NFC North

Greg and I have been previewing each NFL division leading up to the regular season. It’s time for NFC North, the home of one of our favorite teams, the Chicago Bears. I’ll try and not be biased…

NFC North

Division Winner: Green Bay Packers (Both)

Division Cellar: Minnesota Vikings (Both)

Other Playoff Teams: Chicago Bears – Wildcard #2 (Both)

1. Green Bay Packers

Greg - As long as Aaron Rodgers is the QB of your team, you probably will always be among the favorites to win your league or division. The Packers added both Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin to help boost their rushing attack, and their defense should be better than it was last season (and that really shouldn't be all that hard to do). Injuries to the WR corps could keep them from fully reaching their talent, but this is still a strength overall.

Andrew – Each year people speculate if the Lions or Bears (or Vikings) can unseat Green Bay as the division champs… But with Aaron Rodgers leading the team, it’s just not likely. They added Eddy Lacy on offense, which makes them an actual threat now on the ground. I also expect a huge season from Clay Mathews on the defensive side of the ball. I’d be shocked if they don’t win this division once again.

2. Chicago Bears

Greg - Jay Cutler must play well this season, as most of the roster must. The front office decided not to re-negotiate the contracts of nearly 40 players on this team whose contracts do not stretch past this season. Many players are playing for their jobs, and I think this will help the team to reach their potential. Marc Trestman's offense should be an improvement over the last few seasons, and the offensive line should (based on what I've seen so far) be an improvement over the last decade of terrible offensive lines.

Andrew – Love what the Bears did in the offseason. They added youth and depth on defense through free agency and the draft, which solidified what will be another top 5 defense. They also addressed their weaknesses on offense acquiring O-line additions, a pass-catching tight end, and an offensive minded head coach. They will finally be legit in all three phases. But they still won’t get over the Green Bay hump. I do think they return to the playoffs however.

3. Detroit Lions

Greg - I expect Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson to find the endzone much more often than last season, and Reggie Bush's addition to this team should really show up in the win column. The weakness of this team is in their linebacking corps and secondary. The Lions did nothing to truly improve this these areas from last season. I'm not sure what the thinking is there, but they better hope another year of coaching helps out.

Andrew – After they went to the playoffs a couple seasons ago, last year was a disaster. Whatever could go wrong did, except for the play of Calvin Johnson. You’d think they would have better luck this season, and they would better live up to expectations on both sides of the ball. Look for Suh to finally break out as a star (for the right reasons), and for Reggie Bush to make a big impact offensively.

4. Minnesota Vikings

Greg – This team vastly overachieved last season, and will probably be the victims of some bad luck this year. Adrian Peterson will still run very well (he won't reach last season's total) and the team's success will again be placed squarely on Christian Ponder's shoulders. He is a solid QB, but I do not think this year will be one of his finer seasons.

Andrew – The placement of Minnesota here makes it clear how good this division is. Remember, this was a playoff team last year and they return nearly all the same pieces, yet I bumped them down to last. I think they downgrade slightly going from Percy Harvin to Greg Jennings as a top receiver, but Jennings will likely stay healthier. I love rookie WR Cordarrelle Patterson in addition. Plus, everything will continue to go through AD! On defense, they added some nice youth to partner with the vets in place. They will be in the thick of things again for sure.

Preseason Division Awards

Offensive MVP: Adrian Peterson (Greg), Aaron Rodgers (Andrew)

Defensive MVP: Charles Tillman (Greg), Julius Peppers (Andrew)

Rookie of the Year: Eddie Lacy (Greg), Cordarrelle Patterson (Andrew)

Free Agent of the Year: Reggie Bush (Greg), “The Bushes” – Reggie Bush and Jermon Bushrod (Andrew)

By: The Sports Guys