Last season, the Lions would easily take the NFC North. Yes, the Bears made the playoffs, but the winner of the NFC North was decided by week 11. And with the addition of C.J. Stroud, the Lions will clearly be favorites this year. But as I’ve said before, this is an Any Given Sunday type of league. Let’s take a deep dive into this division.
Lions– Let’s start with the Lions. What if I told you that this team dominated their division and made the NFC Championship game without a reliable quarterback? No seriously. This team made the NFC Championship game with crab-leg Jameis Winston and a hobbled Hendon Hooker. Wow, that is a tongue twister. Hobbled Hendon Hooker. A team that was a quarterback away from defeating the Dallas Cowboys would make a huge move to get C.J. Stroud. I’m sure it is safe to say that this team will not be having a quarterback problem from here on out. C.J. Stroud also has weapons like Jameson Williams, Mike Williams, St.Brown, and Laporta. Gibbs is also at running back. With an offensive line that will give Stroud nothing but time, this offense will be booming. Defensively, they are just as good. Defense was never a problem for this team. They will get to the quarterback and they will lock up your best receivers. Coach OZ will have a lot of fun coaching this team.
Bears– The Bears would just squeeze into the playoffs last season with a record under .500. But even after their playoff appearance, a game that saw a young team compete with the Lions, some weird events took place. Apparently, former coach, Coach Outlaw, and the Bears had already agreed that he would not be staying with them after the season ended. Instead, the Bears had their eyes on Coach Surge. On paper, the Bears have one of the best rosters in the league. Allow me to read off some names. Justin Fields. Trevor Etieene. Justin Jefferson. Marvin Harrison Jr.. D.J. Moore. Tyrique Stevenson. Barrett Carter. Gervon Dextor. I mean this roster is really talented. And in the playoffs, the team showcased how great they are defensively. Offensively, they struggled and they struggled badly. But with a whole offseason for guys to come together and learn how to play with one another, the Bears offense should get better. If Coach Surge can come up with a gameplan that can utilize the talent on the offensive side, the Bears can shock the league.
Packers– It looks like the Packers are in a rebuild. They let Jordan Love walk and drafted Carson Beck. This roster does not have a lot of guys that pop out, but even to the guys that do, the Packers would be foolish not to use them as trade bait. Coach Outkast does have his work cut out for him, but I truly believe that he is the perfect coach for the job. A patient coach who understands that every season won’t be a winning season and that even that could be a successful season. Developing guys like Carson Beck would set up the future for the Packers. But what if the Packers did have a winning season? We know how this league works. There always is a team that flies under the radar and ends up shocking the league. If Coach Outkast can help the Packers start strong, anything is possible.
Vikings– Coach RapGod would finally come back to OGCFM last season. And after having a slow start, the Vikings started to show some fight. The Vikings hope that they can show that same fight to start this season. After drafting Bear Alexander, the Vikings will be able to do a better job at generating pressure. But the defense was not the worst part about the Vikings. The Vikings would rank last in offensive yards last season. In this league, you have to be able to move the ball offensively and the Vikings have not proved that they can do that. Michael Penix Jr. will have to step up this season. And if he does not, he may be benched as the Vikings would draft Conor Weigman in the 4th round. The message is clear: Step up. Can MPJ step up or will he cause another poor season for the Vikings?
AGS NFC North Division Winner Prediction: Lions. Easily. This team dominated without an elite quarterback. With C.J. Stroud I expect them to dominate once again and end up being top-2 in the NFC.
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