QB Matthew Stafford with the #1 pick the year before, and they also have a good receiving threat in WR Calvin Johnson. They have to learn to put it together, and that may not happen this year, considering they play the NFC East and the AFC East. The Lions will finish 2-14 again.

The Chicago Bears weren't horrible after acquiring QB Jay Cutler. Cutler was very overrated coming in from the Denver Broncos, as the fans expected a lot from him. Instead, they got a 7-9 season, and Cutler threw for 27 touchdowns, but also threw 26 interceptions, a league high. They got the free agent prize, signing DE Julius Peppers to a long term deal. However, that doesn't fix nearly all of their problems, which happened to be a struggling offense. They hired Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator, but he is throw-happy and that will be a problem with Cutler. The difficult schedule also doesn't bode well for them, so they will regress this year. The Bears will finish at 6-10.

The Green Bay Packers finished the season only one game behind the Vikings, but had two humiliating losses to the Vikings. The Packers couldn't protect QB Aaron Rodgers at all, resulting in many sacks for the Vikings' defense. The Packers defense was in the top 5 last year, so their 3-4 defense should remain stout this year. Rodgers was a very potent passer last year, and some are expecting him to have a better year. Rodgers should have a better year as he gets older and wiser running the offense. The Packers will remain at 11-5, but they will win the NFC North division via a tiebreaker and they'll advance to the Super Bowl.

The Minnesota Vikings won the NFC North division with a 12-4 record, and were a non-interception away from advancing to the Super Bowl. QB Brett Favre decided to return for his 20th season, so Vikings' fans are elated. However, asking Favre to throw 33 touchdowns and only 7 interceptions is a tough thing to ask. Favre had his best season ever, but he won't have a season like that again. The Vikings will regress, because of Favre, but they'll still be a legitimate threat and playoff contender. They'll finish 11-5 also, but lose tiebreaker to the Packers.