Could the NFC North be the most competitive division in football in 2018?
Brickwallblitz
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Entering 2018, the Minnesota Vikings are one of the league’s most dangerous teams, and have a roster that is hungry to win the first championship from a Minnesota sports team (Because apparently the Lynx do not count) since the Twins emerged over the Atlanta Braves in seven games in an epic 1991 World Series showdown.
Of course, like all things Minnesota sports, this will not come close to being an easy task.
The NFC North the Vikings reside in is expected to become one of the most if not the most competitive divisions of the 2018 season. The Packers, Bears, and Lions all look more intriguing this season than the last (Green Bay is getting Aaron Rodgers back, so of course they look more exciting), so the division is all up for grabs in a couple of months.
I would make the argument that the NFC North will be the most competitive division this year.
But, before I look at all four teams that reside in the North, what about other divisions that look power hungry? Let’s take a quick look.
The NFC South is, without a doubt, one of the best divisions in the league. (Try saying that in 2014, when the opposite was true) The New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers all made the playoffs last year, and all three teams have solid defenses and backfields. (The Panthers pairing Christian McCaffrey and Cam Newton with C.J. Anderson can’t get screwed over by Norv Turner, right?) Coincidentally, all three teams feature three of the active game’s best quarterbacks.
Then there’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who were a favorite to make the playoffs in 2017….and then went 5-11. It’s bad enough that James Winston will be suspended for the first three games of the season for an incident where he allegedly groped a female Uber driver, but the offensive line is terrible, and the rebuilding defense will need a lot of time before it can be competent again. Also, Ryan Fitzpatrick at starting quarterback is not something I really want to see, even with a great receiving corps.
The AFC South is another division on par with the NFC North. Jacksonville clearly has one of the most loaded defenses of our generation, Deshaun Watson is returning from an ACL tear to Houston, Indianapolis could get a healthy Andrew Luck(?), and Tennessee has a new offensive coordinator in Matt LaFleur that should take the team away from the Mike Mularkey led hole from 2017.
The problem with the AFC South is we don’t know if Andrew Luck is coming back healthy, and if he doesn’t, the Colts still have a heavily flawed roster. The same can be said about the Texans (even with Watson’s return), as the offensive line is expected to be one of the absolute worst in the league and we don’t know what offense Bill O’Brien will give his start quarterback. The Jaguars have a solid run game and a loaded defense, but Blake Bortles at quarterback limits the offense’s gameplan. The Titans offense and defense is young and has a lot of unproven players to look out for, so they’re an unknown as well.
Then there’s the NFC East, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who are set at almost every position on the roster. The Dallas Cowboys have one of the best backs in Ezekiel Elliot and one of the best offensive lines in the league, but the receiving depth is lacking and the defense has not been able to stay out of trouble off the field. The New York Giants should have a big amount of weapons in Odell Beckham, Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram and Sterling Shepard, but Eli Manning looks like he’s on the decline, and the offensive line and defensive front still need some work.
Washington has provided Alex Smith with Derrius Guice, Chris Thompson, Jamison Crowder, Josh Doctson, (a possibly healthy, I hope) Jordan Reed, and Paul Richardson, but it’s going to be really tough to convince me that they can overcome the Eagles, even with a new quarterback.
In the NFC North, all four teams look dangerous, and I can see a case where each team could take the division crown. Let’s take a look at all four teams in said division with brief summaries on each.
Chicago Bears
Is there a chance the Bears can go from worst to first in 2018? Perhaps, since they’ve made massive upgrades in the offseason. They replaced John Fox with Kansas City offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who promises to run a more creative, versatile, and efficient offense in Chicago in 2018.
The receiving corps, arguably the biggest hole in the 2017 roster, now has plenty of talent. The team signed Jaguar Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton to fill needs, and drafted Anthony Miller from Memphis, who looks like a stud in the making. In addition, the backfield features Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, who are set to explode with a competent scheme. Kevin White is on the final year of his rookie contract, and time will tell if he can finally stay healthy for a change.
Mitchell Trubisky’s rookie season was underrated in my opinion. Sure he there one interception for every touchdown he had, but he was limited by a conservative scheme and a shoddy group of receivers. With much more receiving depth and Nagy at the helm, his numbers should be a lot better in his sophomore year.
The defense features one of the best safety combos in Eddie Jackson and Adrian Amos, and the defensive front includes pieces like Akiem Hicks, Leonard Floyd, Danny Trevathan, and the rookie Roquan Smith.
A lot of people are putting the Bears under the radar. They could very well make noise in their division with more proven talent added to the roster. It’ll take some time for the group to gel, but the Bears should be competitors for years to come.
Detroit Lions
Since Calvin Johnson’s departure after the 2015 season, the Lions have provided Matthew Stafford with a nice set of receivers; Marvin Jones, Golden Tate, Kenny Golladay and T.J. Jones should make for one of the best receiving corps in the NFL. After a disappointing season from the run game (again), Detroit went out and signed LeGarrette Blount and drafted Kerryon Johnson. Either one will be paired up with one of the league’s best receiving backs in Theo Riddick, and the offensive line should be improved this season.
The defense is, of course the big issue with the team. Darius Slay is excellent and Glover Quin is underrated, but Matt Patricia still has plenty of depth he needs to fill in. The tight ends are also lacking on offense as well.
Detroit has been in a lot of close games for the last two seasons, and that might not change in 2018. But if the backfield is as good as it looks, perhaps this is a team that could win more than nine games. It should be mentioned that two of their nine wins last year came with Aaron Rodgers on the sideline.
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers is back, and while the Packers are still a flawed team, Rodgers has shown in seasons such as 2015 and 2016 that his presence alone can carry a bunch of guys to a postseason birth.
This season, the Packers went out and got tight end Jimmy Graham, who had a slump in the first half of 2017 before catching with more consistency in the second. Davante Adams has become a high quality receiver as well. Outside of that, Green Bay’s receiving corps isn’t good, but a bigger problem is head coach Mike McCarthy’s seeming intent on forcing Rodgers to throw his receivers open instead of providing a scheme and routes that encourage easy separation.
The Packers are trying to improve their defense, but there’s still a long way to go. Still, guys like Mike Daniels and Ha-Ha Clinton Dix should be no laughing matter in 2018. One of the more impressive parts of the Packers team comes from the depth in the backfield. The versatile Ty Montgomery is coming back healthy, and Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams should provide more key options running behind a quality offensive line.
Once again, this should be a Packers team that is carried by Rodgers to a potential playoff spot, even in a tougher NFC North.
Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota’s 2018 roster is loaded with quality, and not much else needs to be said.
The offense features the current best receiving duo in football in Adam Thielen and Stefan Diggs, while tight end Kyle Rudolph provides a nice third option (Oh yeah, and I guess Kendall Wright can become a decent WR3). The offensive line still has issues, but it’s no longer one of the absolute worst units of its kind. Dalvin Cook is returning from a premature end to his rookie season, and is back at one-hundred-percent health.
Do I need to say anything about the defense? Sheldon Richardson was added to a front seven that features Everson Griffen, Linval Joseph, Danielle Hunter, Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr, and the secondary features the best safety in football in Harrison Smith as well as Xavier Rhodes, Andrew Sendejo. Trae Waynes, and the rookie Mike Hughes.
What could or could not hold Minnesota back from a Super Bowl is new quarterback Kirk Cousins, who signed a monster deal with the team back in March. As a passer, Cousins is a little more polished with his mechanics than Case Keenum, but lacks Keenum’s mobility and creativity to extend plays outside of the pocket. Behind an average offensive line, Cousins will need to let his poise do the talking and at least get the ball in the general area of Thielen and Diggs.
If Cousins plays competent, the Vikings are on par with the Eagles. I’m not sure I’d count on them to win a game in Philly (did you see their last one?), but this is a team that should still make noise in the NFC.
With all of this said, here’s where I think each team will stand at the end of the year.
- Packers: Aaron Rodgers’ presence alone should still overcome a loaded Vikings roster. He was a one man army when healthy in 2017, and should continue to do the same approaching the age of 35.
- Vikings: While I think the Packers will take over the division, Minnesota should still grab a Wild Card spot with no problem.
- Bears: Even in a loaded conference, I would not be surprised if the Bears could grab a sixth seed.
- Lions: The NFC Kardiac Kids have the weakest odds of winning the North in my opinion.
All four teams should be able to give trouble to each other, so don’t be surprised if the NFC North becomes the most competitive division in football this year.