NFC North Preview

NFC North
A division rich with NFL history. Historic moments with each team have been record and talked about as the greatest of all time. Green Bay took the division last year in week 17 in a thriller against Chicago. Are the Packers destined for another division title?

Minnesota Vikings:
I want Adrian Peterson to have a chance at a ring, but sadly I just never see that happening. The Vikings drafted Teddy Bridgewater in this years draft and he already looks better than Matt Cassel and Christian Ponder. They have Greg Jennings, Kyle Rudolph and Cordalle Patterson in their receiving core. All solid players but none of them are game changers. The worst thing that happened to the Vikings this season was losing Jared Allen. Even at his old age he was the best player on their putrid defense and now he left to a division rival in the Chicago Bears.

I don’t see anything improving the defense so expect them to be worse this upcoming year. I can’t see this team coming anywhere close to a division title unless Peterson rushes for 2,500yds this year and as much as I would want that to happen it’s more than likely not.

The Vikings will finish the season 5-11 last in the division. Peterson alone will win them some games but it won’t be enough to contend with the other loaded teams in the division.

Chicago Bears:

The Bears have a lot of hype right now. Jay Cutler is considered having a top 10 chance of getting MVP this year. If you listen to anything Brandon Marshall says about Jay Cutler he’ll have you thinking he’s the next Joe Montana. Despite the hype that I feel is way over done the Chicago Bears are in a peculiar situation. As a dynasty this franchise is known for gritty tough defense. This year it’s the opposite with a woeful defense and a prolific offense.

They have the best WR duo in the league with Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey. Matt forte is a top 5 RB in this league and Martellus Bennett has been under the radar doing very well for them. They added a huge piece to replace their loss of Julius Peppers by signing Jared Allen a future HOFer. They still have Charles Tillman a very underrated CB in the league. With all of that praise though there’s one problem. Jay Cutler. Cutler shows many similarities to Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo except when he screws up it’s ten times worse because he has some bad wiring in his brain where he can throw 5 picks in a single game putting the team on a downward slope. I have the Bears going 8-8 and placing 3rd in the division missing the Playoffs.

Green Bay Packers:
The defending division champions. We learned last year that this team goes as far Aaron Rodgers takes them. They made one of greatest picks in the draft last year taking Alabama RB Eddie Lacy. Eddie Lacy did a good job carrying a load and proving to Mike McCarthy that he can be more than useful to this team. They have the same core on defense which isn’t good but isn’t horrible either. As great as this team is I strongly believe in the team after this and I’m saying the Green Bay Packers will finish 10-6 barely missing the playoffs and 2nd in the division.

Detroit Lions:
Matt Stafford has had a weird turn of events in his career. First few years he couldn’t stay healthy to play consistently in games, but when he finally became healthy in 2011 the Lions made the playoffs. Recently though Stafford has actually declined and many critics believe it to be the fault of former head coach Jim Schwartz.

Schwartz has been an awful coach for such a long time and the Lions made the necessary change that was needed by firing and replacing him. With the addition of picking up the best WR from the Seahawks, Golden Tate, Matt Stafford I believe will make use of his raw talent as he once did before and propel this team above expectations. They have undoubtedly the best WR in the game, Calvin Johnson. They have Joquie Bell and Reggie Bush making things happen both rushing and receiving. In the draft this year the Lions picked up a promising young TE in Eric Ebron. They also have the best defensive lineman in Ndamakung Suh. This offense will be lethal with Stafford’s cannon arm leading the charge. I just feel it. I’m not a Lions fan but I believe that over the past 2-3 years this is the most talented team that didn’t make the Playoffs and I think that changes this year. The Lions will be 10-6 winning in a thriller against the Green Bay Packers in week 17 to win the division and make their first Playoff birth since 2011.

NFC East Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/nfc-east/)

NFC West Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/nfc-west-preview/)

NFC South Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/nfc-south-preview/)

De’Shawn Hornback

NFC East Preview

This division is considered by many to be the most entertaining of any of the other divisions as all of the teams have a deep lore in the NFL and the competitiveness they play with every year.

Giants:

The Giants, I find are a bit hard to predict. While I am definitely not a fan of Eli it seems like every time they hit rock bottom they come back and beat the Patriots in ridiculous fashion. If I am to give my honest objective opinion here I don’t see how they can get out of being the worst team in this division.

They lost Hakeem Nicks and didn’t really find anyone suitable to replace what he was capable of bringing to the team (despite his horrific season last year.) They’ve lost Justin Tuck as well who was without a doubt their best defensive player. The Giants by the end should be about 4-12 but do not sleep on them or we will all have to see Eli hoist another one.

Cowboys:

Ahh this one is fun for me. I could go on for days and days about the Cowboys but we’re going to shorten this up a bit.

These guys have lost their best defensive player in Sean Lee for the year and have yet to replace him with a solid replacement. The highest hope in the LB core is Rolando McClain based off of potential shown in college. Even if he can be anything like he was in college the rest of the defense is so horrible I doubt he will be able to carry them to even being respectable. This offense can be though, has potential to be very scary. Dez is a monster, Romo is a stat stuffing monster of a QB and Demarco is a top 10 RB in this league. The main issues are how Jason Garrett doesn’t want to give Murray the ball and how Romo is one bad hit away from being done. I have no doubt in this offense becoming elite. But because of the worst defense I’ve seen in my lifetime and a lack of any true leaders on the roster or staff I can’t see this team finishing above 3rd in the division. I see them going 6-10 as they have one of the hardest schedules in the NFL.

The Cowboys mystique may bring them to 8-8 but I think that is even stretching it based on what we’ve seen from this team. ( Here goes another article pertaining to the Cowboys https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/reason-to-believe/)

Eagles:

Nick Foles… That’s the question many have when they’re asked about the Eagles. Can he be what he was last year for this team? I’m not ruling it out but I do not have faith in Foles. Who I do have faith in though is Chip Kelly.

I thought he was going to be a great coach in the NFL and so far he has been. Chip will have this offense going without a doubt. Lesean McCoy is already a monster and with the addition of bringing in Darren Sproles and the return of Jeremy Maclin I don’t see how Foles can mess this up.

Now their defense is not horrible, definitely better than others in the division, but do I see them winning this division? Simply put no.

They have major issues scoring on the Cowboys which is beyond ridiculous but that fact remains I’m chalking that up as 2 losses if Romo is healthy. I do not see them beating the Cardinals Seahawks or Niners so that’s up to 5 losses right there. Then there are the games that will be up for grabs and they won’t win all of those. In the end I see them narrowly missing the playoffs finishing 7-9 and 2nd in the division.

Redskins:

RG3. That’s the question everyone has in regards to the Redskins. Can he be the RG3 we saw in college and his rookie year? I believe so.

Preseason has not treated him well for sure but I don’t like to put much stock in preseason. He has one of the best arms in the league and without a doubt when healthy he’s the fastest QB in the NFL. He told media that the team would go where he goes and he is 100% right about that. If he cannot be even 2/3 of what he was his rookie year then this team will go down very early in the season and never recover. But if he is that guy and I believe he will be then this is without a doubt the most complete team in the NFC East.

Alfred Morris walked in as a 1,000 yd rusher and never looked back. Garcon had the most receptions of any WR last year, DeSean Jackson is a major deep threat on the other side and is coming off of his best season of his career. They even found themselves a nice young TE last year in Jordan Reed. The offense is stacked and can be a great West Coast offensive team.

And then there’s the defense, which is more than likely the best in the division. They upgraded their D-line with ex-Cowboy Hatcher and at safety they found themselves a veteran in Ryan Clark. I see the makings of a good team here. They have the young talent and veterans who know how to win big.
I see the Washington Redskins winning the division in the last week and finishing 9-7, thus receiving a playoff birth….

NFC North Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/09/01/nfc-north-preview/)

NFC West Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/09/06/nfc-west-preview/)

NFC South Preview: (https://fortonsports.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/nfc-south-preview/)

De’Shawn Hornback