Quote Originally Posted by King Friday View Post
As long as Aaron Rodgers is healthy, the race for the division will be over soon after Thanksgiving...after their 4 week stretch against NFCN foes.

We know the Bears aren't going anywhere with Jay Cutler. I'm actually higher on the Bears this year than most...because I think Cutler does better when people aren't expecting much out of him. They also get the easiest schedule for a change. However, the Bears aren't getting much more than 8 wins even in the best case scenario, so they aren't a true contender for the division.

The Lions might actually have the toughest schedule in the NFCN. Their non-common opponents are Philly (in DET) and the Saints (in the Superdome), which are both games the Lions may lose. They also have the Rams, Chargers and Chiefs on the road...which are teams roughly equal to Detroit in relative strength, so having to play all of those on the road is going to hurt. They have a killer first month...@SD, @MIN, DEN, @SEA...so they are likely 1-3 out of the gate at best even if they aren't playing poorly. If they don't make a quick turnaround in October, it will be a long season for them.

The Vikings are who everyone is pointing to. I agree they have the best roster on paper to challenge Green Bay. However, I'm not sold on their OL or secondary as being playoff caliber, and both of those areas greatly hinder the ability of a young QB to take the next big step forward. You need the kid to have time to throw...and not have to play in a lot of shootouts. I don't see Bridgewater regressing...but I also don't see him taking a dramatic step forward either. Will he be able to take advantage of having a capable run game to throw more TDs? So much of the Vikings success rests on AP...and the Vikings schedule is roughest down the stretch after Thanksgiving, when AP is likely to start feeling the effects of age and all the time off more readily. They have @ATL, SEA, @ARI, CHI, NYG, @GB for their last 6. If they don't get off to a hot start, they will have a tough time overcoming any deficit in the standings.

If I had to pick one win number for each:

CHI 7
DET 5
MIN 9

Green Bay wins 11 if Rodgers plays all 16 games and we avoid a rash of injuries.


I'm not sure of the timing, but the Lions did something this past week I found interesting. They put their third-round cornerback pick, Alex Carter, on the IR-Designated to Return list, using that designation up right away.

Now, either earlier than this, or just after (I am not sure), their best defensive player, DeAndre Levy, suffered a hip injury. Most reports have him out at least two or three weeks, though some say the injury is more serious.

I'm not sure if the team simply decided Levy's injury would heal and they didn't want to keep him out half the season, so they designated their rookie corner, or if maybe they jumped the gun and wish they'd used it on Levy.

Either way, Levy's absence will hurt this team's defense pretty badly. That dude can play.