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| Can Teddy Bridgewater lead the Vikings to back-to-back divisional titles? |
Minnesota Vikings
Previous Season Record: (11-5)
Key Acquisition(s): Michael Griffin, Alex Boone
Key Loss(es): Mike Wallace, Casey Matthews
Any uptick in offense will be directly related to Teddy
Bridgewater’s improvement. The team has
expressed a desire for the 3rd year QB to be more aggressive going
down the field (they were 31st in passing yards and 25th
in yards per attempt). Coming out of the University of Louisville, Bridgewater
was lauded for his quick and quality decision-making and accuracy. His detractors’ loudest cries during the
draft came about how small he was and his lack of arm strength. Offensive coordinator, Norv Turner’s offense
is predicated on 7-step drops and deep throws. The deep drops expose the
relatively diminutive QB to more/bigger hits. The throws are something that
will certainly challenge his skill set.
Will Bridgewater be capable of being the QB they need? Can Adrian
Peterson be a legit receiving threat and add a dimension to his game and the
offense as a whole? Will LaQuan Treadwell be able to match the production from
surprise standout and fellow receiver Stefon Diggs. Despite returning the core
of their offensive players, plenty of questions abound for the Minnesota
Vikings offense.
Somehow with the best running back in the League on their
team, the defense is the most effective side of the ball. They gave up the 5th
fewest points in the League. They were a
“bend but don’t break” mentality, they didn’t take the ball away much (19th
in the NFL), and as a result they were on the field more than nearly any
defense in the League (28th). The defense should only improve as 3rd
year player, Anthony Barr continues to shine from the linebacker position.
Chicago Bears
Previous Season Record: (6-10)
Key Acquisition(s): Danny Trevathan, Akeem Hicks,
Key Loss(es): Matt Slauson,
Antrel Rolle , Martellus Bennett
On the one hand, Jay Cutler had one of his most productive
seasons under new offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Unfortunately, Cutler won’t have Martellus
Bennett nor Matt Forte as both have moved on in free agency. And Gase took a
job with the Dolphins. They’ll need second year WR Kevin White to contribute
immediately, after he missed all of last season with an injury. There is major
turnover on the line with 3 Offensive lineman moving (Bobby Massie, Manuel
Ramirez, Ted Larsen). With so many changes on this side of the ball, it’s hard
to predict what the offense will actually look like.
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| Bears fans are itching to see Kevin White in some regular season action (Chicago Tribune) |
John Fox was brought in to help a struggling defense. They improved from 31st to 20th
in points allowed per game. They most noticeably
improved in their pass defense, going 30th in yards surrendered
through the air to 4th. The organization has clearly made a
conscious effort to spend more, and devote more resources to the defensive side
of the ball; after years of investing mainly in the offense. The additions of
defensive tackle Akeem Nicks and linebacker Danny Trevathan should solidify a
run defense that is still in the bottom third for yards allowed per attempt.
And three of the first four picks in the draft were defenders.
Prediction: With Green Bay and the Vikings in this division, I can’t see the Bears making a serious
push for a playoff spot.
Green Bay Packers
Previous Season Record: (10-6)
Key Acquisition(s): Jared Cook,
Key Loss(es): BJ Raji, Casey Heyward, James Jones, John Kuhn
The Packers are always a fascinating offseason team. Rarely does the team acquire free agents of
any magnitude (their last likely candidate was Julius Peppers two offseasons
ago). Instead, the Packers choose to
draft and keep their players—valuing fit and chemistry as highly as anything
else. This offseason was no different. Health played a huge role in last season’s
narrative. The Packers lost Jordy Nelson
before the season began, and saw their offense sputter—particularly at the end
of the season. They ended in the middle
of the pack in terms of points scored per game, but they were nearly last in yards
per attempted pass. Considering Aaron
Rodgers’ talent, the more conservative play-calling was a marked change
considering the Packers led the League in the stat just the year before.
Without Nelson available to command extra defensive help down the field, the
Packers wide receivers were exposed as mediocre athletes who couldn’t
separate. Rodgers saw a lot of tight man
coverage; leaving the defense with additional players to bracket or blitz.
Perhaps the offense’s fate rests on the fate of Nelson.
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| You don't know what you got 'til it's gone. Will Nelson's return mean a return to dominance? (USA Today) |
The Packers struggled against the run last season. Despite his contribution to the Packers’ most
recent Super Bowl win, BJ Raji became expendable at the nose tackle position
when the team finished 29th in yards allowed per rushing attempt.
With their offense struggling a bit more than usual, the defense was
exposed. In order to keep Rodgers off
the field, opposition will run the ball. They’ll need to improve in order to
return to the top of the division.
Prediction: I think anytime you have a top 3 QB, you’ve got
a fighting chance. Jared Cook will have
a big season as tight End, combine that with Nelson’s return and this team will return to the playoffs—but
will fall short of winning the division.
Detroit Lions
Key Acquisition(s): Marvin Jones, Andre Caldwell
Key Loss(es): Calvin Johnson (retired), Reshean Mathis
(retire)
You lose Calvin Johnson from a mediocre offense, and
conventional wisdom says that your offense will suffer. Conventional wisdom…is probably completely
right in this regard. They picked up
Caldwell and Jones, and Stafford has talked about multiple guys stepping up, and
it actually being tougher on teams because they won’t be able to key on anyone.
I’m not going to call him a liar…because I’m not sure if he believes what he is
saying or not. Regardless, they won’t be
as good scoring the ball—something that they already struggled with. They
allowed 44 sacks (21st in the NFL), so much of their draft was
devoted to adding talent on the offensive line.
One thing seems clear, as ambiguous as his career has been, Stafford
will certainly show his worth this season.
While Mathis leaving isn’t the same as Johnson, he was one
of the few bright spots for a largely unremarkable defense. They were as middling against the run (20th
in the league in yards allowed per rush) as they were against the pass (21st
in the league in yards allowed per pass).
Prediction: This team is still finding its legs after one of
the best players to ever play his position abruptly retired. At least they have
experience with this sort of thing, right? No playoffs for the Lions.
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