2013 NFC North Predictions
Last week I touched on the fact that the East was one of the toughest to predict, this week the NFC North brings up that word again. Tough. This is a bread and butter, down and dirty, black and blue football division. Once again whoever survives through this brutal division will consider themselves a genuine contender, after all a potential three game playoff scenario is nothing compared to sixteen beatings these guys get right?
GREEN BAY PACKERS – 2012: 11-5, NORTH CHAMPIONS, LOST DIVISONAL PLAYOFF
Aaron Rodgers. As long he’s standing, the Packers will always have a chance. He is the top rated quarterback amongst active starters and for the most part carries this team. Last year, they won the North by virtue of going 5-1 inside their division, the one loss coming in the last game of the season in a game they didn’t have to win. Somewhat surprisingly the offense was only ranked 10th last year. The defense was lower at 13th – Clay Matthews will look to raise his teammates up another level. They were cruelly exposed in last year playoff exit at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. In 2013 the Pack will be back, they still remain the team to beat in the division, and some say in the NFC.
MINNESOTA VIKINGS – 2012: 10-6, LOST WILD CARD
If any team is ready to replace the Packers at the top of this crowded house it’s the men in purple. Adrian Peterson is a man, quite simply, on a mission. Having come so agonisingly close to the single season rushing record (9 yards shy) he now sees 2,500 as an achievable target. If he gets to this mark it will no doubt help the Vikings in their ambition of topping the North. Minnesota will have to be careful that one man’s dream doesn’t hurt the team. That job falls on the shoulders of head coach Leslie Frazier, who has done a very credible job so far. This team entered the playoffs off the back of an emotional overtime win, only to fall short the following week at the hands of the same opponent. This team is on the verge of something very special and it could be their time to shine.
CHICAGO BEARS – 2012: 10-6
It’s hard to know where to begin with the Bears. During the 2012 season they showed flashes of brilliance, starting the season 7-1, before they came across a tough end to the season, playing teams more equipped for the run in and more playoff ready. They slipped to what some would see as a good 10-6 end of season mark, but after the promising start it spelled the end of coach Lovie Smith. A new era then and rookie head coach Marc Trestman takes over. After a handful of years coaching north of the border in the CFL with the Montreal Alouettes, it could be a real baptism of fire for the former Grey Cup winning coach.
DETROIT LIONS – 2012: 4-12
It wasn’t too long ago that the Lions went 0-16 for the year. Then, it wasn’t that long ago since they turned the corner and looked to be a threat. Young quarterback who could throw for miles, a machine-like receiver who would catch seemingly everything thrown within two zip codes of him, and a team that wanted to forget that big winless season. Then along came 2012. They had a good middle of the year, going 3-1 at one point, hey they even beat the Seahawks! It all went flat though as they enter this year off the back of an eight game losing streak. They still have that QB, Matt Stafford and his favourite target Calvin “Megatron” Johnson. They didn’t win a game inside the division last year. Anything above the four win tally of last year will be seen as progress, but they are a dangerous foe that if you let them breath they will roar.
ROUNDUP AND PREDICTION
Winning inside the division will prove to be the key here. I’m going to say that the Packers and Vikings split their series again, and the Bears will go an even 3-3. This means they will have to beat the one of the other two at least once. That could prove vital in the final shakeup. The Packers are the team that everyone will want to beat and they will have to treat every game like a playoff match. The Vikings driven by AP power, and fuelled by a trip to London, have an easier run in. The Bears and Lions will be fighting it out for third place in the division, and wont be close enough to pick up any scraps the big two throw their way. Its the Packers to lose, but more importantly the Vikings to win.
