Way Too Early NFC North Predictions
Adam New
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The first batch of free-agent signings is over, which one would think includes the majority of big moves that would occur. The 2022 draft is in the books, and we are starting to get a firm idea of what each NFL team’s roster will look like for the 2022 season.
Therefore, it is time for some way too early NFC North predictions.
There have been some significant changes in the division. Notably, the Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears have new general managers and head coaches. After signing Aaron Rodgers to a new massive contract, the Green Bay Packers traded star wideout Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions continue in their pursuit to become relevant.
After looking at the moves, each team has made and the opponents they will face. Here’s I see this season shaping up with way too early NFC North Predictions.
Green Bay Packers
Position: 1st
Record: 11-6
Green Bay resolved the Aaron Rodgers situation relatively early this offseason, paying him $150 million over the next three years. They followed that by trading star wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Packers were a wide receiver short with Adams on the team. They signed Sammy Watkins and drafted Christian Watson in the second round after a trade with the Vikings.
Some Vikings fans hated that trade. Personally, I liked the value, and though I wasn’t keen on trading with the Packers. I felt better after they selected Watson. I thought there were better options on the board, like Skyy Moore and George Pickens.
The Packers receiving corps still looks light even if Christian Watson is a hit, but with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they will still be dangerous. The Packers have dominated the North for the last three seasons since Matt LaFleur became head coach with Rodgers and the very good defensive unit they have. As should be the case for a previous year’s division winners, they have some tough games on the schedule. I still think they win the division at this point but not in the dominant fashion they have been used to under LaFleur.
Minnesota Vikings
Position: 2nd
Record: 10-7
As you can see, I have the Vikings close to the Packers but not quite there yet.
There is a five-game swing to make up from last season as the Vikings won 8 games compared to the Packers 13. I expect the Vikings to be better this season, and I think the Packers will fall off a little, leading to a tightly contested contest that will go all the way to the final game. I’m just not confident enough to proclaim the Vikings are good enough to win the division at this point.
I like what Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and Kevin O’Connell have done so far. They have mostly addressed the areas of weakness on the team, and you can see an identity beginning to form. That takes time, though, so I don’t expect them to storm the league in the first year.
Every team has injuries, but the Vikings have had it rough for the last couple of seasons. If they can get 17 games out of Danielle Hunter, Za’Darius Smith, Christian Darrisaw, and Irv Smith, as well as the other big-name players without such injury troubles last season, then the Vikings will have every chance of winning the division and doing some damage in the playoffs.
Detroit Lions
Position: 3rd
Record: 7-10
I really like what they are doing in Detroit. It didn’t manifest in results on the field last season, but I think they are going about things the right way. They have been the laughing stock of the NFL for so long that something drastic had to happen. That happened when they traded Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams, basically giving new general manager Brad Holmes and new head coach Dan Campbell a clean slate — including lots of draft capital to build their team. Jared Goff came as part of the Stafford trade, and heading into their second season, he will still be the quarterback for the Lions.
That is a smart move. Instead of trying for a rookie quarterback right away who would come into a bad team and struggle — see Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, etc. — the Lions started in the trenches with players like Aidan Hutchinson, Peneii Sewell, Josh Paschal, Levi Onwuzurike, and Alim McNeill all drafted in the top three rounds of the draft over the last two years.
The infamous trade with the Vikings to land Jameson Williams and the signing of DJ Chark now gives them some serious weapons on offense. Dan Campbell has the team playing tough, and now the talent level is increasing. The Lions will become a problem in the division, but as they found out last season, changing a losing culture can be difficult even when you are playing well, so I only give them seven wins. That would still be their best season since 2017.
Chicago Bears
Position: 4th
Record: 4-13
When the Chicago Bears went to the NFC championship game in 2018 during Matt Nagy’s first year as head coach, the future looked bright in Chicago. That proved to be a major false dawn.
The Chicago Bears went all-in on Justin Fields in last year’s draft. Fields did okay in his rookie season and might prove to be the guy who can lead the Bears for the next 10 years. The problem is everything else has fallen apart around him, with star players Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Allen Robinson leaving town.
Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy were fired and replaced by Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus as general manager and head coach. The Bears have a serious rebuilding job on their hands. If Justin Fields does prove to be “the guy,” it could take the length of his rookie contract for the Bears to put a decent team around him. A look at the Bears depth chart makes for some pretty grim reading. They will need their pair of second-round rookies, Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon, to hit the ground running.
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